9/17/2008
The immigrants of Malaysia
I have received the following note which I think is quite informative.
*Mahathir's father who speak Malayalam came from Kerala, Southern India.
Badawi's grandfather, Ha Su-chiang (also known as Hassan), was a Chinese Muslim who came from Sanya in Hainan, Southern China.
Syed Hamid Albar's father is of Hadhrami Arab descent. Khir Toyo His father, Joyo Erodikromo, was an immigrant from Java, Indonesia.
And even the current 'racist' Ahmad Ismail that went into hiding came from Sumatra. And all these people dare to call others squatters & immigrants in Malaysia?!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
The whole maritime region of SE Asia was known as the Malay Archipelago. Hence, for all intent and purposes is one single entity, much like China and India are. Hence, someone from Java or Sumatra who came to Malaya cannot be termed an immigrant anymore than someone who went from Shanghai to Beijing can. In any case, I think it is pointless to debate about who are or are not immigrants. Anthropologically speaking, we are all immigrants from Africa. It is just a question of who came first. In the case of the Malay Archipelago, it is very clear the people of Malay stock were there long before the Chinese were. Otherwise, the maritime area of SE Asia would be known as the Chinese Archipelago.
Historically speaking, it is also a fact that the Chinese in Malaya were the ones who had asked for citizenship rights during the negotiations for Merdeka. If the Chinese were not immigrants but natives, why would they need to do that ? It is also a fact that the Malays granted them that request in exchange for them recognising the special position of the Malays. This is enshrined in the Constitution, lest someone disputes this fact. It was aquid pro quo. Now, if the current generation of Chinese Malaysians now question the special position of the Malays, does that not give the Malays the right to also question their citizenship status ? Bottom line is the Chinese Malaysians must realise they live in a Malay majority country, which will entail some compromises and sacrifices. That is the reality. The problem with them is they often think they live in a country like Singapore, where theya re the majority and can pull their own weight around. That is how unrealistic they are.
Can you then blame the Malays for being angry ?
the historical facts are not being disputed. these 4 examples are quoted by people who are quite cheesed off with ahmad ismail for raising the issue when he himself is of recent migrant stock. so was mahathir and khir toyo.
the chinese, arabs and indians were here in the 14th and 15th centuries or earlier.
Ahmad Ismail is not migrant because he is Malay. He came from another part of the Malay Archipelago.
hmmmm. i don't think the malay archipelago includes the indonesian islands, 11,000 of them.
if there is a subgroup, the malays would be a subgroup of the indonesians and not the otherway round.
+**!!
at times like these, am i just glad to be here in beautiful singapore. just love this place, the people and our great government.
kiss kiss.. hehehe ;-)
true, we have the best place to live and singaporeans should not think of running away. any shortcomings or misgivings must be put right to make this an even better place.
just don't be complacent and rest on the laurels of past glories. we can be better if we keep pushing for it to be better. but if we think that this is the best and allows unflattering things to get by within making a single noise, we will be sliding down the slippery road of no return.
Post a Comment