After ‘race’, they will come for your privileges, Utusan editor tells Malays


The Malay Mail Online
February 26, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — A minister’s suggestion to remove “race” from official forms was the first step to convince Malays to surrender their Bumiputera benefits and other privileges afforded to the community, an Utusan Malaysia editor wrote today.

Alleging that the call by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup last week was the result of pressure from rights groups, Datuk Zaini Hassan warned the Malays that the efforts were opposition-driven to erode the community’s rights.

“Already there are voices that dare question the origins of the Malays. They claim that Malays are immigrants, just as they are immigrants. That we are all the same,” he wrote in an editorial piece titled “Orang Melayu sudah tidak peduli dengan bangsa sendiri?” (Malays no longer care for their own race?).

In it, he drew parallels between Kurup’s suggestion and the efforts by the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs (Comango) that was heading local human rights efforts in the recent Universal Periodic Review (UPR) under the auspices of the United Nations last year.

Zaini said these included the attempt to get the government to endorse sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) rights, which he claimed was meant to force the acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) practices and sexual deviance.

Comango was also demanding that the ongoing Christian-Muslim tussle over “Allah” — the Arabic word for God — be mediated in Geneva and pressing for freedom of religion that would allow the rise of deviant sects of Islam, Zaini said.

“As such, if the Malay-Muslims agree to these, we would be the first Islamic country to do so,” he added.

“Additionally, the Malays may then agree with a pressure group seeking the elimination of policies protecting Bumiputera interests, Malay reserve land and more freedom for Muslim apostasy,” Zaini added.

Questioning why such demands were being made of the community, Zaini alluded to the domination of the businesses in the country by non-Malays that is often used as a justification for continued pro-Bumiputera affirmative action.

He then asked if the Malays were ready for such demands it they remained a people still clamouring for handouts.

“What is certain is that racial strife in the country is worsening. There are many who are brazen in the country now. What is strange is that they remain free to do so,” he continued.

On Saturday, Kurup, who is the minister in charge of national unity, suggested that racial classifications be omitted from official government forms owing to what he described as Malaysians’ preoccupation with racial and religious identities.

His proposal received backing from Barisan Nasional (BN) parties such as the MCA and MIC, with the former saying that racial data was pointless in such documents.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Kurup’s suggestion has not yet reached the Cabinet level, but said it was open to hearing the suggestion.

The Malay and Bumiputera communities enjoy privileges accorded to them under the Federal Constitution, along with affirmative action introduced under the now-defunct New Economic Policy (NEP) that was created following the 1969 race riots.

  1. #1 by Bigjoe on Wednesday, 26 February 2014 - 11:28 am

    Actually its not entirely untrue what Utusan is speculating. But here is the problem – the one proposing removing race, are not those they make the accusations against!!

    Why would East Malaysian want to remove ‘race’ in the first place when they are not the ones that Utusan is making all their charges against? – Because there is something else real about their demand – something UMNO/BN done wrong, very wrongly to East Malaysian.

  2. #2 by B33Rhipp0 on Wednesday, 26 February 2014 - 11:42 am

    I dont see what is the big deal with this.. usually when i fill up a form under race i put F1… and under sex, i put Yes please

  3. #3 by Albert Choong on Wednesday, 26 February 2014 - 3:24 pm

    This supremest paper under the protection of ultra national organization can break any sedition laws or rules because it is their last weapon to instigate the Malaysian Malay community to save UMNO b from its ultimate destruction of its own making! The ruling elites and their cronies which together is only 7 .0 % of the population is preoccupied with the greatest effort to acquire multibillionhairs and invest them overseas, while trying to project an image of serving the citizens and enslaving them by dividing them using the divisive dark forces of races and religions!

  4. #4 by waterfrontcoolie on Wednesday, 26 February 2014 - 10:54 pm

    The only weapon left is to enslave the mind of the poor rural Malays! Make them fear their very own shadows! The rest will be easy. Start off with education; prevent them from thinking outside the box! Stop learning foreign language;especially English this will allow the Malays to learn truth and rationality; hence Utusan will be used only in the toilet.

  5. #5 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 27 February 2014 - 3:15 am

    ‘ … lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender … ‘

    God made these people too. What have you got against these people that God created ?

  6. #6 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 27 February 2014 - 3:19 am

    Kurup, 1Malaysia is already dead, savvy? Your Ministry is fast becoming redundant.

  7. #7 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 27 February 2014 - 3:44 am

    ” … After ‘race’, they will come for your privileges, Utusan editor tells Malays … ”

    Is this editor on some kind of drug or medication ?

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