1. I am surprised that many learned lawyers refuse to admit that multiracialism in Malaysia is just about people of different races living in the country. It is not about becoming the definitive people of the country.
2. It is normal for migrants wishing to become citizens of any country to identify themselves lingually and culturally with the definitive people of their adopted country. They would break off and reject their links with their countries of origin.
3. Certainly the children and grandchildren of the new citizens would have forgotten their previous languages and culture.
4. Long, long ago the Chinese came to stay in Malacca, Singapore and Penang. These people eventually spoke only Malay. Their dresses were influenced by Malay dresses. They sang their songs in Malay. Their social life was unique and include elements of Malay social norms. They became known as Baba and Nyonya.
5. There was no citizenship then. But the Malays accepted them as a part of the Malayan community.
6. But there were also Arabs, Indian Muslims and Pakistanis who readily adopted the Malay language, customs and tradition. They lost the languages of their countries of origin. Their being Muslims fulfill the legal criteria defining the Malays. They were therefore accepted as Malays, as the subjects of the Malay rulers.
7. At independence they were all entitled to full citizenship as Malays.
8. But the Chinese and Indian migrants who came later did not want to identify themselves with the definitive people, the Malays. They retain their links and identification with their countries of origin. They retain their own languages and cultures. On Chinese national days they even fly the Chinese national flags from their shop windows.
9. They may speak some Malay but not as their mother tongue. Their pronunciation of Malay words is influenced by their original language.
10. The non-Muslim Indians were only interested in the politics of India. They did do not want to be assimilated as Malays.
11. During the world recession of 1929-1930 many Indians and Chinese returned to their own countries.
12. It was the British who insisted that independent Malaya must accept Chinese and Indians as citizens. But the straits Chinese themselves were not keen to become Malayan citizens. Certainly not to become Malays.
13. They formed the Straits Chinese British Association and called themselves the King’s Chinese. They obtained assurance from the British that if Malaya gained independence they should be given the option to migrate to the UK and become British citizens.
14. But the Tunku not only accepted the British condition but gave one million citizenships to the Chinese and Indians even if they were not qualified.
15. Despite this, the Constitution made it clear that in terms of language, customs and tradition the Federation of Malaya is a Malay country.
16. Later when Sarawak and Sabah joined the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu to form Malaysia, the indigenous native tribes or Bumiputeras of these two entities were accorded the same status as the Malays.
17. The countries of South East Asia, the ASEAN countries all have substantial numbers of people of Chinese origins. But they are all identified lingually and culturally with the definitive people of those countries.
18. There has been no demand for these countries to be classified as multiracial countries. There are no race-based political parties in these countries either.
19. But in the Federation of Malaya and Malaysia the Malay people acceded to the demand that the migrants and their descendants retain their language, culture scripts and schools. They also form political parties confined to their races.
20. Being different and being separate from all the indigenous definitive people mean they have not fully integrated with the people of their adopted countries. The Malays had to accept their stand in fulfillment of the British condition for independence.
21. Malaysian Malaysia promoted by Lee Kuan Yew implies non-recognition of the origins of the peninsular and Sarawak and Sabah and the indigenous definitive people. It is no different from being conquered. No self-respecting people would accept that even if force is not used.
22. Matters are made worse because the unassimilated citizens and their descendants are aggressively capable of leaving the indigenous people economically deprived. In the economic, social and political life they refuse to be integrated.
23. Compared with the other ASEAN countries the Malays have been very generous. But the only tangible result so far is for them to face the threat of losing their rights as the definitive people. Unable to compete they will become the deprived people in their own country.
