Change To Survive, Malays Told. But Will The Umno Government Let Them?

'Merdeka', 'Merdeka', 'Merdeka'. These cries of independence are set to reverberate nationwide when Malaysians celebrate the 51st anniversary of the country’s independence on Aug 31.

However, the celebration this time is amidst the turbulent political scenario in the country, in the aftermath of Malaysia’s 12th general election held last March 8.

The hurly-burly in politics was common in the growth of a country, however we must know how to differentiate between party-based politics and issues faced by Malaysians, especially the Malays, said the Chairman for the executive committee of the Malaysian Historical Society, Datuk Omar Hashim.

"This is most crucial. If a person is able to differentiate between these two issues, then he can make wise judgements.

"The political party’s mission or focus is to win elections, while the people want everlasting protection, peace, food as well as livelihood and self esteem," he told Bernama this in an interview here.

CRITICAL THINKING

Omar, who had served as the Education Deputy Director-General from 1985-1990, said Malaysians in general and the Malays in particular need to be able to think critically.

"Critical thinking is able to differentiate the good from the bad, the repugnant from the pleasant as well as the nonsense from the truth.

"Our education system has all of these in subjects like Arts, History and General Paper but we want to emphasise on the teachers and lecturers to focus more on this critical thinking," said Omar.

Omar is the principal figure behind the move for the Malaysian education authorities to take over the management of the SPM/MCE examination from Cambridge University in 1978.

He also played a key role in the implementation of the National Education Policy, in the efforts to reinforce the Malay secondary schooling and Bahasa Melayu under a general examination system.

CHANGE ATTITUDE

Omar also calls for the Malays to change their attitude and stand on their own feet.

Read the whole article HERE.

***** Datuk Omar Hashim may be sincere in his advice, but it is in the long-term interest of Umno to maintain a certain amount of ignorance among the 'chosen ones' as well as keep dependence on the government a permanent feature of Malay 'progress'. Beggars apparently can be trusted to show more gratitude than the well-heeled.

What will happen to the party if God forbid, all the Malays become industrious, self-sustaining individuals who actually start thinking for themselves instead of being force-fed on a daily diet of Umno propaganda and partially crippled by official pampering and government-distributed largesse? What a political nightmare that would be!

Critical thinking and attitude change may be good for the rakyat, but I don't think that the government is too worried about inculcating it right now. Nor do they feel the urgency. You see, the Malays have not yet reached the 'level playing field' and therefore are not ready for sweeping changes lah brudder! Perhaps by the next century. If they're lucky.

Zam's Unabashed Critique About Unresourceful Malay Teenagers.

Social constraints contrary to Islam Hadhari (Civilisational Islam) have rendered Malay teenagers to be less resourceful, Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said. He said restrictions on some matters which the Malays cannot do and have become synonomous with the Malay community, have stifled their progress, thus making them to lag behind.

"The social obstacles, preventing them from doing this and that, have been a stumbing block to the Malays in various aspects. It has made Malay teenagers to be less resourceful and lack in self-confidence," he told reporters.

Zainuddin cited unresourceful Malays to Malay students who go abroad for further studies. "Malay students who go overseas for further education only mix with the Malay students, they shy away from interacting with students from other countries. Also, they speak only in Malay.

"When there are Malay students wanting to befriend students from other nationalities, they are frowned upon and are ridiculed to be boasting by their Malay friends.

"So, when are the Malays going to be proficient in English and acquire the knowledge in various disciplines if they prefer to mingle only with their own race," he asked.

Zainuddin said the social limitations would not exist if the Malay community had a deeper understanding of Islam Hadhari founded on progress and civilisation which the Government was giving strong emphasis now. "If we understand and follow the Islam Hadhari concept, which exhorts Muslims to progress, the various restrictions in the Malay community will be a thing of the past," he said.

The minister said not all the social ills plaguing today's Malay teenagers stemmed from their freedom to mix freely but also to the various constraints in the community.

"I see the social ills among Malay teenagers, widely talked-about today, are not caused by their free mixing among boys and girls, but are due to too many restrictions we imposed on them," he added.

***** I think that Zam has made an honest attempt to explore the real reasons for the unresourceful nature of some of the young ones. His candid explanation deserves to be commended. But how does one overcome decades of conditioned practice? Any smart ideas?

Image - phalinn

Lazy Malay A Myth Of Colonial Past, Says Najib.

A claim that the Malays are lazy is a myth of the colonial past as a lot of Malays have made their mark in various fields while some have gained world recognition for their achievements, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"The Malays have proven that since Independence, they have succeeded in various strategic fields," the Deputy Prime Minister told reporters after opening the third Malay International Civilisation Conference here Friday.

