Malay and Chinese Politics(2)

Malay and Chinese politics….continuation.

Or we (the Malays) will change them. We have already shown UMNO leaders that we can do it. I have said repeatedly about the data on Malay voting trends in the 12^th GE. Suffice to say, UMNO has lost the Malay ground.

When I wrote the first part, I was surprised to sense that this article could turn into a racial mudslinging free for all. I used the Chinese as an example and comparison, because there is much Malays can learn from them. I did not write so as to confer any superiority complex on the Chinese in order for that acknowledgement to be used as the excuse to deprecate others. Chinese sense of their worth (I am not confining myself to Malaysian Chinese only) is not a function of my or any other non Chinese subjective feelings. If they feel they are great, they can easily defend that feeling by pointing out to the history of their 4000 year civilization. When I used the Malaysian Chinese as an example, I am merely stating as fact, what has borne out in Malaysia. Learning from the Chinese on certain matters, wasn't said by I alone. I cited the Chinese here as a compliment.

So, I am not going to be drawn into a futile debate to unravel the issue of racial purity being the precondition for greatness as suggested by a commentator in my blog. He posits that the reason why the Malay is less able to progress is because the Malay is not a monolithic bloc. The Malay blood is adulterated as it were. He compares them to the Indians and Chinese which he says, have remained pure as far as bloodline is concerned. That kind of reasoning, if we were to push it to its extreme conclusion, will give rise to shuddering generalisations.

The main thrust of this article is to show, that the politics which the Malays and Chinese practised is a major factor explaining their relative economic strengths. I want to show, that the particular practice of politics by the Chinese is more conducive to economic prosperity. On the other hand, the particular type of politics practised by Malays is less supportive of economic prosperity.

How so? The relative independence of Chinese from government has enabled the Chinese to develop the various positive cultural traits such as perseverance, deferment of present enjoyment for future benefit, thrift, diligence hard work etc. In this article I am less interested in a compendium of these cultural traits. I am more interested to establish the enabling environment which is the particular type of politics practised.

The root cause, if you may, and this is my contention, is the particular practice of politics. That particular practice of politics should be aimed for, by the Malays. Why? Because by establishing the enabling environment, those cultural traits so conducive for economic prosperity can be generated. But more important than this realisation is; what the Chinese arrived at which was forced upon them, the Malays can devise as a DELIBERATE POLICY.

The Chinese were forced to look out after themselves because as one commentator said, due basically to their immigrant status or career in the civil service was closed to them. In that sense, the Chinese was forced to be outside the normal route. The Malays can use the idea of having to look out after their own selves using whatever resources they have, to establish an enabling environment.

Now, let's look at the Malays. The UMNO leaders were drawn mainly from the Malay aristocracy or as is now, the pseudo aristocracy. The pseudo aristocrats are the politically conscious whose aim in life is to induct themselves into the original elite. The aim is to foist themselves as a class of leisure onto the political stage. They speak the language of democracy, but it is hardly certain, they are voicing the interests of the majority who are drawn mainly from the kampong, urban poor and indifferent middle class.

It was generally accepted that the Malays have a tradition of being led by the aristocracy and would appear taciturn and diffident if left to their own devices. The aristocratic leadership knows this and feeds on this dependence. The dependence nourished since ancient times by a symbiotic relationship between the ruler and ruled. A relationship best encapsulated by the oft repeated slogan- the rakyat and the king, never shall they be broken. Here I am using the term king as a generic representation of the ruling aristocrat.

But where has that kind of politics, call it a master-servant relationship if you want, taken the Malays? Well, don't let my own subjective feelings persuade you where it led the Malays to. I will let, one of the earliest and foremost Malay thinkers say something about this. Let Zaaba share with you his thoughts:-

' maka sebab yang pertama itu tak usahlah kita bahaskan disini, tetapi yang kedua itu boleh, persaksian tarikh ada menunjukkan dengan tidak syak lagi bahawa keadaan kehidupan Melayu pada zaman kerajaan raja rajanya terdahulu dari kedatangan British ini sangat lah di penuhi oleh kesempitan, azab sengsara, dan kebuasan yang tiada terderitakan, istimewa pada masa yang tiada berapa lama terdahulu daripada kedatangan yang tertib itu. Maka keadaan kehidupan demikian itulah yang telah di pusakai oleh anak anak Melayu sekarang, dan ialah satu daripada perkara-perkara yang terutama sekali telah menjadi acuan menempa akan orang orang Melayu ini kepada rupa bentuk nya atau keadaan yang ada pada hari ini, dan menjadikan mereka waris kepada beberapa tabiat dan perangai dan kebiasaan yang lemah yang rendah yang telah menjadi lazim pada zaman nenek moyang dahulu kala itu, beratus ratus tahun lamanya mereka telah kena perabdikan dan kena picit dan perah dan ramas di tangan pemerintah pemerintahnya yang pada zaman dahulu itu- iaitu pemerintah pemerintah daripada mereka sendiri.'

I don't think I can do any justice to say it in the words like Pendita Zaaba said. And this people, was in 1927. By the way, Zaaba wrote the original piece in English for the Malay Mail at that time.

To my mind, those paragraphs immediately place Zaaba as one of the earliest and indeed foremost thinker on this subject. The Malays inherited this 'genetic memory' from its ENABLING ENVIRONMENT which was the particular kind of politics they were subjected to and practised until today.

Malay politics would have moved along a predictable trajectory if it had not been for the 12^th general elections, 2008. 2008 was therefore a watershed year for the Malays, I think. It was the tipping point or point of inflexion. The Marxian thinker would have termed it the nodal point, at which Malay society transforms itself into a qualitatively different social entity. What the 12^th general elections showed was the incompatibility for two dissimilar things to co –exist. In other words, the symbiotic nature breaks down on account of their internal contradictions. .