By Ng Eng Kiat
Most Malaysians have no notion of class. Which is sad, really, because there are those who claim to understand class but actually only see in shades of race and religion.
For them, class division is more about whether one is Malay, Chinese, or Indian than about the Mercedes S-Class. In reality, however, it’s the Mercedes (or kapchai) in your porch that counts, not your skin colour.
Unless, of course, one goes as far as to say “what car you drive depends on what race you belong to!”
Then, my friend, you probably belong in an era still fighting Hitler.
But you see, Malaysia is not the most forward thinking nation of all nation states. And Malaysians find themselves trapped between the S-Class and the kampungs, the tin mines, and the rubber estates. First World infrastructure, Third World …
Okay we don’t need to be reminded.
Mentality. Ahh, the things we learn about Modernisation, Dependency, and Globalisation. Don’t all dwell on mentality, mind-sets, values, etc., ie. the West and its civilly superior attitudes VS the Rest and their culturally backward traditions?
As patriotic as it sounds, positioning oneself nationally – and racially – in this purported clash of identities does not get one far in terms of advancing his or her community. Resistance that is defined through an ethnocentric lens is as ugly as America’s global “War on Terror”. Plainly, racial discrimination sucks.
So, bringing the discussion back home, we see racism instituted into various aspects of our lives to the extent that we find some forms even palatable. It’s come to a worrying stage for me, personally, when Malaysiakini publishes a letter written by someone who calls him/herself “A Concerned Malaysian” propagating very twisted connotations of Malaysia’s different classes, ie. the supposed clash between “racial classes”. I produce the letter here in full for all to read:
I’ll be a second-class citizen any day…
A Concerned Malaysian | Apr 18, 08 4:21pm
If you give me a choice between being a second-class citizen and the so-called Malay privileges, I would certainly be proud to be placed under category of ‘second class citizen’.
In a beautiful country like Malaysia , being a second-class citizen is an honour, a class of its own and is normally associated with big luxury cars, owning/controlling all kind of businesses and conglomerates right from retail, wholesale up to the manufacturing activities and import and export.
If you happen to be a second-class citizen, you should be proud of it. Second-class citizens in other countries envy us for what we can possess or achieve in terms of economic power and the wealth of the country where one can own up to almost everything under the sun in Malaysia.
There is no one in Malaysia to compete with you what more the so-called ‘first-class citizens’ who practically have zero economic power. To you second-class citizens, the sky is the limit.
You have got with you economic power and you also have a growing influences on the country’s political power.
One should ponder as to who owns and builds all the high-rise apartments and condominiums in this country for example?
Who owns and operates the manufacturing businesses, the hotels, the shopping complexes, the supermarkets, the distribution of goods and services and so many others?
The list is too long to mention here, you can see for yourself. So ponder all Malaysians before making up your minds on issues without first realising where we are.
For starters, other than desiring to gloat over the supposed superiority of “Second-class Citizens”, is there something genuinely of concern to Mr/Ms Concerned Malaysian?
I emphasise “supposed” in my previous line. Second-class citizens of this country, assuming they are deprived of fair rights, supposedly drive big luxury cars, supposedly own and build all the high-rise apartments and condominiums, and supposedly do everything else “A Concerned Malaysian” cared to list in his/her letter.
“Supposedly” – because I’ve only seen such discourse produced by the UMNO ultra – not by MCA, never mind MIC – at their general assemblies. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the letter writer is him/herself an UMNO ultra. The brilliant Antares has already noted an earlier letter to Malaysiakini that sounds sheepishly mala fide.
Let’s then give “A Concerned Malaysian” the benefit of the doubt, which Malaysiakini has done, and consider the letter to be genuinely bona fide. The writer’s contention about Second-class Citizens having great economic power such that it overwhelms whatever “Malay priviledges” is simply deceiving and quite frivolous.
