One Malaysia; Defined

Kuala Lumpur City

However, racial unity and government transparency still seems to be a long way away. Corruption remains rampant within the government, and many different interpretations of this slogan have been sprouting, along with it conflicting expectations, causing the social fracture in Malaysia to widen. Perhaps the “One” in this slogan could more appropriately be used to represent the single political party, National Front that has been in power of the government since Malaysia’s independence, half a century ago.

Malaysia is considered an illiberal democratic state, as although democratic elections are held on a regular basis, the ruling party manipulates its power in such a way that makes it near impossible for the opposition party to gain fair control.

In past elections, allegations of fraud and unfair elections have been prevalent in Malaysia. There have been discoveries of double voting and an extreme restraint on media in favour of the ruling party.

The current leader of the opposition party in Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, has been plagued with multiple accusations and charges on sodomy throughout his years as Deputy Prime Minister before, as well as now, as he leads the opposition party in its uphill battle for control over the government. He was previously convicted and sentenced to jail but acquitted years later. The timing of his arrests, the most recent during which Anwar and his party, was in the midst of a power coup against the government suggests that the charges were orchestrated and politically motivated.

In another attempt to maintain their power, the ruling party controls all mainstream media in Malaysia, and opposition parties are given little access to it, severely impairing the country’s freedom of speech. In recent years, the Internet has become the preferred outlet of free speech and many anti-government blogs. The government is said to have taken drastic measures to silence this unmediated form of journalism.

A prominent and outspoken blogger, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, famous for his Malaysia Today website, which offers an alternative and uncensored version of the political happenings in Malaysia, has been twice detained under the Internal Security Act, (which allows for the detention of a person without trial, in itself an outlandish concept).

In his blog, Raja Petra once linked Malaysia’s then Deputy Prime Minister in the 2006 Altantuya murder case. Altantuya Shariibuu was a female Mongolian national murdered by C-4 explosives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A private investigator, P. Balasubramaniam, also linked Najib to the deceased and implied an extra-marital sexual relationship between them in his Statutory Declaration. However, he retracted his statement and disappeared shortly after, but many speculated political interference. Raja Petra was, in turn, tried for sedition charges.

The allegations that Najib was involved in the murder case were dismissed without further inquiry. The fact that all jury trials and trials with assessors in Malaysia were abolished in 1995 could have been an issue in this disreputable and less than politically transparent case.

Malaysian politicians, however, are well versed in corruption and hypocrisy. For all its promotion of Malaysia being a multicultural society with emphasis on equality of races and racial unity, the government’s efforts to implement this ideology draws its end at the tourism industry. Beyond the colourful advertisements and inviting slogans such as “Malaysia, Truly Asia”, showcasing a portrait of interracial friendships and intercultural integration, with its exotic variety of foods and fashion, beneath the surface is a much bleaker picture.

The Malays are given the title of “Bumiputera”, which literally translated means the “Prince of the Earth”, indicating the superior rights of a Malay citizen over the soil of Malaysia. There are still special privileges given to the Malays such as preferential placements in local universities, where a majority of the places are reserved for Malays only, and land reserves for the Malay citizens only. The politicians claim a “One Malaysia”, but admit the political system to be Malay or Islam centered. They argue equal opportunities but they create advantages to help out “those in need”, which invariably means the Malays.

These affirmative policies aimed to help the poorer Malays who have been left behind create unease among the non-Malay citizens. It doesn’t allow growth in terms of unity between the races, as it encourages feelings of resentment and draws an invisible line between the Malays and non-Malays. Furthermore, progress for the Malays as a race will be stunted if these affirmative policies continue, as they will have no incentive or need to better themselves.

Racial and societal unity will remain as idealism as long as non-Muslims continue to be treated as second-class citizens, and Malaysian politics continue being religiously biased and beleaguered with scandals. Perhaps for now, ‘One Malaysia’ will remain a decidedly divided nation.

Add Comment

You must log in to submit a comment.