Use ‘Tanah Melayu’ label, Utusan columnist tells government
(The Malay Mail Online) – Don’t the Malays see the attitude of other races that are trying to bring them down in their own tanah air (motherland)? Now all sorts of tactics are done to bring down the Malays, whether from the economy, political or social aspect.
The government should revert to using the “Tanah Melayu” (land of the Malays) label in all its official documents, an Utusan Malaysia columnist suggested today, as the paper continued to lament the alleged loss of the Malay identity following a divisive general election.
In an article published today, columnist Azman Anuar said it was unfortunate that the Malay community had forgotten the significance of the “Tanah Melayu” label to refer to the prominence of the Malay race as sons of the soil or Bumiputeras.
“Refer to any paragraphs in the early Constitution, it’s not mentioned as Semenanjung (peninsula) but by its full name Semenanjung Tanah Melayu (Malay peninsula).
“So it’s good for the government and Umno to return the name of Tanah Melayu to all official government reports and documents,” Azman wrote in an opinion piece titled “Melayu tak kisah apa bakal terjadi pada PRU-14?” (Malays don’t care what will happen in GE-14?).
Malaysia comprises Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, with the former being separated from the latter two by the South China Sea. These two areas are also commonly referred to as West Malaysia and East Malaysia.
Earlier, Azman lamented that the Malay community was not concerned with the loss of their identity.
“The Malays no longer care that the names of ‘Malay’ is being lost in their own land.
“The Utusan Malaysia paper that defends the Constitution has also been slammed hard and accused of being racist,” he wrote.
Read more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/use-tanah-melayu-label-utusan-columnist-tells-government
