Am I proud to be a Malay

Saleh Mohammed, Malay Mail Online

I am born a Malay and was proud to be one. It goes back to history and also I noticed my race was at the forefront in freeing ourselves from colonial rule with the assistance of the other races in our beloved country.

Wikipedia shows the origins of Malays in three models:

Proto-Malay – Also known as Melayu asli (aboriginal Malays) or Melayu purba (ancient Malays), the Proto-Malays are of Austronesian origin and thought to have migrated to the Malay Archipelago in a long series of migrations between 2500 and 1500 BC.

Deutero-Malays – From the Iron Age people descended partly from the subsequent Austronesian peoples who came equipped with more advanced farming techniques and new knowledge of metals. They settled and established kampungs, which serve as the main units in the society. By the end of the last century BC, these kampungs began to engage in some trade with the outside world. The Deutero-Malays are considered direct ancestors of present-day Malay.

Expansion from Sundaland model.

A more recent theory holds that rather than being populated by expansion from the mainland, the Ice Age populations of the Malay peninsula, neighbouring Indonesian archipelago, and the then-exposed continental shelf (Sundaland) instead developed locally from the first human settlers and expanded to the mainland.

The earliest records of the word Melayu or Malayu came from a Chinese record that reported a kingdom named Malayu had sent the envoy to the Chinese court for the first time in 645 CE. It was recorded in the book Tang Huiyao collected by Wang Pu during the Song dynasty.

It was suggested that the term “Melayu” originated from the Tamil word Malaya or Malaiur which means “hill” or “high ground”

Historically, the Malay population founded several ancient maritime trading states and kingdoms, notably Brunei, Old Kedah, Langkasuka, Gangga Negara, Old Kelantan, Negara Sri Dharmaraja, Malayu and Srivijaya, and the later Cham and Mon-Khmer settlers.

The advent of the Melaka Sultanate in the 15th century triggered a major revolution in Malay history, the significance of which lies in its far-reaching political and cultural legacy. Throughout their history, the Malays have been known as a coastal-trading community with fluid cultural characteristics.

With such colourful history I am proud to be a Malay.

Nowadays, people have been saying a lot of not very positive things about this race of mine. Should I be angry or reflect on what they said and try to be better?

Lazy was synonymous and up to now, contribution to the economy is not very encouraging. Houses are built by Indonesians, food stalls operated by Mamak and Siamese, Bangladeshis manning convenience stores and at plantations, guards from Nepal and Pakistanis selling carpets. What else? Not much of the economic pie belongs to this race. Property ownership especially the higher-priced items are scant.

Most ustaz like to propagate ‘haram’ than presenting Islam as a way of life and a religion of compassion. ‘Compassion’ is the most frequently occurring word in the Qur’an. Each of its 114 chapters, with the exception of the 9th, begins with the invocation ‘In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful…’. Were they themselves not taught about Allah being compassionate and merciful?

We see arrogance in some and include among our politicians. Back-stabbing and slander is not uncommon.

Envy or ‘hasad dengki’ is prevalent. There can be 20 furniture shops in a furniture mall along Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong that has been around for some time. But 3 nasi lemak stalls within a 50 meter radius can be a challenge. Even the sole representative in the list of top 10 billionaires in the country is looked upon with suspicion because of his successes.

I visit apparel, electrical, kitchen cabinet and many other shops. One distinct difference is the service level. A non-Malay sales staff will take the trouble and time to explain a product and will also recommend something of value-for-money or suggest alternatives. The objective is to make a sale. But more often, a Malay sales staffer will just smile (not all the time) and wait for us to ask questions.

I was at Universiti Hospital a few nights ago between 11.30 pm to 4am to get treatment. I must give credit to the staff at the emergency unit for being hard working at that time of the day with so many patients needing treatment. Special mention for Dr Gayathri Subramaniam. Sad to say, some from my own race do not show that spirit — busy playing with their smart phones and service level is wanting. A few patients came with signs of severe pain but no one was available to provide wheel chairs or stretchers. Worse, there was none at the entrance.

I am aware that this is not a private hospital but with a little bit of care and concern, it goes a long way. As for the hospital administration, kindly have a relook at the workflow and processes. There are lots of room for improvements.

Social ills, you name it. Drug abuse, ‘mat rempit’, unwanted pregnancies, baby dumping, snatch thefts, bullying, what else… On record, the Malays are the front-runners.

Strangely, corruption is not in the social ills list. It is clearly prohibited in the Al-Quran and Hadith. ‘And do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you [to] consume a portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful]’.(Al-Baqarah 2:188).

Of late, there have been numerous cases and we rarely hear the ‘big fish’ getting caught or brought to justice. Corruption in Malaysia takes many forms, from graft to cronyism to bribery.

We have also heard of Ketuanan Melayu. Yes, Melayu are the Rulers, at the helm in politics, government machineries, schools and universities, the courts, television, the military, the Police and GLCs. But over the years changes are not much to shout about and yet we blame others for our sorry state of affairs. With its rich resources, Malaysia should have done better that South Korea economically, and for the ‘Melayu’, a better share of the economic pie.

For how long do we want to eat kangkung and nasi goreng?

In his last sermon (Khutbah), Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. had this to say:’All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety (taqwa) and good action’.

Whilst others are busy racing towards high-income status I do not see many Malays following this trend maybe except for rent-seekers….

I think, we Malays need to really and quickly change – in mindset, character and world view. Be more inquisitive, creative and a problem-solver and not be ‘part of the problem’. Be conscious of the change and adapt to it. Let us not be in denial mode.

If the powers-that-be could not assist, we start the change ourselves. But then,  that is the reason why we voted them into office. So much for the ability and quality of our ‘wakil rakyat’. ‘Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves’ (part of al-Ra’d 13:11).

To me humanity, our beloved country and the well being of its citizens is more important than race or politics.