Malays ‘bipolar’ for persisting with under-siege mentality, DAP MP claims

(Malay Mail Online) – Penang DAP lawmaker Zairil Khir Johari suspects Malays must suffer from a “bipolar disorder” for thinking their race to be under attack by Malaysia’s minorities all the time despite being the country’s dominant demographic group.

The Bukit Bendera MP said he based his allegation on the perpetuation of a “Malay fear” of being under siege.

“This is a reflection of [a] perverse inferiority complex. Basically you have a majority group acting like a minority. A dominant hegemony.

“This is very Malay supremacy. They experience superiority and inferiority complex at the same time. This kind of inferiority of the Malays makes no sense. We need to find a way to cure this suffering from a bipolar disorder,” said Zairil in a forum organised by Gerakbudaya titled “Growing up Malaysian: Young Malay Experiences” here.

“There is this feeling of ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) and also ketakutan Melayu (Malay fear),” he added, elaborating his point of a growing fear among the Malay masses.

Zairil said much of this fear among the Malay community stemmed from former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s book “The Malay Dilemma” in 1970, which shaped the minds of many young Malaysians.

“We are living in his image of Malaysia. If we look at his book, he has this version of Malaysia which he managed to translate into policies because he was so influential for three decades.

“His narrative is so fatalistic, that Malays have a history of failure. Hence he justifies the need for Malays to have government help,” he said, adding that he believed Dr Mahathir was borrowing the stereotyped narrative perpetuated by colonial powers.

Another panellist at the forum, Raja Iskandar Fareez said the “racism agenda” was purportedly being played up by the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government to serve its own selfish needs and was not something natural in the Malaysian social climate.

“It is a very framed agenda. It is not natural and it is not happening. It is happening in the minds of the people. Someone from the ruling class is planting the thoughts that the Malays are under threat,” he said during his speech at the forum.

The entrepreneur went on to add that Putrajaya was instilling the agenda through various programs organised by the National Civics Bureau (BTN) to influence the masses.

“BTN from an offset looks like any other motivational camp but in between they instil this idea that okay you’re Malay and you’re under threat.

“They instill in us that you’re Malay, you own the land but you’re under threat. Malays have political power but Chinese have economic power. Never ever fight another Malay, [or] you lose political power. A very bleak picture being painted to us at a very young age of 16-17,” Raja Iskandar added.

He also acknowledged that the racial divide among Malays and non-Malays seems to be growing and more people tend to only mingle with those of their own race nowadays.

“I fear we are growing divided day by day. We no longer have common experience. We now go out with our friends from same race and background unlike before due to the changing mindset,” said Raja Iskandar.

Thousands of red-shirted people were bussed into the federal capital on Malaysia Day for the rally officially called “Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu” or the United People’s Assembly, but which caused concern among traders in the city centre and ethnic Chinese business leaders.

Late into the rally police said were attended by as many as 50,000 people, Federal Reserve Unit officers used water cannons on protesters trying to force their way past a security cordon at Petaling Street.

The protest was also marred by sporadic outbreaks of racism, with one participant recorded calling an ethnic Chinese reporter “Crazy Chinese pig”, among other insults.

Datuk Jamal Md Yunos, an Umno leader and spokesman for the #Merah169 rally, downplayed the insult on Thursday, saying the Chinese should feel no slight in the remark since they consume pork.

The rally, said to be in support of Najib’s leadership, was to counter last month’s mammoth two-day Bersih 4 gathering calling for the prime minister’s resignation.

The ruling Malay party has insisted that it does not endorse the event, which has also been alternately called “Himpunan Maruah Melayu”, but did not prohibit its members from participating in the demonstration organised by martial arts group Pesaka.