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March 29, 2006

Racism in Malaysia and the creation of values

Mistrust is created through lack of education, lack of understanding, separation from each other and fear of each other.

Trust is not something that is created out of nowhere. None of the values that we carry with us are created at a late stage in our life. Be it confidence, the need to build relations with others, honesty - all those big, big words.

These values and the identification and naming of feelings has been created in us in the early stages of our life. Between 0-6 years of our life. Consider this. That early. This is the time, when babies and toddlers look up to the older people and simply believe everything that is coming from them. Parents should be very much involved at this stage, but if you look around you will find that a large share of parents are working - who is taking care of the young age group? Maids! Maids, who usually are not highly educated. Don't wonder if your child does not turn out to be like you (not that you want this, in the first place, anyway!).

In the next age group from 7-14, they are starting to compare their identification figure (again, parents), with those from their friends. That is the time when kids realise that their parents have their own failings, are not the superman they pretend to be. They realise that their friend's father is cooler than their own Papa and this is the time, when external value instillation becomes more important. Friends become more important. So if you want to have your kid have many different impressions, mix it with many different experiences.

When they get older, they start to separate from their families. This is then when the children start to identify with their friends - and everything that the parents say goes into one ear and out from the other ear.

Learning? If you want your kid to be great, get it young, and influence it positively!! As young as possible.

How does this relate to the recent survey being Racism Rife in Malaysia's Melting Pot, Survey">published ?


Overall, 50% of the population doesn't trust each other. Additionally, "58 percent of Malays, 63 percent of Chinese and 43 percent of Indians polled agreed that ''in general, most Malays are lazy. 71 percent of Malays, 60 percent of Chinese and 47 percent of Indians agree that ''in general, most Chinese are greedy.'' Sixty-four percent of Malays, 58 percent of Chinese and 20 percent of Indians agreed that ''in general, most Indians cannot be trusted."

And, sadly, "42 percent do not consider themselves Malaysian first."

Even so there is no breakdown by age, it is clear that the current results are not something that happened to take place from today to tomorrow. However, it is clear that the developments in recent years didn't do much to foster integration. Sadly, it appears that the ethnic groups live further and further away from each other.

The challenging question for me is: How can someone name somebody else as lazy or greedy, if they are not lazy or greedy themselves? Isn't it true that we can only recognise those characteristics when these characteristics are also prevalent in us as well?


Here is the full article:

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 22 (IPS) - Malaysia's first serious survey of race relations, in 50 years, shows that behind the façade of outward unity and peace, racism runs deep in this multi-ethnic 'melting pot'.

The telephone survey of about 1,200 Malaysians also found that the majority of the various races find comfort and security in their respective ethnicity and not in a common ‘Malaysian' identity, as the travel and tourism brochures suggest.

''The findings are not at all surprising,'' said social scientist Chandra Muzaffar. ''This is partly because ethnic boundaries are real in our society and almost every sphere of public life is linked to ethnicity in one way or another.''

The survey, by the independent Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research, also found that negative racial stereotyping was deeply entrenched. For example, minority Chinese and Indians see the majority Malays, who make up 60 percent of the population of 25 million people, as lazy.

Chinese and Indians, who began migrating here in the early 19th century, make up 26 percent and 8.0 percent of the population, respectively.

It found that more than half the population does not trust each other. For a nation that claims to be a 'melting pot', only eleven percent of the respondents said they had eaten often with friends from other races in the past three months. Thirty four percent said they have never had a meal with people of other races.

The survey found that 42 percent do not consider themselves Malaysian first, 46 percent say ethnicity is important in voting, 55 percent blame politicians for racial problems and 70 percent would help their own ethnic group first.

According to the survey, 58 percent of Malays, 63 percent of Chinese and 43 percent of Indians polled agreed that ''in general, most Malays are lazy.''

Meanwhile, 71 percent of Malays, 60 percent of Chinese and 47 percent of Indians agree that ''in general, most Chinese are greedy.'' Sixty-four percent of Malays, 58 percent of Chinese and 20 percent of Indians agreed that ''in general, most Indians cannot be trusted.''