It completely misinterprets the sentiments of communities who feel like they are treated as Second-class Citizens, firstly because disenchantment with BN’s great rule of Malaysia grew as a result of years of arrogance and contempt against the people’s right to fair participation in democracy, the economy, education, worship, so on and so forth (and not because people forgot they were rich in beautiful Malaysia). Secondly, the fact that not all Second-class Citizens are rich is one major flaw in “A Concerned Malaysian’s” general and sweeping assumptions. Hence, the writer’s attempt at re-positioning the anti-establishment Chinese community is pathetic and screams of the ethnocentric advice that “you should be satisfied with what you have, shut up before the keris bathes in …”
Okay, let’s not be reminded of such intolerance.
I find the part about First-class Citizens having zero economic power particularly condescending. On second thought, it’s partially amusing. Hello Class-F Contractors? Hello Zakaria Mat Deros? ZMD probably won’t hear me hollering, never mind. Bless him. Hello Khairy Jamaludin?
Fine, I shall refrain from following the footsteps of those who take examples of rich and influential individuals to make representation of whole communities. But wasn’t racial discrimination suppose to help First-class Citizens truly enjoy First-class opportunities? It’s 2008, for Tunku Abdul Rahman’s sake, and something must be very wrong when despite the special privileges, First-class Citizens still have zero economic power. No wonder people aren’t voting those Third-class policy makers into power anymore.
At the end of the day, if we need to be reminded of class, we need to go no further than to our streets to see that not every Second-class Citizen drives an S-class. Malaysians would probably be better off if we dropped the idea that the advancement of race equals the advancement of our nation. After all, we do not see “A Concerned Malaysian” even concerned enough about the plight of our poor nation when all he/she’s bothered with are mini segments of elites.
Second-class? More like Second-class upper.
And shouldn’t you be more concerned about Third-class Citizens who were tear-gassed and chemical-cannoned because they thought they deserved better?
How dare you call yourself a Malaysian, yuck.
Anwar is fundamental to change the mindset of the Malays who are the majority of the population, where many are still brainwashed into supporting the evil UMNO blindly, and Anwar is the key to hold Pakatan together especially with the problem of the ever troublesome PAS!
Anway, I’m so sick of the double-standard and injustice of the police force. Instead of protecting all rakyat and promoting justice, it’s unjustly and barbarically busy promoting the political interests of UMNO! Sick! Sick! Sick! I can’t express it enough! So Umno supporters can hold protest anytime such as the last one in Penang and Ipoh (I thought the police promised to arrest the leaders!) and, the coming United Malay Congress in JB, but it’s pathetic and so unjust that other rakyat who don’t agree with UMNO’s dirty politics are being arrested including under ISA such as the brave Hindraf leaders who are even tortured, threatened and silenced and free press which is promoting justice for the rakyat such as Makkal Sakti and Malaysiakini being persistently intimidated, harassed and silenced!! I think Makkal Sakti should go online as Malaysiakini, and then go into printing again under Pakatan takeover, and at least they’ll be protected a little bit under international IT laws that Malaysia was forced to sign up to, in order for the foreign IT investment to be launched here.
