Is Malaysia a Racist Country

By Hussein Hamid

This entry was first posted on Thursday, 15 October 2009, 10:36 am in Lim Kit Siang's blog

Is Malaysia a racist Country?
YES	455 (94%)
NO	29 (5%)

Vote on this poll
Votes so far: 484
Days left to vote: 1

With one day to go the above is the result of the Poll we had recently on steadyaku47. Number of Votes cast: 484. Of this number an overwhelming 94% were adamant that Malaysia is a racist country! Why do they think so?
Are the people racist towards each other? NO! Are the Malays treating the Chinese as second class citizens? NO! Are the Chinese preventing the Malays from going into their shops because they are Malays? NO. Are the Indians being prevented from riding in Public Transport because they are Indians? NO! We are free to go anywhere we like, do anything we want and between the races we are equal.

Malaysia is a racist country because of the policies of its Government whose Prime Minister ironically claims that its 1Malaysia is bringing the people together!

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the 1Malaysia concept is nothing unusual as it is a continuation of the concepts to strengthen solidarity among the people which had been introduced by past leaders.?

Najib said that as a multi-racial and multi-religious country, the concept of solidarity certainly could not be ignored or treated lightly because it could pose a problem and destroy the inter-racial ties that had been nurtured all this while. “My predecessors had emphasised on national solidarity as one of the main pillars that would ensure Malaysia’s success and survival,” he said.

Amazing. If our Prime Minister and the Prime Ministers that came before him have all emphasized national solidarity as one of the main pillars to ensure Malaysia’s success and survival – then why did 94% of the 484 people that participated in this poll is of the opinion that Malaysia is a Racist country?

Here again I think our leaders need too be clear on what they perceived is the situation and what really is the situation. Yes we hear our Prime Minister talk up national solidarity many times but as the Malays say “cakap bukan serupa bikin”. In all seriousness Najib’s recent pronouncement “Umno for all” brought more laughter then a feeling of hope for better things to come in the future.

This is the sad thing about our country. Whereas in other countries the government would have to legislate to ensure that there is racial equality this is not the case in Malaysia. Here it is the government that is quietly or covertly putting into practice policies and practices that discriminate and place those who are not Malays and who are in the minority at a disadvantage – in education, in seeking employment, in business – in all things Malaysians. And it is the people that is taking the lead to learn to live with each other in spite of these polices and practices by the government of the Barisan Nasional. What a sad commentary of the realities that exists in our country. We know it so and yet we have Najib declaring our national solidarity through 1Malaysia to a Global audience. When will he ever learn? When will he ever learn?

Just think what this country would be like if we the people did not take it upon ourselves to live with each other in harmony and goodwill? If we all did not understand that whatever racial problems we had was not of our doing but that of our government? If the Chinese, Indians and others were not able to accept that the Malays are in their ‘privilege’ position in Malaysia not because they asked to be so but because our government deem it fit to divide and rule and create a racial divide for their own vested interest. It hurts me so much when I think of this…this unnecessary racial divide that is artificially imposed upon us all by UMNO. Enough of this. We wait for the next GE to do what we must so that we can all live together as one!