Rebuilding Malaysia is pleased to introduce Wan Nor, and her timely article, “Please Take Out the Words “Malay” and “Muslim” from my Identity Card! I’ve Had Enough!
==========================================================================
By Wan Nor: In the following paragraphs I express my honest opinion, feelings and observations. There comes a time when you just say, “That’s it, no more”!!! Where being Malay and being muslim are concerned, in Malaysia, I think I’ve hit that point.
I’m saturated with the Malay self-entitlement that they offer themselves and force upon others deemed as Malay.
I’m appalled and disgusted at the Malay-made-Muslim religion that the ulama are forcing down our throats.
I’m sickened at seeing Pakistanis, Indonesians, Bangladeshis be ‘dyed Malay’ and then receive Malaysian Citizenship at the expense of fellow non-Malay Malaysians, who have struggled alongside us to build this country, and who, by the way, pay ~90% of the tax that becomes the National Budget.
Most of all, I condemn the Islamisation that has nothing to do with islam, a severe, malignant cancer in the form of a Malaysian-made-Islam that is led by illiterate Islamists, propagating chronic ignorance. I condemn this wave because it has brought us to the brink of extremism, radicalism and now clearly incubates terrorism.
Malays have become toxic
I was once proud to be Malay. I was once proud of my Malay roots. Today, the Malays have become a toxic group of people made up of an indoctrinated majority who allow themselves to be silenced by fear of punishment, led by an indoctrinating minority of so-called ulama who subject others to oppression and suppression. Throughout my career I truly believed that the New Economic Policy (NEP) would iron out the playing field for the different races. Thus, I proudly worked hard to contribute my little bit, to make implementation of the policies impactful.
With nothing and no one to hold them back, politicians took what was supposed to be a social empowering tool, and turned Ketuanan into an intellectually lethal weapon that has crippled the Malays with a false sense of entitlement.
In all truth, below the surface of this claim to being the special ones, lies a deep set inferiority complex.
The Malays clearly now believe that they need assistance, special rights and quotas. They believe that without these, they will not be able to compete; they will not be able to survive.
They no longer dare to think; they no longer dare to even formulate opinions. They have muted their voices. They have lost any competitive edge that they may have gained from post-independence education and socio-economic mobility. It could have been different! It could have been so different!!!
Ketuanan affects all the races
The Ketuanan epidemic did not stop at the Malays. It now has the Indians throwing themselves on the ground, demanding that they too be given special rights and gifts of entitlement to help them overcome their new-found semi-paralysis.
The Chinese, on the other hand, suffer from a different kind of syndrome that is off-set by the Ketuanan epidemic. They come out frustrated and with a false sense of superiority. This superiority complex leads them to believe that they are better than everyone else, and thus more deserving. Another face of the Ketuanan beast?
The right to mining land and related opportunities that the British apparently handed out to them, meant that the Chinese inherited a huge business edge that they skilfully transformed into a substantial financial edge, ensuring thus a spill-over edge in the education and socio-economic status of this race.
To counter the NEP, which they saw and clearly expressed as an injustice to their race, have they put in place mechanisms to ensure continuous opportunities for their people within the economic landscape? Perhaps initially, the intention was to secure opportunity for their people who were ready and able to work hard. But by locking in their race, to what extent have they locked out the other races? With all this opportunity locked in, why do I still observe such intense frustration? Why does the majority have to continue working doubly hard to make ends meet? Is their elite somehow feeding off the Ketuanan frustration, to further enrich themselves? Could it be that, Ketuanan mainly served as a diversion tactic, what the Chinese might call, Sing Tung Kik Sai, fighting the enemy that does not exist. If so then, what or who is the real enemy?
In the meantime, the Sabahans and Sarawakians seem to remain oblivious to their rights to basic amenities and education. They seem to seek to blame Malaya for their own setbacks, and the corruption that has plagued their development. Yet, they choose to remain oblivious to the fact that their own people count amongst the richest in the world. Are they blind, or do they choose to be blind? Sing Tung Kik Sai, Borneo style?
The solution
The combined effect of all these creates a ferocious monster that is now out of control. The monster is still hungry, but it has already devoured everything in its path. It has eaten up our moderate secular system, the system upon which we built progress; it has destroyed liberal expression, the basis of intellectual freedom and capacity; it has incapacitated self-actualisation thus stagnating development and progress. There is nothing left, and the monster is now on a rampage. The inter-racial socio-economic gap is growing. Inter-racial harmony is failing.