The survey, commissioned by the semi-official New Straits Times newspaper and supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, is the first honest look at Malaysian society and the findings have left Malaysians gasping in disbelief at how firmly racism and racial stereotyping has become entrenched and accepted as a way of life.

The Merdeka Centre said the survey ''gives an honest picture of the country's situation and inter-racial perception'' and warns that extremists can take advantage of inter-racial fears and suspicions in the absence of a meaningful interaction.

The ruling National Front government of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi works hard to portray the country as an example of multiculturalism where Muslims, Hindus and Christians live together in peace.

But experts have been voicing concern that, increasingly, the communities were drifting apart and polarization of the races and a lack of social unity were on the rise.

They squarely blame the politicians and the country's race-based politics for the sharp rise in racism. The shocking findings have also prompted civil society to demand a ban on all race- based political parties.

''Let us outlaw all Malaysian political parties that restricts membership on grounds of race, religion or sex,'' said lawyer politician A. Sivanesan who is senior leader in the opposition Democratic Action Party, one of the four registered multi-racial parties in the country. ''It should be written in the constitution that only multi-racial bodies be permitted.''

Others say the few multi-racial political parties are weak and unable to grow because of the strong domination of race based parties over the political system.

''Social problems affect all communities,'' Sivanesan said. ''Poverty, drug and crime are not specific to any one race. All races face the blight.''

''What the survey clearly shows is that the various races live peacefully but separately,'' Sivanesan told IPS. ''Half a century after independence we are further away from knowing each other than when we startedàseparate schools, separate friends, separate lives.''

Curiously, the survey showed that many Malaysians had vague ideas, not only of each other's cultures and traditions but also of their own.

Hari Raya Puasa was wrongly perceived as the Malay New Year by 32 per cent of Malays, 84 per cent of Chinese and 45 per cent of Indians --when the festival actually marks the culmination of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.

Similarly, the Chinese New Year was thought to be a religious festival by 57 percent of Malays, 53 percent of Indians and a whopping 62 percent of Chinese respondents.

Despite the lack of unity, the country has enjoyed long periods of peace except for one race riot in 1969.

And unlike in some neighbouring countries where uniformity is enforced, Malaysia's minorities are not restricted and are free to practice their own cultures and religions and enjoy a vernacular education.

But, the government officially practices a policy of positive discrimination that favours Malays over other races in many areas -- from employment, education, scholarships and business to cheaper housing and assisted savings.

Private companies must hand over 30 percent of equity to ethnic Malays and a portion of housing and commercial property must be sold to them

These measures, collectively called the New Economic Policy or NEP, were started in 1970 to reduce the yawning economic gap with the Chinese community, which dominates business in this country, as in most of South-east Asia.

Originally designed to last for 20 years it has continued without check, sparking envy and resentment between Malays and non-Malays.

Former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was sacked and jailed in 1998, has caused a stir by proposing to reform the political landscape which he says is straining national harmony.

''We need to appeal to the Malays, Chinese and the Indians and the rest that we need to go beyond race-based politics. If you continue to harp and support this racial equation, you will never be able to overcome racial divisions,'' he told supporters at a recent rally.

The government is aware of the deep divide and has taken measures to close the gap. One experiment in racial integration is the 'Vision Schools' initative where students share sports fields, assembly halls and canteens, but attend classes conducted in their own languages.

But the initiative is embroiled in controversy mainly because of the fear among Chinese and Indians that the vernacular education system would suffer and erode their identities.

A popular initiative, the national service programme, started in 2004, puts youths of all the races under a single roof. Students are chosen at random and taken to camps for about three months in the hope that they will learn team work and absorb each other's culture.

But, the experts say racism is too deeply entrenched in official policies and the socio-political system for such 'half-hearted' measures to make impact.

''The survey's findings might be a bitter pill to swallow but it tells us who we really are behind the façade we show the world,'' said Sivanesan. (END/2006)









Posted by Andreas at March 29, 2006 06:34 PM

Comments

Racism runs deep in our roots, ingrained in us through upbringing, surroundings and personal observations and experience. I love to think I do not have an ounce of racism in myself. But we all do have it whether we acknowledge it or not. The faster you acknowledge it and strive to eliminate it from our hearts and minds, the better we are in trying to see everyone as equal.