Further more, not only the police force and special branch is swarmed by extremely sadistic-macho and sexist, fascist and racist idiots; it’s also so corruptible. I was even informed discreetly by a SUHAKAM junior officer that a victim complaint that he was beaten up by the police officers, who even boasted that gangsters are recruiting into the police force so that they can ensure their fellow criminals can get away! Plus my own cases; where I’ve made countless police reports and instead was given a run-around by the police every time, especially as I’m a woman at that! I’ve brought all the complaints against the police force with SUHAKAM; but never heard from the supposedly Human Rights Commission again (what do you expect; when the top committee is run by supporters of the ruling politicians, instead of being completely independent – actually its foundation was to appease falsely to the international community that Malaysians supposedly have such fundamental human rights avenue to turn to, “so things must be alright then in Malaysia”!). And, the increasing sexual crimes against Malaysians especially women and children; do these police force care?! Well, two of their fellow officers from the nasty special branch dept, are on a (strangely dragging on & on) trial for murdering and most probably raping Altantuya (since she was blown up naked?!); so can we expect justice from the police then? Besides, most female officers are low-ranking ones; and the force is dominated by Malays; thus why we have such sexism and racism besides (of which the force should be multicultural instead)! And the reason why the foreign nationals especially from violently sexist-macho countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia (especially from the dominant Javanese culture – they behave similarly in Indonesia towards other culture especially from non-Islamic culture – don’t forget Suharto’s mixture of capitalist and “Javanese Supremacy” ideology was involved in the mass murder of millions of Balinese, Communists, Sumaterans, Sulawesi Christians and so on, maybe there’s a program of “Javanizing” Malaysia), Southern Philippines and Nigeria, where many of these foreign nationals are committing crimes including sexual ones (that include sexual harassment and brutal rape). Further, many have no respect for local women and custom including in East Malaysia, are laughing all the way and getting off scot-free; since they could either easily corrupt the police or are just following the nasty examples set by the police force! Besides, getting that “Malay/Bumiputera” identity in their IC in exchange for votes for Umno and free houses and land for some, especially in East Malaysia, thus why the big win for BN there (even Malaysians like me don’t own land for goodness sake!).
And unfortunately and tragically, our own Malaysian younger generation is following all these nasty examples! AND THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO HAVE PAKATAN TAKEOVER NOW; IF WE WANT TO STOP THIS SORRY NATION-STATE FROM DEGENERATING FURTHER INTO INCREASING BARBARISM! FOR TRUE DEMOCRACY WILL NEVER DAWN ON US IF WE WAIT “POLITELY” FOR ANOTHER ELECTION, WHICH HAS AND WILL ALWAYS BE BASED ON FRAUD AS LONG AS THE RACIST, SEXIST AND FASCIST NEO-NAZI UNMO/BN REGIME IS IN POWER!
NOOR AZA OTHMAN.
“I’ll be a second-class citizen any day…
A Concerned Malaysian | Apr 18, 08 4:21pm
If you give me a choice between being a second-class citizen and the so-called Malay privileges, I would certainly be proud to be placed under category of ‘second class citizen’.”
I am poor, my children are, my brothers, sisters, aunties, and all extended families are , so is my father and his father etc and there is no pride in being poor.
The writer cannot be anything else but a rich first class citizen or a fool.
Try telling to my ‘economy rice’ seller in SS2 that it is good to be 2nd Class Upper citizen in Malaysia. Many Chinese (me and my brothers included) had kicap and rice even in late 1980s. Vegetables are wild herbs nearby the longkang. Until mid 1990s only I realised how rich our country is but fuuny thing was I still haven’t seen a single sen of Petronas’s money until today.
As long as there remains a distinction of ‘class’ and its difference, there will always be inequality. Unless and until all are considered equal, there is no way to wipe out the dirt of racism, sexism, corruption etc, regardless of which party it is. Think about it, it would just be the same, for that which you support is also human after all. Our concerns should not be unrealistic like “A Concerned Malaysian”. The questions remains,of how long are we to be treated as second-class or first-class or whatever, and how long are we to remain hidden from realizing the potential that this blessed land has for us, as equal citizens? Sad truth is, we may never have the answer for that, BN or otherwise.
saya bosan tidak ada updates. apa sudah jadi ni…???
bosnnyer no update yet~…
Many Malaysians have always been concerned about how the economic pie should be divided – between race, class or groups of interest (e.g. political parties, govt sector or private sector).
This leaves us with the tallest twin towers in the world but not the fastest bullet train to help us to “balik kampung” during the festive seasons.
Plus, we have the “Eye of Malaysia” and now even the “Eye of Melaka” but our public toilets are still an eyesore.
I wonder when these Malaysians will wake up to the fact that development especially in the context of a nation is not all about citizens owning all kinds of businesses and driving luxury cars.
what happen to kasikampus…????