The Malay Paradox -illogical logic?

My first awareness of the racial divide was at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park, London. Listening to interesting people talk about things there were passionate about. And there was this Indian man speaking with a British accent telling some West Indians that they should go back home to where ever it was they come from and leave “Us British to live in peace in our own country!”  A colored man telling another colored man to go home!

An accident of circumstances meant that my Bugis ancestors, Peta Pechawal Raja Besar Bugis di Snaghie (Sanji) took shelter from a storm at sea in Malaysia. Many years later I was legislated into being a Bumiputra. I married a Cypriot Greek in London and now live in Australia. My life so far could not be more surreal but in all honesty race has never been of any consequence to the life I live.

The accident of circumstances that made me a Malay is now being played out again in many households in Malaysia - this time there is no storm from which you need to seek shelter from - only the schemes of politicians that uses the racial divide in their bid to stay in power. – And in so doing drive our people to places abroad. The reality of the racial divide cannot be ignored. Some tend to accentuate it for their own conveniences – but with common sense you can live your life above the racial divide. But this will be hard to do in Malaysia.

UMNO has been constructing a massive concrete divide against what it claimed are threats from the ‘other races’ against the Malays. If we allow them to finish building this fence to encircle and contain the other races the Malays will be left without neighbors. Without the Chinese, without the Indians, without the Ibans without all those people that makes our country what it is now – an extraordinary melting pot of diverse ethnic people that gives our country a vibrant and exciting circumstance. It will leave the Malays in isolation. But UMNO will rather have a one eyed Malay be King in the land of the blind if it means they will still have that stranglehold on power. This power will never be a source of strength for the Malays. It is a source of strength for the UMNO politicians. The Malays now understand that our country problems – corruption, nepotism, abuse of power by Barisan Nasional is the result of the building of this fence that gives UMNO that power.

The Berlin Wall could not stop East and West Berlin from coming together.

The realities are these.  The numbers of non-Malays are enough to make them a significant political force. Despite significant attempts made by UMNO to shift the demographics realities to favor the Malays even the Malays now question the need to continue with the building of this massive concrete fence - this racial divide.

The excesses of UMNO against its own people have resulted in a toxic mix of Malay backlash against UMNO. Against Barisan Nasional. Against  Najib. You might be Malay but are you a Malay who is with UMNO or with Pakatan Rakyat? Where do you stand?  UMNO has managed to alienate a large section of the Malays who now considers UMNO as the enemy – not the non-Malays!

UMNO is fighting a losing battle. Privately UMNO accept the need for change but there is no hope in hell of that happening because for any UMNO leader to move against money politics, against nepotism and against corruption is political suicide.  Money accounts for most of UMNO’s attraction and power accounts for the rest.  Together it will ensure its demise.

The central paradox now becomes clear. UMNO uses race and religion to divide and rule. Now within the Malays it is membership of UMNO that is the divide amongst the Malays. So now among the Malays they are resurrecting the divide between themselves to drive UMNO away from power just as UMNO has used the racial and religious divide in their journey to power. The Malays in UMNO are now ‘nowhere people’ caught between being Malay and being in UMNO. UMNO will fall but the Malays will continue to thrive. Who will they now chose!

The reason for a Nations being is to give its people an equal chance. An equal chance to provide for the family. An equal chance to follow their ideals and convictions in religion, politics or commerce. An equal chance to disagree or disagree on issues that matters. Malay, Chinese, Indians, Ibans …everybody must be equal. Only when we are equal can our people have the inspiration and aspiration to hope for economic freedom and political liberty. This we do not have now in Malaysia. Our country needs to be jolted back to life and quickly gain back the momentum to move away from waste and graft – toward a new beginning that promise much for every one of us – hopefully Pakatan Rakyat will lead the way. MERDEKA!