I refer to the Malaysiakini report Tengku Faris: Non-Malays should not seek equality .
Many quarters have voiced their opinions on the implications and effects of the recently concluded general elections. And many such interpretations are grossly warped, some to the extent of having a repulsive racial slant and flavour.
With due respect to HRH Tengku Faris, the people have spoken by way of exercising their voting rights and this electoral outcome must be respected. If at all there’s any pride and self-respect on the part of the BN and its supporters, they should be doing some real soul-searching and deal with the loss and come up with plans to win back the people’s confidence and trust. Instead, we have fault-finding individuals alluding this big loss as a threat to ‘ Ketuanan Melayu ’ and the special privileges of the Malays.
This assumption will only be true and acceptable if the BN is a 100% Malay party but on the contrary, the losses suffered by the BN component parties were much more severe than Umno, especially MCA and MIC. The Umno losses were mainly due to rejection by the Malay electorate themselves. Hence, the issue of non-Malays encroaching into the Malays’ special rights and privileges does not arise. Moreover, many Malay candidates from PKR and PAS won handsomely, even in predominantly non-Malay constituencies.
Looking at how these people react, one cannot help but feel that they are trying to distract their grassroots from the hard and real facts of the whole debacle – that the BN loss was their own doing and has nothing to do with any attempt by any quarter to usurp other’s rights and privileges.
It is also grossly unfair to question the citizenship status and rights of non-Malays. This issue is the consequence of the ‘social contract’ – a direct outcome of independence. As citizens, we have both responsibilities and rights and as with any contract, once effected, its terms and conditions should be biding and non-negotiable. In fact, if there’s any group that can be considered fair and tolerant, it is the Chinese and the Indians.
We have never challenged the special ‘right’ accorded to the Malays, in the form of discounts in house purchase. We have never challenged the government’s decision to award most of the university places and scholarships to the Malays. We have never challenged the discriminative award of contracts and businesses to the Umnoputras in particular. We have never challenged the availability of job opportunities and promotion prospects in the civil service
What we have requested for is more university places and scholarships for the non-Malays and not places and scholarships at the expense of the Malays. And all these students had been extremely worthy ones. In short, we had to appeal and beg for these – thanks to MCA and MIC, the so-called partners within BN.
And they had been truthful in what they claim – they always fight for our rights. So much for being a partner within BN - having to ‘fight’ for a portion of our rightful share. Rest assured - the Malays are NOT under threat but rather the Umnoputras are – the consequence of their own doing.
