Is it wrong for Malaysia to be a permanent ethnic Malay polity?

Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli & Fareed Mohd Hassan , Malaysiakini

This is a reply to an article published in the Asia Sentinel written by Murray Hunter a couple of days ago titled ‘Malaysia: Permanent Ethnic Malay Polity’.

He mentions, among other things, that “what is very Malay about the grab for power currently underway in parliament is that the change of government was not as a result of a defeat at the polls or on the floor of the parliament, but rather a decision made by the traditional Malay patriarch, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong – the current king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah”.

Firstly, he heavily criticises the grab for power currently underway in the Malaysian Parliament and put the blame on Sultan Abdullah for appointing Muhyiddin Yassin to the Premiership.

Malaysia is a progressive democratic country and the King was acting within his powers accorded to him by the Federal Constitution to appoint a prime minister after Mahathir Mohamad himself resigned from office in February 2020. During the last Parliamentary session held in May, the Agong himself reiterated that he has persuaded Mahathir not to resign, but he did anyway.

Other than that, the Agong has never interfered with the democratic system in Malaysia. Despite all adverse allegations, democracy thrives in Malaysia and this is clearly depicted when BN was ousted in the last general election that took place in 2018.

Secondly, he mentions that everything in Malaysia to be ‘Malayised’ and that Malaysia is moving from a multicultural country towards monoculturalism. This statement is utterly misleading. Although Malaysia is a majority Muslim nation, Malaysia has always respected the culture and tradition of other races.

The Federal Constitution stipulates clearly that Islam is the religion of the Federation. Nevertheless, other religions could be practised in peace and harmony in Malaysia. In comparison to other Western countries, the minority Chinese and Indian communities in Malaysia are free to practice their culture and converse in their mother tongue expressively to the extent of having their own vernacular schools funded by the government – something which is not made available in many first-world nations.

Thirdly, the author portrays as if the Malays are all weak, incompetent and power-crazed. These are all untrue and racist against the Malays. The author also accused the Malays of altering the history of the nation in favour of majority Malays. It is to be noted that the Malays were the natives of the land and this is clearly indicated in the fact that there are nine hereditary Malay rulers taking turns among themselves to be appointed as the Agong every five years.

The institution of the Malay rulers historically originated from the Malay Kingdoms or Sultanates that have existed across the Malay Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago for centuries. These kingdoms were sovereign not only because the Malay rulers have relationships with other sovereign powers, but treaties were also concluded between them indicating their sovereignty over Malay lands.

For instance, the late Queen Victoria of the British Empire herself recognised Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor as the sovereign ruler and consented that the Treaty of Friendship to be concluded between the British Empire and Johor in 1885. Moreover, the International Court of Justice in 2008, through its judgment on Pedra Branca recognised that Johor was a sovereign nation.

Thus, it is impossible for Malaysia to have a Chinese or an Indian Agong since Malay rulers are of hereditary in nature. This is also the reason why the Malays and other natives in Malaysia enjoy the status as ‘Bumiputeras’ roughly translated as ‘sons of the soil’.

There are a number of Chinese, Pakistani, Indian and other immigrants in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. These immigrants have resided in these nations for generations and have been accorded citizenship. If the same standard is to be applied, could the position of the Queen of England (who is also the Queen of Australia and New Zealand) as the Head of State be relinquished from the British royal family members to these former immigrants?

He also noted that the Malay political scenario in Malaysia is very ‘Malay’. However, the political scenario in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand has always been dominated by the ‘Whites’. In addition, there has never been a non-white prime minister in any of these nations.

Although the Malays form bulk of the population of Malaysia, the non-Malays have never been ignored, excluded or left behind. There is no need for careful observation to realise that there are a lot of successful businessmen, politicians, athletes, ministers and millionaires from the non-Malay communities in Malaysia.

Penang, for instance, is a Chinese-majority state in Malaysia. As a result, there have never been a chief minister appointed from neither the Malay nor the Indian communities but this has never been an issue since independence. If there is the so-called ‘apartheid regime’ or ‘Permanent Malay Polity’ in Malaysia, the non-Malay communities in this country would not enjoy the sizeable share of the nation’s wealth and appointed to political positions, to begin with.

After more than six decades of independence, Malaysia has flourished to become one of the most successful nations in Asia, given its stability and economic growth. The Global Peace Index has ranked Malaysia as one of the most peaceful nations on Earth. Malaysia has also been successful under the leadership of Muhyiddin in combating the Covid-19 pandemic.

Malaysia has now entered into the recovery phase of the movement control order. This shows that the Malay leadership, supported by other compatriots, is working well in driving the country to prosperity and stability.

Other than the 1969 riots, there have never been any other racial flare-ups taking place in Malaysia like the one happening in the United States of America at the moment. Although the thrones of the Malay rulers are hereditary and remain exclusively within the Malay royal families, Malaysia has always been able to provide for all of its citizens. All lives matter in Malaysia.

Therefore, a question to ponder – is it wrong for Malaysia to be a permanent ethnic Malay polity?