The fall is going to be a hard one, for all Malaysians, even those who feel that it is time to leave Malaysia. We now need to ready ourselves, in order to be able to piece the broken pieces together and to get through this, as a nation, a nation intact, one people, Bangsa Malaysia, undivided by religion or race. We can’t be Malay, Chinese, Indian, Sabahan or Sarawakian anymore.
I believe that the solution is leadership. I believe that the starting point will be GE14. I believe the platform will be a NEW GOVERNMENT. We need a New Government that is able, enabled and ready to genuinely uplift the peoples of Malaysia. As soon as this New Government is in place, I shall put in a formal application to modify my National Identity Card so that what appears is: 1.) Bangsa: Malaysia; 2.) Agama: n.a. (not applicable).
I haven’t given up on Malaysia. No, not just yet!
(The views expressed are those of the contributor)
===========================================
More on the contributor, who writes under the byline, “Hard Questions By Wan Nor”.
Wan Nor, PhD is a Malaysian scientist born and raised in Britain. She received part of her primary education and five years of secondary education in Malaysian Public Schools (SK Convent). She then pursued her tertiary education in Europe.
She has served in the Malaysian public, private and non-profit sectors in a number of university and ministerial functions. She brings to her written pieces, academic and intellectual depth; and, experience in state and national-level programmes.
Driven by her commitment to Malaysia, and held by a deep sense of integrity, she constantly seeks workable solutions for Malaysia at a time when the ordinary Malaysians are submerged under politico-economic events that seem to challenge their ability to just forge forwards in this climate of uncertainty and, at times, hopelessness.
We, the ordinary people have been screwed by our politicians. It’s the same in every nations.
What we are asking is, can we still earn our bread and butter without all the bs of political rhetorics? Can we still put decent food on our tables for our family? Can we still send our children, our grandchildren to get the ‘right’ education?
Malay, Chinese, Indians, Kadazan, Dusun, Orang Asli, does it really matters which etnicity one belongs to? If we can’t even make a decent living without ‘robbing Peter to feed Jane’, what’s the point of shouting empty slogans like ‘Bangsa Malaysia’? Where there is no family unity, whence can we unite a nation?
For some of us, we cannot afford to spend another decade or two, waiting and hoping to see a Rejuvenated Malaysia!
When anyone feels superior, others may not accept or respond to affirm that, it is merely an over confident sense of self ability. However when one feels inferior, it doesn’t matter what others really think, the person will act like everyone else is superior. The inferioirity complex is far more damaging, that is the crutch if the matter.
“… of fellow non-Malay Malaysians, who have struggled alongside us to build this country, and who, by the way, pay ~90% of the tax that becomes the National Budget.”
To claim ~90% is totally flawed. My explanation is only to explain the flawed ~90% claim by Wan Nor.
Our GDP for 2017 = RM1.35 trillion! It grew 5.9% vs 2016.
GDP = Its the value of all goods and services produced in our country.
https://youtu.be/hBqWRayc1kE (to know better what GDP is. Short 1.5min clip)
In Malaysia, roughy, the RM1.35 trillion of all goods and services are produced by:
1. Locals (mostly Chinese dominated) eg all the shops you see around town n malls including farms, banks etc. Eg Public Bank, IOI, YTL, Berjaya, neighbourhood shops, etc
2. Foreign Investors eg Intel, Nestle, Samsung, Toyota, Shell, Exxon, Digi, etc
3. GLCs – Federal or State Government linked companies eg Petronas, PNB, Khazanah, Maybank, Telekom, Felda, PDC, KPJ, etc. (mostly Bumiputera dominated)
These are the 3 key economic engines that jointly help produce and grow our economy. This is uniquely Malaysia where the key groups are supported by all other smaller groups. We are interdependent. Its not solely dominated by any one group though visually it may seem otherwise because some are in the forefront whilst others are in the background. The fact is, we all contribute. Lets continue to grow our nation.
P/s: we are taxed accordingly hence we all contribute to tax proportionately.
