Singapore Malay, Malaysia Malay
I read with interest the exchange between a commentator with the blogger Oped. See here. The exchange is about the lot of the Malays in Singapore. The commentator is lamenting the condition of Malays in Singapore whom he thinks are a discriminated lot. He goes on mentioning the condition of Malays in Singapore, living in tents along beaches etc.
Of course, it is perfectly noble and indeed laudable to feel for your own kind. We feel an attachment as a result of shared roots, religion and cultural heritage. It would be a mistake however to suggest that such feelings are unique only when they apply to Singapore Malays. Malays in similar situation, anywhere deserves sympathy from better off Malays anywhere.
On the other hand, from my personal observation, on the whole, I agree with Oped's take on the position of Singapore Malays. On average they are indeed better off and he produces data to dispute what's said orally by the commentator.
I am sure; the debate between them will develop and expand and will certainly provide a relief from having to burden oneself with the trial ongoing in Malaysia now.
But beyond that, what can we learn from the Singapore Malay experience? To my mind, it is as follows:-
The way to survive, develop and even prosper will depend on the adoption of certain values. You go in life, having to depend on your wits, intelligence, hard work, cooperation and trusting your group members. You survive by these and chief of all relying on your efforts without depending on others for your succor.
Therefore, if the Malays in Singapore have achieved some advancement in life, then it is due to the adoption of these values. What sets the Singapore Malays apart therefore is that they have become robust Malays. This robustness is sometimes interpreted as haughtiness, arrogance and so forth and perceived in negative light by the 'gentler' Malays.
This then is the form of merit that serves as catalyst for further advancement. I would think that, this form of merit rather than being dismissed should serve as an object lesson to be adopted by Malays here in Malaysia.
Whatever little that has been achieved by Singapore Malays shows what could be possible instead of what is given simpliciter. It also serves to heighten our own awareness that affirmative policies, such as are practiced here by our Malaysian government, can only work if the same values form the basis for our own advancement. 
17 comments:
You Datuk Sakmongkol is a great Malaysian Malay to have in our still racial base contry
Please don't generalize all Malays as weak. The chinese in malaysia have been crying discrimination by Malay government..show us the prove. By giving some privileges to Malays, does that amount to discrimination onto others? All is done within the law...under the constitution. Oped was right to say you cannot blame the Singapore government for having some suspicious mind regarding the Malays in some matters. And You cannot blame the Malay government too if they have suspicious mind regarding the chinese in Malaysia.
I guess money alone is not enough, the chinese in Malaysia want power too.The same like malays in singapore..they not only want money or success, they need respect as the original people of that island.
What about this guy Gopalan Nair..
he has a lot to say about singapore..
http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
the article didnt say:-
1. the malays here in Malaysia are weak.
2. singapore malays are better in all terms.
3. anything on judging the good or bad of the singapore Malay mentality.
the article said:
1. explain the forces that shaped the singapore malay mentality.
2. that such a mentality is necessary to induce advancement.
One thing for sure every family can own a HDB flat. In other words anyone who owns a flat is at least a millionaire by Msian standard. So do you think they will vote for the Opposition. The people there can talk and criticise but end of the day they be it Malays or non-Malays will vote back the Government.
Hi Dato' Sak
I would like to give my 2 cents on our the S'pore Malays article. I definitely agree with you regarding the part that S'pore malays are more robust than our m'sian counterparts. The reason is we don't get any special treatment over her. It's not that I or we Malays here are begging the govt for it anyway. Without any safety net to fall back on, we had to kick our heels hard & strive to be successful. We don't need the special treatment but we just want equal treatment to be given to us.
Lee Kuan Yew for me is either you love him or you hate him kind of guy. In my opinion, he's like Tun Dr Mahathir. Both of them brought economic stability & development for both countries. They are very determined to see their countries succeed which is I respect Lee Kuan Yew for his enormous contribution in the development of S'pore although I dislike some of his policies he enforced. For me, respect & following Lee Kuan Yew blindly are 2 different things.
Most S'pore Malays are financially stable although not many are well off. They were educated in English, are able to get middle level jobs and a number of them work as civil servants as it is stable. However, the problem now is that the S'pore govt for the past few years is that they loosen the immigration policy so that these so called "foreign talents" able to contribute & increase the country's economy & GDP. Majority of these foreign talents comes from China, India, Phillipines & Myanmar. They can compete with us for these middle level jobs with their willingness to work with lesser pay. This factor makes the employers in S'pore turn their heads so they starts on a frantic recruitment spree because they are able to reduce the companies cost with this workers thus increasing their profit margins. It's not only
us Malays are worried with this problem but also a majority of middle level S'poreans.
