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‘We need to throw all M’sians into one wok’

YOURSAY | ‘Now we need to cook it into a fantastic mix.’

'Despite affirmative action, dissatisfaction persists across all races'

Anonymous 539281478077880: The three races lived harmoniously way back in the 50s. Why can't they be like that now?

The politicians have made it difficult for the three major races to be together with their ‘divide and rule’ and ‘race and religion’ policies.

Any amount of study via Oxford University or others can never change the "dissatisfaction attitude" among the races. The government must take stern steps to overcome all these.

Would they do it? It’s left to be seen.

Appum: This research has not broken new grounds in social studies in Malaysia. We know whatever is written here. But the only thing this study could have shown is the failure of this Umno-BN government of 60 years.

Especially, their failure to unite this plural society, and in fact did more harm than good to race relations in Malaysia compared to the early Merdeka years.

During those years, there were great efforts to promote national unity and extremists were arrested. Nowadays, we see the current government seemingly playing up racial and religious sentiments in order to gain votes. Worst still, they team up with ultra-religious parties like PAS to further their agenda.

There is no significant effort at all to create a harmonious and united plural society. There are empty slogans like "1Malaysia" being launched.

What we need now is not studies like this, but the realisation to change this crop of failed Umno-BN leaders who have overstayed their tenure.

Hardboiled: Is it race-based policies that needs fixing or is the root of the problem of a different nature?

I do believe that we should follow some part of Singapore's education system - everybody in one schooling system with a mandatory second language.

In Malaysia, we could make English and Malay compulsory, whilst a third language is optional/compulsory. This would throw everybody into the same wok. Now we need to cook it into a fantastic mix.

My concern here is that it cannot and will not. Islamists will not allow Muslims to be influenced by non-Muslims. Muslims should be released from state control, so that all are under one law.

So, what does that mean for Malaysia? Putting everybody together is only a small step for inter-ethnic relations. It is the religious aspect that will make or break Malaysia.

OMG!: Remember that the special privileges were due to be reviewed in 1972, 45 years ago, and to be revised or discontinued from then on.

That only 10 percent of persons approached agreed to be interviewed is revelatory. Could bias have crept in?

Three questions I would have liked to have seen the responses to are:

1. Is it good for national unity to keep an army only for one race?

2. Do you think that rich people are getting more from the special privileges than poor people?

3. Is it easier or harder now to feed your family after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) started in 2015?

Basically: Yes, we really didn’t need an Oxford study to tell us that. This has been said to death over the last 20 years.

Go tell it to the kampung people who still have to look for RM1 chicken to survive, despite Malaysia being an oil-producing nation and BN boasting they have "transformed" Malaysia.

Research: Policies like 1M’sia may have unintended consequences

David Dass: Interesting report. Malays see 1Malaysia or being Malaysian as synonymous with being one with other Malays and not with non-Malays, but non-Malays see 1Malaysia or being Malaysian as being one with Malaysians of all races. Why is this so? Is it religion or politics?

Various surveys over the years conducted at the level of universities indicated that students preferred to be among those of 'their own kind'.

Various religious strictures have discouraged socialising in homes. And National Civics Bureau (BTN)-type courses have affected the way each looks at the other.

Our inability to accept and settle down to our constitutional framework of rights and privileges is part of the problem. Polarisation and segregated living and functioning occur at so many points.

There is much work to do by those interested. CIMB is to be commended for sponsoring this work.

Hplooi: This poison (dichotomy in national identity), in my opinion, started after the alleged coup of 1969. Any dissent or even critique (constructive or otherwise) of national policies was (and still is) criminalised).

Even criticism of how efficiently the New Economic Policy (NEP) was implemented and corruption within the system was silenced with sedition.

If the original result of the 1969 election had been allowed to play out instead of being displaced by the alleged coup, I believe that a national identity would have emerged.

Undoing four decades of poison, in my opinion, is difficult if not impossible (within one generation).

Léon Moch: Years of manipulation have come to fruition - a fracture so deep and dividing - begging the question of whether it is even possible to reverse the situation.

Tan Kim Keong: Just observe all the social activities, narratives and the political discourses. These are jarring anecdotal evidence that racism has been deeply ingrained and institutionalised.

Worst part of it is that all the government institutions and agencies have been given the mandate to perpetuate it.

The findings of this research are only confirming what we already know. The question is whether the Malay-majority government wants to change to make racism a hideous offence and an affront to humanity.

Basically: 1Malaysia is a piece of propaganda to placate the non-Malays into thinking the government cares for all, while to the other side, the ruling party sells supremacy.

So essentially this study is inconsequential, because it ignores the basis behind the scheme. There isn’t an ounce of sincerity in it, as shown by the many, many, many instances of un-1Malaysian behaviour even by the top leaders, when not delivering saccharine speeches reported by the mainstream media.

Just look at the unilateral conversion fiasco. 1Malaysia? Tell that to M Indira Gandhi and S Deepa.


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