The two-day conference with the theme "Human Capital Underpins Exemplary Race" organised by the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris' Malay Civilisation Institute is being attended by some 300 participants.

Najib said that as the Malays were dominating the leadership and holding key posts, the connotation was baseless and a stale issue which should not be debated any more. "(The issue) was propagated during colonial rule as an excuse for the British to practise discriminatory policies to sideline the Malays from the mainstream of development," he said.

In his speech, Najib brushed aside the stigma which identified the Malays as a lazy race, describing it as merely a myth devoid of a strong foundation.

Instead, he said the Malays ought to be on their feet and improve themselves to face the next economic wave which would be more challenging.

"The new economy calls for the cultivation of a new mindset and the Glocal Malay concept - Malays who are rooted nationally but international in mindset - in facing the challenges," he said.

"We have to be superb in the urban as well as the rural areas and we also have a role to play in the world. We want Glocal Malays pivoted on the virtuous Malay culture and rooted in the sanctity of Islam.

"Malay excellence does not emerge from a dream but is the culmination of hard work and determination with clear objectives and principles.

"The demand for change and the global outlook which are becoming more demanding require us to enhance our competitiveness by boosting our human capital," he added. (Bernama)
Image - Source

Whither Thou Goest, Singapore Malays?

The media in Singapore recently highlighted the grave concerns of some Malay professionals over the community's future as the island state moved rapidly into the mainstream of global competitiveness. They said the minority Malays might be pushed further behind and face a much worse situation than now.

Even though many Malays are successful, the overall statistics are not in their favour. In education, the Malays, who accounted for about 14 per cent of the 4.2 million population -- lag far behind from the Chinese and Indians.

According to the General Household Survey 2005 published in June, the percentage of Malays, who received polytechnic or university education, risen to 8.6 per cent last year compared to 4.9 per cent in 2000. These figures when compared to the Chinese had increased to 27 per cent from 20 per cent and Indians to 31 per cent from 20 per cent.

The income gap among the races had also widened. Statistics showed the Malays' monthly income rose to S$3,400 last year from S$3,200 while that of the Chinese to S$5,600 from S$5,200 and the Indians to S$5,200 from S$4,600.

"All indications are that the situation will worsen over time," said Association of Muslim Professionals chairman Imram Mohamed. The Malays need to find ways to reverse the trend "if we are not to end up as a largely under-class community, having to depend on handouts from others," he said at the association's 15th anniversary celebrations recently.

The media also reported that a significant number of Malays in prisons and drug rehabilitation centres were low-income earners and problematic Malay youths.

Imram indicated the reasons for the Malays' fate in the republic.

"Our community has not responded well to the new economy and they're not geared to meet the challenges of globalisation and stiff competition," The Straits Times quoted him as saying. It is true that Singapore had moved at a feverish pace into the mainstream of global economy. According to the A.T. Kearney Report/Foreign Policy Magazine Globalisation Index 2005, Singapore was the most globalised nation, outpacing Ireland, Switzerland and the United States.

Imram wanted the Malays to change their mindset to be more competitive and urged the government to raise the wages of low-income workers so that they could absorb the impacts of globalisation.

Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, however, said wage increases and protection from competition were not the solution. "The long-term solution remains more education and creating more professionals," he said.

He said the Malay-Muslims could move faster by seizing the opportunities available. "In order for a minority community to do well in a multiracial and globalised environment, we need to engage with other communities and we need to integrate with the mainstream of social life... that's where you can successfully compete," he was quoted by the daily.

The issue drew attention from the Malay analysts and social activists. Among them are Ramli Puteh who said most of the unemployed among the low-skilled were the Malays. "We should be more proactive -- seek solutions to issues before they become a problem," he wrote in Berita Harian. Efforts made so far, he said, were more towards rehabilitating those who had plunged into problems. Many Malay associations, concerned over the Malays' fate, had organised various programmes to help the community face the competition.

Dr Vivian was confident and had seen the proof that the Malays could also succeed with the emergence of many Malay professionals. "You have achieved what you have achieved on your own merit... without affirmative action, without quotas, without special rules," he added.

-- By Jackson Sawatan (BERNAMA)

***** Right there in that report lies a great lesson for the Malays here in Malaysia. Don't wait to learn the hard way. Take a leaf out of the Singapore Malay experience. Think seriously of the importance of the points highlighted - change of mindset in a globalised age, seize the opportunities that arise, protection from competition is NOT the solution but education is, engage with other communities and integrate with the mainstream of social life, implying the need to eschew the sikap 'katak dibawah tempurung.' The alternative is to be swept away by the forces of globalisation and no one, not even the government can save you.