But I guess we Malays have kick our heels once again to overcome this.
Btw, I would like to link some articles here which I think will interest you.
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/08/lee-kuan-yew-%E2%80%93-the-modern-malay-pahlawan/
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/06/singapores-first-malay-general-a-star-of-things-to-come/
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/08/stop-nannying-malay-muslims-and-discard-old-suspicions/
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/09/why-the-need-to-be-proud-of-being-a-malay-singaporean/
Could it be that the Malays in Singapore are better off than Malays in Malaysia due to the absence of NEP?
Pada pendapat saya, Melayu di Malaysia tidak lemah. Melayu sebenar2nya bukan lemah. Tetapi Cina akan memastikan Melayu yg punya potensi utk maju dipinggirkan.
Ini bisa terjadi, di tempat2 kerja sebagai contohnya, dibidang ekonomi sebagai contoh kedua sebagaimana hal yg berlaku di Pulau Pinang baru2 ini jika ketua menteri negeri adalah org2 mereka.
Memang sy akui sedikit masa dahulu, ramai yg menganggap Melayu itu mundur, berfikir cukup asal ada dan tidak mahu berkejar2an dalam mencari duit. Tapi sejak dunia kita berpaksi kepada kebendaan, sejak dunia sekular menerajui, sejak Amerika dan Yahudi berkuasa dan industri pakaian, muzik semua berkiblatkan ke Barat, sejak Melayu mula melebarkan sayap dibidang perniagaan dan pelajaran, pola lama Melayu agak berubah.
Sekarang sy ingin bercakap berkenaan Melayu2 yg bedaya saing tetapi tidak mendapat tempat kerana sekatan2 halangan samada ekonomi setempat atau pentabdiran negeri, atau mungkin juga sekatan2 di alam pekerjaan, terutamanya swasta yg bermajikan cina atau pun mungkin tuan punya melayu tetapi org kepercayaan nya adalah cina.
Cuba kaji selidik kenaikan gaji, cuba lihat peluang2 kenaikan pangkat, cuba tinjau apa yg mereka alami, cuma ambil tahu rasa hati mereka.
Kerana ramai cina2 ini telah sedar adanya melayu yg semakin aggresif dan berdaya saing, mereka tak sabar dah nak ambil kuasa, kerana dengan kuasa saja mereka boleh mematikan kemajuan Melayu.
Secara umum gambaran ada 52% Melayu yg berdaya saing dan aggresif dan 48% Melayu takuk lama. Ini jika saya memberi gambaran yg agak konservatif, jika saya ingin lokek sedikit dari menyuka kan hati pak2 Melayu kita.
Tetapi secara jujurnya, saya berasa dalam 55% mungkin peratus Melayu yg berdaya saing ini semakin meningkat dari sehari ke sehari.
Pendapat mengenai Melayu Singapura dan Melayu Malaysia adalah mungkin merujuk kepada pemberian tongkat seperti yg diwar-warkan dahulu.
Tapi believe me tok, kaum cina pun ada memberikan tongkat, cuba lihat situasi seketika yg berlaku bilamana tanah diberi kepada kaum2 cina di ipoh sedikir masa dulu. Tengok lah bila dorang berkuasa. Perkara ini tak lari walau di pelusuk bumi mana anda berada dan apa jua kaum bangsanya.
Kalau tidak masakan Australia pernah juga kita terdengar sikap2 perjudis kepada bangsa Asia. Kenapa lah gamaknya ya.
Di Amerika tak pernah kita dengar pasal isu racis kepada bangsa kulit hitam, Tak pernah kan?, Maklum lah hanya Melayu ni saja yg tak berhati perut. Cerita2 ku klux clan tu semua omongan wayang berlaka. Takda pernah berlaku. Di Negeri Amerika, orang2 cina sebagaimana mereka di Malaysia, bila mereka berhijrah, mereka semua mintak sekolah cina. Banyak sekolah cina tertubuh di Amerika, malah lebih banyak dari Malaysia, bahasa cina dijadikan bahasa syarat sebagaimana mereka buat di iklan2 suratkabar, sebagai satu requirement utk kerja di sykt2 saudagar cina. Org cina di bayar lebih dari orang putih, sebagaimana yg mereka buat di Malaysia.
