Government Has Abided By The Pledges It Made

By Melati Mohd Ariff This is the first of two parts on the interview with Prof Dr Kamaruddin M. Said from National University of Malaysia (UKM) in conjunction with the 55th anniversary of the National Day. KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will celebrate the 55th anniversary of its independence on Friday, Aug 31. During its 55 years of independence, Malaysia has become a plural society made up of Malays, Chinese, Indians as well as other ethnic groups, and has been able to successfully achieve a peaceful and harmonious co-existence for these groups, something which is unique in the modern world. Malaysia has indeed came a long way and faced several challenges and undergone various transformations to evolve into the country that it is today, and this can be attributed to the hard work and progressive measures implemented by the government to ensure prosperity for all. EARLY SETTLERS IN MALAY PENINSULA History indicates that the Malay Peninsula became an attractive destination for migrants and settlers in the middle of the 19th century. National University of Malaysia (UKM) lecturer Prof Dr Kamaruddin M. Said pointed out that this development became more significant following the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. Prof Kamaruddin told Bernama that while the influx of immigrants from China and India into the Malay Peninsula began in the 1870s and continued until the 1930s, the formation of Malaysia in 1963 saw additional cultural and ethnic groups from Sabah and Sarawak (east Malaysia states) being integrated into the country. Malaysia has also been labeled as the ‘pot of gold’ by migrants from countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Myanmar. The diverse ethnicity of its residents has made Malaysia a cosmopolitan country on the global map, Prof Kamaruddin, who is the Head of UKM Press, stated. UNITY DESPITE DIFFERENCES A nation, which has a plural society, will always face social unity issues that will be talked about incessantly, said Prof Kamaruddin. This also happens because the various ethnic groups only integrate with each other instead of assimilating each others’ culture to put forward a unified stance. "As part of integration, we are allowed to follow different cultures and religions, speak different languages, unlike the United States or Europe, where people practice assimilation and follow only one culture," he noted. "In the United States, there is a single stream of thought that everyone follows and they speak only one language, that is English. However, in Malaysia we have Malay, Chinese, Tamil and English medium schools and even Arabic schools," said Prof Kamaruddin. The professor is also a member of the National Professors Council and is the council’s cluster head for history, heritage and socio-culture. A DIFFERENT YOUNGER GENERATION Prof Kamaruddin said having a pluralistic society in Malaysia is becoming a more complex proposition with each passing day. He pointed out that even Malays are unsure about which medium to choose for their children’s education. "There are those who opt for the Malay medium, while others choose English medium schools. And there are others who want to send their children to Chinese schools," he said. Prof Kamaruddin asserted that it is very important to take into account socio-political awareness, particularly in a plural society like the one that exists in Malaysia. He said that the current crop of Malaysians are far more motivated to increase their social awareness about important issues of the 21st century, such as focusing on human rights and upholding natural justice. "The younger generation, known as generation Y, has different political views, compared with those born before Merdeka (Independence) and prior to the years in which the New Economic Policy (NEP) was implemented," Prof Kamaruddin stated. "The current generation, particularly the Malays, are seen as the generation which forgets easily as they weren’t involved in any nationalist struggles. In order to understand them, we have to view them from a different perspective. "Generation Y wants professionalism, integrity and transparency," he noted. Prof Kamaruddin said this generation makes up for 30 per cent of the fence-sitters, when it comes to political awareness. "They are more rational, they support the government as they want political stability and they are not loyal to any one political party," he explained. FULFILLING GOVERNMENT PLEDGES Ever since the country gained independence, the government has initiated and implemented several developmental measures for the benefit of all Malaysians. Tunku Abdul Rahman, the country’s Prime Minister from 1957 to 1970 also worked towards lifting the poverty endured by Malays under British rule. "The Constitution reserves four points under Article 153 for the Malays, and later also brought the Bumiputera of Sabah and Sarawak communities under its ambit. "These four issues are actually the pledges made by the government to free the marginalised Malay community. "The four points are posts in the public service, places in higher learning institutions, scholarships and business licenses," said Prof Kamaruddin. He pointed out that these four provisions can be regarded as the government’s long-term pledges that were gradually translated into the NEP from 1970 to 1990 and are followed until today. Prof Kamaruddin also noted that these pledges have been fulfilled through the adoption of prudent strategies and their outcome is there for people to see, and is in line with this year’s Merdeka Day (Independence Day) theme of ‘Janji Ditepati’ or pledges fulfilled. -- BERNAMA