Once upon a time ago, I used to think ‘Why can’t Malaysia be like Singapore?‘ and a lot of people of my generation had the same thought. Yeah, why can’t we? But as I come across these hard-cold facts, opened my eyes slightly bigger (though they just don’t function that well) and understood every detail and the histories of both countries, I’ve come to appreciate the fact that my Malaysia is nothing like Singapore. Here’s why.
since we love numbers so much as they get into our head more easily than words, let’s compare population and percentages, shall we?
Singapore: population-as of 2008, 4 mil +
Malaysia: population-as of 2008, 27 mil +
now get those two facts hard into your brain. moving on…
It’s easy to govern Singapore because you’ve got the Chinese making up 75.2% of the total population. 13.6% are Malays and Indians come up to less than 10%. Now, tell me, when you have a majority of your population made up of a heck lot of people from a single race, is that not easy to set up the rules and regulations for your country? I’ve talked to the Malays in Singapore, shared a flat with them and they say Malays have absolutely no right in Singapore. Nothing makes you special if you’re a Malay there. Nada.
Malaysia, we all know how many Malays make up the population, and not just Malays but the legal term here is ‘BumiPutras’. We make up 65% of our population and the Chinese around 30% and Indians 8% (frankly, I think this 8% figure is quite screwed…doesn’t look like 8% to me when I’m in Malaysia). So, let’s see…we can’t really compare the Malay statistics because Malaysia has the Austronesian origins. Now, do you see Malays in Singapore shouting out for the rights? Non. Do you see Chinese in Malaysia shouting out for their rights? Yes. Every single freaking day.
It makes you wonder. If I were to put more Malays in Singapore and less Chinese in Singapore, do you think the Chinese would scream out for their rights? Yes.
65% Malays in Malaysia. 13.6% Malays in Singapore. Now, compare Malays in Singapore and 30% Chinese in Malaysia. More Chinese in Malaysia equals more bitching around for Chinese rights. Less Malays in Singapore compared to more Malays in Malaysia equals no bitching around for Malay rights.
If I were to put more Chinese in Malaysia and less Malays in Malaysia, would the Malays scream out for their rights? Yes, they hell would. Because we’ve been Malay-sia for centuries. We’ve always been populated with Malays, Malays and more Malays. Singapore, on the other hand, yes, was part of Malaysia until they got kiausu and broke off with us. I don’t know where I’m going with this, but I’m saying here that we live through and with the history of our country. We, in Malaysia, live with the fact that our country have been and will damn always will be, majorly populated with Malays. Our religion will always be Islam. We will always have Azans blaring from the mosques in our country. Do you hear the Azan singing through the loudspeaker in Singapore? No. I’ve never heard a tone of God is Al-mighty everytime I make a visit to the Lion City.
So you’re debating about the system of governance between Malaysia and Singapore, are you now? Okay. I agree that Singapore has an efficient, bloody hell way beyond wonder way beyond fantastic system of governance and administration. I agree that our country’s system is pretty screwed up. But do you want communism? Do you want heavy taxes swallowing your income? I salute Singapore’s way of disciplining her people. No chewing gum, no littering, oh God I can’t tell you how happy I am everytime I see a clean street in Singapore and how much I mourn upon seeing plastic bags and candy wrappers being littered along the road in Malaysia. I respect Singapore’s way of administration, but I mourn for the Malays who live in that country. They complain, they say that they’re happy in Singapore, and yes I can clearly see that.What with Boat Quay and those tattoos on their arms…and the fact that Islam seems to be a tad bit distorted in their holy books.
Singapore have been offering PRs for non-Singaporeans who are smart. They have taken all the smart ones and turned them into Singaporeans. It’s a smart tactic, mind you. They don’t care whether or not you have SPM, O LEVEL, etc etc like in Malaysia, they only look at your SPM results. Which is shit. Don’t get me started on how much GCE O’Level standard is higher than SPM. This is the flaw in our country. We have neglected our bright students, we say that SPM kids are smarter. Now, deary, my aunt has connections with Education. I’ve heard of stories that Boarding schooled-kids have greater chances of scoring As because their teachers are genuises. Geniuses at spotting questions and topics that will come out in the exam. I’m not kidding. Which is why there’s no shock if you hear kids scoring 9As and all so many As. The flaw of Malaysia is that our people are stereotypes. They have one way of thinking. I’ve heard of students sent off overseas, to UK, and all those grand universities but do you think that they excel in their studies just as how their grades depict their intelligence? No. They do not.
The Chinese would love to have malaysia turn into a clone of singapore. But I, yes I, as a Malay, do not.
And now you’re debating about corruption in our country. Get it over with, will you? Every country that has a what is called a ‘government’ will have corruption, regardless of how brilliant the President is. The only problem is that in our country, we make it too obvious. I could say more but then saying it would end up with a lawsuit on my front door porch. What I am stating here is that no, I don’t want our country to end up like our neighbour. I want our country to become what it was once years ago, in that state of glorious Mahathir’s Malaysia. I want the old Malay back, where people were much more civilized and administration flourished under a strict man’s reign. I want harmony and co-operation amongst the races, not the shouts of Hindraf terrorizing an innocent Eid gathering at the PM’s resident. Or a blogger who criticizes every single goddamn thing about our country and parading around as though he’s the God of Justice. I don’t want a man who stands up on a podium and makes grand speeches about how corrupted our country is, giving the impression that we live in a system of unjust to the foreign media. I want the old Malaya where the Chinese neighbor would help out the Malay neighbor during the time of 13 May. I want that same love where my mother once told me about the incident where her sister who was a regular customer at a chinese hair salon was hidden for safety by the chinese hairdresser when the communists came to his shop for inspections on the bloody war between malays and chinese.
where did that love go? where did that old Malaya go? so, tell me, are you happy now, to see the three races bickering amongst each other about their rights? are you happy now to see that trust is no longer valid between the three races? I have seen that the people outside the urban area still share that same peaceful love between each race but the urban folks…they’ve been so screwed up that no longer do you see harmony between them. Bring me back that old Malaya. Bring me back that old Malaya.