Dato' tengok la Australia banyak betul sekolah cina kan? Sampaikan ada satu ketika dulu, satu komen kat dalam ni dengan surat berkajang2 tak lupa menceritkan dan membuat lawak pada org2 putih Australia, betapa sekolah mereka terbaik dibandingkan dengan sekolah org putih Australia. Mereka pun cakap, sekolah cina kat Amerika tu, sekolah yg paling terbaik. Mat saleh sana ramai yg tak reti membaca, tapi anak2 cina mereka wuiii pandai membaca mengira.
Tapi tak pasti pulak saya kalau-kalau ada ke tak blog sakmongkol orang putih tempat utk para2 cina dan para pelawak cam Walla dan geng2 buat komen. Kurang la pasti kawan kat sini. hehehe
Sebenarnya, Melayu Malaysia lebih terjaga tata susila berbanding Melayu Singapura yg sebilangan agak lepas laku, kerana masih ada yg prihatin dan menegur. (Walaupun begitu sebilangan Melayu dah menjadi seperti Melayu singapura dari segi etika hidupnya)
Tak tau la saya jika kecemerlangan di nilai dari segi lepas laku dan sosialnya. Kalau ini memanglah sy akui agak ketinggalan, tapi sedang menuruti dibelakang.
The Malaysian Chinese should see how the Singapore Malays are treated.
They are really third-class citizens.
Malays there can only do petty trading in Bedok or strum the guitar at Marine Parade.
Have you guys ever watched our talk shows. It's the Singaporean malays who phoned in. They cannot do that in their country.
So they want someone to listen in to their woes. Pattehic really.
They can never ever get the privileges enjoyed by the Chinese here.
But you still are a complaining, whining lot who wants to milk as much from Malaysia without giving out much.
Who gets Asean scholarship? Only the Chinese.
Compare that to the Chinese here who got JPA scholarship for example.
Chinese with power can be ruthless, racist and chauvinistic. Just look at Lim Guan Eng.
Look at The Star and Utusan. You may dubbed Utusan as racist. But the Non-Malays there are are given high posts.
The Star has never ever given any Malay as top executives.
Let's not talk about NST. Supposed to be an Umno paper but run like a fifedom by the Indians and the Chinese.
I dont think much of Singapore. I regard it as Malaysia's discard state.
An island nation with no soul but cold, calculative people out to make money, money, money.
At the end of the days what values do they leave behind to their progenies?
I hate it when people say Singapore this, Singapore that.
Yeah right when you are not living there and not a Malay there.
Tok, our malays is already advance. You need to continue and give more opportunity and check and balance where is lacking. All schemes are already on the right path.
What we must do is to strengthen our policy and laws to respect adat istiadat Melayu dan nilai kehidupan org2 Melayu, kebajikan Melayu.
A documentary should be done and explanation on basic of perlembagaan or Tata Negara detailing what are expected from ech and every citizen, be it in respect as a human race, or be it in living in harmony as neigbours, as colleagues, respect onto religion of others. Put it in words and further explain in pictures as sample. Short and precise but not too short; importance is message is clear. A documentary that every one love to see. If Yasmine is with us. I bet she can make a good domentary with all this messages.
To quote Ku Li, “Tunku built up a system of good civil service in which ordinary citizens did not need to see so-and-so to get things done. This has been replaced by a domineering style of leadership in which what you get done depends on who you know.
“In place of the protection for ordinary citizens guaranteed by popular representation, rule of law and the checks and balances of independent institutions, we have the cult of the great leader,” said Razaleigh, who was a close friend of Tunku.
“It is no accident that the erasure of his memory has gone hand in hand with the erosion of our institutions,” he noted further.
That's the problem with Malaysia today !
"Therefore, if the Malays in Singapore have achieved some advancement in life, then it is due to the adoption of these values. What sets the Singapore Malays apart therefore is that they have become robust Malays."
Absolutely!
Remove the crutches, Ali Baba business deals, rent seekers, AP Kings, Water, Toll Highway and IPP bleeders and the corrupt and there's no way the Malays cannot succeed as much or more than the Chinese. Really the sky's the limit!!
Affirmative Action policies are meant as short to medium term cures to old economic disparities and distribution of income, usually applicable to minorities.
Our 40 year experiment should now have completely run its course for more laissez faire policies to be initiated.
dpp
We are all of 1 race, the Human Race
Dear love Malaysia.
Please read the following link to see how Mara treat it's Chinese student:
http://justintanht.blogspot.com/2007/09/about-me-part-1.html
It’s people like Anonymous 11:12 and Love Malaysia that will continue to hinder our country from moving beyond skin colour.