Malaysia is a great multi-racial country but racism do exists, at times, very obvious and at times, in very subtle ways. It is sad to see people identifying themselves as Chinese Malaysian, Indian Malaysian, bumiputra instead of just Malaysian. I think most Malaysians do not have the patriotism we all are supposed to for a country in which are born and raised, especially the non-Malays.

Perhaps, it will be up to the goverment to act fairly first in every aspect, from education opprtunities, business opportunites, economical opportunities and also most importantly political opprtunities. I would love to see Chinese or Indian or indigenous person being the country's leader. I doubt it will be one in my lifetime but I hope when we do, that person will be the voice for all Malaysians, to unite the country in a real way, not just on the surface.

Trust is the most important thing. If a race in a country does not feel threatened, misrepresented or unfairness in all aspects of their life as a Malaysian by the leaders of the countries, the loyalty and willingness to serve the country will come naturally.

We tell that world in our travel brochures that we live in harmony, that all Malaysians are one united community. However, even a tourist can pick the subtle racism the moment that stay in Malaysia for a couple of days.

How could we be a united country when one cannot even gather in a public park in a big group, playing the guitar and singing without policemen coming in to disperse the group?

How could the sense of comfort and freedom be in our mind when clubs are being raid randomly almost every night in different places by the police?

How do one feel when policmen shine their torch at you when you are just having a great conversations with a friend who happenned to be a guy on a late evening?

How could one have faith in a system that does not trust its people to begin with?

How do we react when our personal freedom is questioned all the time in our daily lives? Do we let it become something we just ignore because it is common?

How does it feel when you get 7A1s in SPM and a passing grade form Bahasa Malaysia pushes your average grade down and subsequently took away the opprtunity to attend a local university?

Are all these fair? Do we really believ it is because it is the law?

It is hard being a Malay, a Chinese, an Indian, someone with different parentage, an Indigenous. But if we stop seeing the different laws and treatments projected to us, then we will start seeing ourselves as Malaysians, just Malaysians.

I believe all races must be treated equally in every way to ensure trsut between each other. However, if our leaders project that kind of trust and fairness, then the people will not be willing to let their fears and stereotypes go.

Religion is a good thing but when religion mix with politics and become the definition of a country, we have a problem. We see the problem in almost every country where one race is more dominant politically. We try not to deal with it or talk about it because we all fear that if we really address the real issue, riots and ethnic wars will happen. I am afraid to say it already did.

We never learn from the past until it hit your own country and your own life. We do not know how we really stand until we have to make the stand. Many will argue that they not racist. But racism is just not about color of the skin. It is everything, right down to what our parents taught us.

The sooner we acknowledge, the sooner we can get rid of rid and not pass that to the next generations.

I saw a little girl who hug and patted the back of an old dying grandmother (not her own) to comfort her because she looks like she needed comforting. This old lady looks scary, at least to the eyes on an adult. Wrinkle skins, uncontrollable saliva droolings, hands shaking, food stuck on her cheeks because she just finished lunch. But the child sees her differently. All she saw was someone who needs her hug. No hesitation at all in coming forward and hugging her like she would for her mom.

Every child has that, the innocence, a perception without fear. If we can keep that and bring them up without tarnishing that innocence, we will successfully elimate any kind of racism in the next generations. Easier said than done. But racism, like it or not, are passed down from generations to generations. It can only be defeated if every one do their part. Don't show hate for any race in any way. It could something stupid like saying I don't want you to marry a Muslim or a Black man. I don't want you to hang out with the her because she is mixed.


I believe we can only combat racism if we deal with every issue in our daily life first instead of globally. Deal with it on a personal level and if everyone does that, it will make a difference globally. You have to start from yourself.

Don't judge me by my email name either.
signing out.

Posted by: maddie at April 23, 2006 10:39 PM

I wonder how the situation is like in Germany between the Germans and the Turks...

Posted by: Nizar at April 3, 2006 05:54 PM

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