Are there long-term dangers for the Malaysian project?
There is a clear danger that the Federation of Malaya may one day secede from Malaysia. It’s not as far-fetched as it seems.This Malay supremacy The (Malay supremacy) narrative runs so counter to concepts of inclusivity, multiculturalism, diversity, religious freedom and even democracy that other ethnic groups living in Malaysia feel alienated, alienated and marginalized from the country’s political groups. Not only is this a feeling within the people, these concerns are shared privately by state political elites in both Sabah and Sarawak.
A cultural hegemony has descended on Malaysia and threatens the foundations of multiculturalism, and key tenant projects in Malaysia are conceptualized and agreed upon. Alternative ideologies and viewpoints in Malaysia were subverted and suppressed, with the federal government openly pursuing Malay-centred policies and incorporating Bumiputera initiatives in fiscal policy and development priorities.The backbone of the government and policy executors, the civil servants are clearly committed to the so-called “Malay Agenda”seriously undermining the multicultural aspirations of the nation.
The view of the Semenanjung (Malay peninsula) in Sabah and Sarawak is an ideological Islamic government that intends to impose its version of the religious, cultural and social order on them.
Although the current state of affairs is not irreconcilable, a hardline Malay-centred government could easily change the dynamics of the country.along with Malay supremacy From the point of view of how Malaysia should be viewed, the doctrine becomes more exclusionary, the tipping point may pass and any reconciliation may become unthinkable.
Politicians have made many irresponsible remarks on Malay-centred politics, angering leaders in Sabah and Sarawak.Furthermore, Islam itself is being promoted as a hybrid nationalist theology that combines Malay sex with Islam.
For multicultural tenants, this can come at a huge cost.this Malay supremacy Hybridization is becoming the single most insurmountable obstacle to building a united Malaysian society.
The nature of federal politics today revolves around peninsula-based parties gaining a majority and then using the support of Sabah and Sarawak political groups to gain and control the government. These parties are so disdainful of Sabah and Sarawak politics that most of the peninsula parties go directly into Sabah and Sarawak in an attempt to bypass local sentiment.
Umno has run the Sabah state government for more than a decade, violating the rotation of chief ministers. Umno’s dominance was achieved through social engineering, with hundreds of thousands of migrants allowed into Sabah and allowed to vote. The Kadazan-Dushun people, who were once a powerful influence in Sabah’s political and social life, have been marginalized.
Sarawak has done a better job of preventing federal influence and is now almost an autonomous region within Malaysia to avoid potential government interference affecting every aspect of life.
The first-and-before (FPTP) electoral system, adopted by the former colonial master Britain, was embraced by Malaysian politics without considering the consequences. The FPTP system polarizes elections so one party can govern with a stable majority, but at the cost of the inclusion of minority views. Malaysia must get rid of these ancient colonial relics and introduce an electoral system that is more conducive to strengthening Malaysia’s national standing.
The federal government has instilled in generations of Malays through the education system Malay supremacy Assumptions about the nature of Malaysia. They were informed of the threat to the Malay way of life and Islam from internal and external invaders. This mythical apparent and present danger to Islam makes today’s Malays even tougher on non-Muslims. Malay and Muslim identities have been synergized to make the two roles inseparable.
Malay supremacy No longer just an ideology, it is part of the personality of those Malays who are influenced by the local education system.
Malays in the heartland believe that Malay sovereignty must be protected, while civil servants see themselves as having a sacred duty to defend the myth Malay Agenda. Some see the Islamic state as the ultimate way to ensure survival. Politicians cater to this ideology, which is eroding the aspirations of a multicultural Malaysia, rich and powerful in diversity. Malays are led to believe that diversity is itself an attack on Malays and Islam.
Although Parliament has just passed a bill to realign Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak in the constitution, the way the original agreement worked has significantly weakened Putrajaya’s centralist leanings. Not only Sabah and Sarawak have been victims. State civil servants across the country are aware of the condescending attitude towards them from federal civil servants.
If the country’s political narrative doesn’t change, the invisible fabric that ties the three parties together to project Malaysia may start to unravel.This will be the final cost Malay supremacy Ideology, before it became part of Malaysia, was supposed to be an ancient political relic left over from Malayan history.
This should be replaced by a new form of inclusive patriotic narrative that brings the country together. The South China Sea remains a psychological divide as well as a physical divide.
Some of the forces that have united the parties to become the Malaysian state, such as Indonesia and the Philippines, have removed the physical threat to East Malaysia. With the construction of Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara on the island of Borneo, the dynamics of the region will also change. The future impact of Nusantara on Sabah and Sarawak will challenge Putrajaya.
Slogans like 1Malaysia and Keluarga Malaysia are just empty drums.Ironically, those leaders who have championed Malaysia for decades have been detained for decades, in Malay supremacy advocate.History modified to strengthen ideology Malay supremacy At the cost of unifying the Malaysian nation. The state is now not assimilated into a national culture, but a segregated social group with little interaction between them.
Culturally, socially and politically, Malaysia is one as three nations. Malaya will be alienated from Malaysia unless a major effort is made to rebuild the mantle of the Malaysian nation.
This is the tragedy of the Malaysian project. Measures must be taken to rebuild national consciousness before it is too late.
Murray Hunter’s blog can be accessed here