In response to Anonymous 11:12, to continuously blame other races is typical of the type of mentality that has been inbred for the past 5decades. I truly agree with your opinion that Melayu di Malaysia sebenarnya bukan lemah. I personally believe that they have all the capabilities to achieve a better life just like all of us. The problem is when you have been given a ‘safety net’ your entire life, where is the motivation to strive harder? Why bother? You said to kaji the trend of kenaikan gaji, kenaikan pangkat, etc. But what is the justification behind a salary increment and promotions? The fact that the person worked for it and deserves it. That is the way of the real world. Not because of a person’s skin colour. To solely blame kaum cina for oppressing the kaum Melayu just goes back again to indoctrination of the ‘weak’ Malay.
As for Love Malaysia, why do you say that the Malays are treated as third class citizens? Sure, Singapore has its own fair share of issues and problems but when you compare the standard of living AND the cost of living of MY vs SG, the majority of Singaporeans (irregardless of skin colour) have a much better life compared to us just across the water. You talk about non-Malays getting high posts in The Star and NST and no Malays getting top posts. Again, going back to the topic of promotion etc, shouldn’t the position be given to the person who most deserves it in terms of capabilities and not skin colour? I don’t agree with you that ‘Chinese with power can be ruthless, racist and chauvinistic‘. ANYONE can be that whether your skin colour is brown, yellow, white, red, etc. And to compare Lim Guan Eng to your sentence, why then did the Auditor General’s report show that Penang is the best run state? If he REALLY is ruthless, racist and chauvinistic, would the welfare of the Penang people be taken care of? If he REALLY is racist, what about published reports and statistics of contracts going to Malay contractors despite the open tender system? If Singapore is a discard state of Malaysia, then why is SG’s economy doing so much better? Why do more foreign investments channel there? And what is wrong with making money? Wouldn’t the citizens of the country do better if the country is making more money? Or would you rather Malaysia continue wallowing in racial issues while our economy spirals downstream and cost of living skyrockets?
donplaypuks sums it up the best.
http://is.gd/7VYLs
http://is.gd/7VYTd
http://is.gd/7VZdM
Salam Dato,
I hope you find this article 'Why Singapore's meritocracy isn’t meritocracy' from Temasek Review relevant to ur blog post in a way:
http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/09/30/why-singapore-%E2%80%9Cmeritocracy%E2%80%9D-isn%E2%80%99t-meritocracy/
There is a myth in Malaysia that all the money from Revenue comes from Apek2 & Macha2 hard earned bobs...
The main income of Government of Malaysia is from PETRONAS.
Almost 70% is from Petronas.
Not the income tax from Apek or Macha.
And the main tax evaders and tax window dressing experts are mainly from the non Malay group.
Only Malays will work for 1/4 of what the market pays because they know that this money will fund the NEP.
Only Malaysian Malays willing to do the jobs and get spit on after finishing it..
That is why Pet is in the 500 and how Pet managed to have relatively low operating cost year in year out..
Do I hear anybody saying congratz to UMNO or BN?
DSAI said he was the reason why the fuel price was low..
Hahahaha taking credits from the Pet employees & MOF & JPM staffs..
My point is the Malays sacrificed a lot for our tanahair just as much as the non Malays..
JPA scholar last year was 50-50.
Now they want the Gov to introduce quota to increase non Malay in civil service.
http://english.cpiasia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1858:ethnic-dominance-in-the-msian-civil-service&catid=228:commentary
Tomorrow IPTA intake 50-50.
UITM abolish or 50-50 as well.
Next the house discount will go.
Basically all the privileges in return for the citizenship repel.
Dah bagi betis nak peha!
Malays hate selfish and greedy people regardless of skin colour.
Puan Teresa Kok Suh Sim (Seputeh) minta MENTERI KEWANGAN menyatakan hasil pembayaran cukai individu mengikut pecahan kaum dan cukai syarikat yang telah diterima oleh Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) dan pada tahun 2001 hingga 2006.
Google urself fr peace of mind.
So the DAP & RPK's myth of non Malays contributing more than Malays is busted!
No wonder the CPI is proposing the quota system to increase the non Malay in civil service..There goes 1 place to run to..
Malaysians to be affected by tighter Aussie skilled migration scheme - The Star
MELBOURNE: Malaysians will be among thousands of would-be migrants to Australia who will have their applications cancelled as part of an Australian government overhaul of the skilled migration programme
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