Myths About Singapore Malays

Let's face it. Hatred towards the Malays is still very much alive on the Internet. Despite all the uproar over the convicted racist bloggers last year, many are still finding sadistic solace in overseas websites and spurious blog sheets. The question is, how do we even begin to dismantle what is historically one of the toughest barriers towards total Racial Harmony in Singapore?

There has bee much effort towards the propagation of Racial Harmony in this island. For the past few Ramadhans, non-Muslim members of the community have taken time to break bread with their Muslim friends. Several mosques in Singapore have even allowed access to restricted sections of the prayer hall to visitors, all in the name of fostering greater understanding and accord amongst the diverse communities here. We certainly have made commendable strides and the efforts should continue.

But the lamentable truth is, there's still a handful of Singaporeans out there whom we have failed to reach. Take a quick stroll through many of Singapore's popular online forums and you will be bound to find a thread on Malay-bashing.

I hate to say this, but the convicted bloggers who made racist remarks against Malays and Muslims are just the proverbial tip of the hate iceberg. If we continue to expose our youngsters a to a constant diet of hate literature and deplorable half-truths, what kind of leaders will we have in the future?

I have been observing these racist individuals for several years now and I come to the conclusion that this chasm of intolerance exists because of several myths that people have been carrying regarding the Malays in Singapore.

Clarifications of these myths will not magically make everyone see eye to eye on a same racial plane, but it is my hope that they might just be the first step needed in dispelling the hatred in certain individuals.

Myth: Malays Receive Free Education

One of the sore points many Singaporeans on the Internet have regarding our Malays is the notion that we are receiving “free education” from the state even through polytechnic and university.

Free education for indigenous people is a legacy brought about by the British to protect the original inhabitants of a country. It is still widely practised in other Commonwealth nations such as Australia and New Zealand where the aborigines are fully subsidised in tertiary institutions.

However the legacy for tertiary fees has been dismounted by the Government since 1991. While students coming from households earning less than $1500 a month will be put through a subsidy programme via Mendaki ( a Malay version of the Chinese CDAC and Indian SINDA), the majority of Malay students in polytechnics and universities today are there on tuition fees fully paid for by their parents. Be rest assured that your Malay countrymen are working and saving just as hard as you are to support their children's tertiary educations.

Myth: Malays Will Betray the Country for the Neighbours in War

I am not sure how this misconception came about but having served my NS stint in the Army with good buddies of all races, it is a myth that puzzles me as much as it bereaves me.

Some time in April this year, a member of the ewadah forum posted an informal poll meant to be answered by Muslim Singaporeans who served in the Army. The question was “If Singapore goes to war with Malaysia, will you shoot a fellow Malay-Muslim from the enemy side?”

Several people responded to the poll. ALL responded in the affirmative. To me, the results are hardly surprising. In Islam, fighting for one's country is one of the most exalted forms of Jihad.

History has also shown that Malays are loyal to their country and its people first. Race will only come in second. When Tunku Abdul Rahman invited Malays from Singapore over to Malaysia to enjoy the vast Bumiputra privileges during the separation, our Malays in Singapore largely remained loyal to the nation and refused to budge.

Loyalty of the Malay race to this country and its people should never come into question, ever.

Myth: Malays are a Druggie Race

Another popular misconception is that Malays are a druggie race and largely are a liability to the society.

Granted, this would have been accurate in the 80s. I make no apologies for the ignorance of these people during that era. They were an eyesore and a source of huge embarrassment for the Malay society.

But the community has made great improvements with the help of the country's leaders and evangelical activists within its own ranks. According to statistics from the CNB, Malays are no longer the No. 1 problem race when it comes to narcotics. It has been that way for the past few years.

Myth: Malays are Lazy

Historically and culturally, Malays have always had a good life. Unlike their counter parts from China and India who had to toil the soil and endure extreme climatic forces just to ensure their survival, Malays never had to endure these hardships much. Everything that you throw into the fertile soils of the Malay Peninsular, will sprout into a healthy plant within a few months. Unlike the Chinese in China, growing food was never much of a problem nor was it a matter of toiling. Leisure and quality time with the family became a very much entrenched way of life within the Malay community.

Unfortunately these civilizations came on a collision course when the Chinese started migrating into the Malay lands. When the Chinese came, they brought along their hard-working and industrious ways that has been so much a part of their life for thousands of years.

Naturally the Malays soon found themselves behind, unable to break out from the norms that their forefathers have lived over the centuries. To make things worse, the British continued to shower the indigenous Malays with various concessions, further lullabying them into an existence of complacency.

This is popularly regarded as the reason for the notion of “The Lazy Malay”.

But let it be known that ever since Singapore separated from Malaysia, our Malays here have been growing up in a separate ecosystem than their Bumiputra counterparts. Having lived and breathed just like the other citizens of the land and void of special privileges, the younger generations of Malays here have developed their own variant of a Malay DNA.

Malays here have given rise to its fair share of President Scholars, PSC Scholars and other prestigious graduates. In fact, Malays in Singapore have held the record for being the most academically improved when compared to other races at various educational levels including the polytechnics and universities. Our youngsters are hungry for success and chasing the Singapore Dream, just like the other youths of Singapore.

On the economic front, we have also produced our fair share of millionaires. Salleh Marican , the owner of listed company Second Chance Holdings and Datuk Zain the owner of Prestige Marine Services are just two figures in the Malays society who have made headlines recently and done the country proud. Several other millionaires could be mentioned but it would take too much space in a short article such as this.

Laziness is an attribute that exists in every race and creed. It is unfair to label Malays as still being lazy just because you keep seeing the same group of Malays hanging out at the void deck. I am sure someone somewhere can point you the way to a group of youth from other races who are wasting time in a similar manner.

Towards Racial Harmony

Total racial harmony may be something of an utopian dream. Granted, the author acknowledges the fact that there is no nation in the world where even the slightest wisps of racial prejudices are not present. But it is my wish that the dispelling of these popular myths, which have been such popular ingredients in online Malay-bashing, would somehow take us a step or two towards greater tolerance amongst the races here.