1Malaysia – 2Standards
By Johan Brendon
The contentious debate concerning Article 153 of the Federal Constitution which refers to “Malays rights” remains unabated. Some would argue the term alludes only to “special position” as opposed to an absolute privilege. Although the Article makes a point of safeguarding the Malays’ interests, it does not negate the ‘rights’ of the other races as stipulated under Article 8 (1) which states: “All persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection” and importantly, Article 8 (2) states: “there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent or place of birth in any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment”. It is therefore unequivocal that Article 153 was constituted in the spirit of fairness and justice.
One does not begrudge giving extra support to help the Malays but laments the way Article 153 is construed and exploited by successive governments, none more so than Dr. Mahathir’s regime. The Article has lost its guiding light and is used by UMNO to assert the Malay supremacy. Consequently, the socio-economic-political agenda is dictated by them. This iniquity has resulted in a number of insidious consequences. Firstly, it evokes strong resentments amongst the non-Malays. Secondly, it creates a culture of dependency amongst the Malays. Thirdly, a country governed by ‘second best’ will not excel.
Institutional racism under the guise of Article 153 was most ferocious under Dr. Mahathir’s rule. Combined with a toxic mixture of corruption, cronyism, incompetence and grandiose projects, it is a miracle Malaysia is not bankrupt though it has a national debt – the size of the Twin Towers. Sadly, although Malaysia has (pointless) ‘monuments’, there are still Kampongs without basic utilities. If not for Dr. Mahathir’s recklessness and pomposity, Malaysia, with its vast natural resources including human resource (if not for the brain drain), would by now be a First World. Najib knows Article 153 is now ‘sell by date’. But as a realist, he knows “Malay rights” is sacrosanct. So, he conjures up an innovative slogan: ‘1Malaysia’ – sounds great! The slogan is clear – a nation of one people. But under close scrutiny, the so-called “ideology” is kosong. George Orwell’s satirical novella (‘Animal Farm’) aptly sums up ‘1Malaysia’ with this paraphrase, ‘we are all equal but some are more equal than others’. ‘1Malaysia’ is just a public relation stunt and a “progressing” one – can’t wait!
Meanwhile, the injustice is all too real to the non-Malays. Rejecting its brightest citizens of higher education because of their ethnicity is cruel and immoral. But such discrimination within the Education system affects not only those individuals on the receiving end. The ramifications are far more reaching. Every country needs to nurture the brightest brains to help with wealth creation and there is no better way in doing so than through the best education. If Dr. Mahathir had wisdom, he would have realised the foolishness that in order to create a level playing field in education, he should ‘level up’ the poorer standards of the Malays rather than ‘level down’ the outstanding standards of the smartest – mana boleh? And doing away with the English Language is sheer madness. In the final analysis, social engineering based on favouritism and not meritocracy only leads to a collective doom.
