Historian Khoo Kay Kim has slammed those who call their fellow countrymen 'pendatang' or immigrants, regardless of their race.

Calling their fellow citizens 'immigrants' defeats the purpose of uniting them under one country, Khoo said.

"Immigrant is just a term. People who came from another country and stayed here are immigrants.

"But when they have stayed here for a long time and they received citizenship after requesting for it, they are no longer immigrants.

“They are citizens," Khoo said at a forum on ‘Defending Malay Pride’ ( Mempertahankan Maruah Melayu ) at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall last night.

He said the usage of the term ' bangsa ' does not denote one's race but refers to nationality, giving the example of the United Nations, which translates to Malay as ' Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu '.

"We are required to state our 'race' (in forms), whether it is Malay, Chinese or Indian. ' Bangsa ' means nationality. So when we became Malaysian and we write our ' bangsa ' as Chinese, then it would mean we are Chinese citizens.

"We refer to the UN, PBB, as United Nations, not United Race," he said.

Leaders don't understand

Khoo, who is a renowned historian in the country, also said 1Malaysia, the concept minted by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, has not been understood by the country's leaders and the people, despite being used as a slogan and championed in government campaigns.

In contrast, he said, the principle had been even comprehended and embodied by past leaders, including founder and former MCA president Tan Cheng Lock who once quoted, "One country, one people and one government," in his speeches, which Khoo said embodied “the meaning of 1Malaysia”.

"The education (surrounding 1Malaysia) has failed because at schools, the students are not informed that a 'term' is not the same as a 'word'.

“They can memorise a song, but when asked about the meaning of ' keluhuran perlembagaan ' (supremacy of the constitution), they can't answer it.

"What is the meaning of 1Malaysia? It is not one race. It is one nation," he said.

Throughout the forum, Khoo repeatedly asked the audience to remember and learn about history, which would help in nation-building.

He expressed his sadness over the country’s focus on science, which he said hampered the country from being as great as it was long ago.

"Don't believe that science alone is important, because we can't build the nation just by using physics and chemistry.

"We need culture, and culture does not just mean the arts," he said.

Generation adrift

"Malaysia is not mediocre, but we must know our strengths. We used to be the number one in agriculture but now (that status) is gone," Khoo said.

“I don't know where the younger generation is going to head to.

"In my time, we were encouraged to compete with the best. It is sad that today's generation seems to be lost.

"Even the leaders are busy with other things, when they should be busy on how to make this country extraordinary, like it was before," he said.

Also present at the forum were PKR's Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, Umno's former Temerloh MP Saifuddin Abdullah, and Abim president Raimi Abdul Rahim.