Iskandar, yo are missing the point. This claim of the 90% tax being paid by the non was made by Dr M to reflect the lopsided implementation of tax collection. Yes, it is true we are taxed according to income. But Malays/Bumis can and very often do opt to pay taxes in the form of Zakat which is used exclusively for Muslims. And claim 100% tax deduction, depriving the common tax pool leading to conclusions that the Malays do not pay Taxes per se. They pay zakat. You do not see the same leeway given to people who pay to support other religions.
I share your sentiments on the country being hijacked by religious bigots & seems to have an upperhand in moving the country towards extemism & backwardness but I don’ t understand your rationale on removing the words Malay & Muslim. What has that got to do with the subject at hand & what impack does it has to your struggle to counter the woryying influence to this nation. How could you erase your ancesteral origin just by removing those words. Coming out with such declaration denotes the degree of your arrogence & may make you an overnight hero to some Muslim liberal & non Muslims. It is a shameful act to fellow Muslims & Malays.
Suppose the situation was reversed and the affirmative action policy was undertaken here as they are being implemented elsewhere where it is for the protection of minority groups, ask yourself would the Malays honestly be able to meaningfully hold out in the manner Chinese Malaysians are holding out in spite of odds being stacked against them from cradle to grave like they are now stacked against Chinese Malaysians?
I frankly think the NEP policies, islamisation and kleptocracy have all crippled many Malays for generations and if the current situation continues unabated, the situation will get explosive one day. The ketuanan mentality has brainwashed them into always looking at the chinese as the sounding board and the root of all their problems, conveniently also blinding them to all grosss misdeeds by the current klepto government.
Yes indeed. There should be only one education system too!
Is Nokia Story the same plot for Malaysia.. Hero to Zero
From Garden of Eden Malaysia to Zambawi land by 2030?
Better remove your photo, address, etc. And give you a passport with no infornation on who you are.
Now I see what she meant
Just because of her personal opinion?
There is also nothing for Sabah and Sarawak in GE 14 as far as the write is concern, and she can only muttered that Sabahan and Sarawakian is the fault of the state leadership, when in fact, its because of the sistemic exploitation of Sabah and Sarawak. The sistemic exploitation cant be corrected just by voting a new government without changing Federal politics to grant greater autonomy – and indeed, to get rid of neocolonization.
Halal, Halal, Halal, it build the wall to divide Nation, and the world. Sorry to say that. That’s what I saw.
Lol the majority of people in this country are Muslims, and yes many of us would opt for Halal food. So it only makes sense to operate Halal restaurants, rather than forcing over millions to bend over to your heart desire. So sorry if you couldn’t find your favourite pork dish at Din Tai Fung in KLCC, I’m sure some other fancy Chinese restaurants or hawkers can accommodate your appetite.
Short answer, an unequivocal “NO”.
Well written. My salute
The message is very clear. The few of us who are able to see and observe the thumbing down of our country by the political and religious elites are aware and revolted by what’s going on by those aforementioned.
But are those self pity crutch loving Malays aware and ready to change? The hatred for the Chinese and the liberals non conformist Malays preached by the religious bigots are so embedded on the ‘less than aware malays’ that they can’t see beyond their own nose. Those Malays makes up the bulk of the voters. Are they ready to change or for change?
I honestly don’t know what world we’re living in anymore. Where I always have to feel to give up something when there’s literally nothing left to give…my identity tied to the Malay race is all that I have to separate me from people of other cultures and traditions. While Chinese and Indian cultures are so prevalent in every corner of the planet, the Nusantara is the only place where we could find the already dying Malay customs and people. I’ve raised several points similar to what she wrote and questioned them, such as how unfair to give out citizenship to Pakistanis, Bangladeshis etc and call them Malay. I also wonder in what world does the writer live in, for finding the Malay people and their identity as well as ideologies so harmful to other societies. She clearly fails to bring up how other communities might discriminate us too. Corporate discrimination, Malay people are lazy and inferior…just look at all the comments, like the one how Malay people can’t feed our kids and thus the verdict is that the Chinese are more superior.? Malay people don’t pay taxes? Where does this idea come from? Anyone wants to ask why? Malay people earn less than 4k/month maybe? Malay people can hardly get a job in private sector?…This article reinforces the false idea that the Malay society is toxic and that is just both hypocritical and extremely devastating. I agree that we are all a part of similar fabrication and we’re all humans, but is this really the way to strive for justice for everyone?
I agree.. malay still the majority n pay tax via buying product n services too.