Apartheid in Malaysia
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Apartheid in Malaysia refers to policies though the country's structural institutions which has been noted by many opposition groups, government critics and human rights observers as policies similar to apartheid. This has been noted specifically against its non-bumiputera citizens.[1]
Such comparisons have also been extended to those who are of a religious minority.[2][3] In Malaysia, citizens who are of a bumiputera status have numerous privileges over citizens without such a status. What classifies one as a "bumiputera" is directly ethnic, not social class, which means such a status is not granted.
Overview[edit]
The term apartheid in a Malaysian context largely refers to the analogy in comparison with apartheid in South Africa. Malaysia since its inception in 1957, and endorsed by successive governments especially under the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition as well as various splinter parties, espouses a concept of Ketuanan Melayu which directly translates to Malay supremacy. Such a concept is indistinguishable with apartheid-era South Africa's Baasskap.[citation needed]
Who is a bumiputera?[edit]
In Malaysia, the definition of what constitutes a citizen as a "bumiputera" per article 160 of the Constitution of Malaysia is as follows:[4]
- "The criteria for a person to be considered a Malay; which is to profess the religion of Islam, habitually speak the Malay language, conform to Malay customs and be born to a Malaysian parent."
- "If one of the parents is Muslim Malay/Orang Asli as stated in Article 160 (2) Federal Constitution of Malaysia; thus the child is considered as a bumiputera".
ICERD[edit]
Malaysia is one of the only few countries (less than 10) in the world not to ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) at the United Nations (UN), due to the possibility of "conflicts" with the Constitution of Malaysia and the "race and religious norms" that may jeopardise the special status of Malays in the country.[5] One of the core provisions of ICERD, particularly in Article 3, specifically mentions its condemnation of apartheid policies and racial segregation.
When BN lost its majority after the country's 2018 Malaysian general election there were fears among the Malay population of eventual ratification by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, which could possibly signal the end of bumiputera privileges and special positions of the Malays in the country. Race relations eventually severely deteriorated to the point where a mass rally was held in the country's capital of Kuala Lumpur to pressure the government against ratification.[6] PH would eventually lose power just two years later amid the 2020–21 Malaysian political crisis with pro-Bumiputera parties, including BN, regaining government control.
Response[edit]
The analogy has been debated by various government politicians, critics and human rights activists. Supporters of retaining such policies argue that such laws were "agreed" to as part of an apparent "trade-off" to grant non-bumiputeras Malaysian citizenship, known as the social contract.[7]
In 2009, Democratic Action Party (DAP) politician Boo Cheng Hau made a direct comparison that "bumiputeraism" is state apartheid.[8] In response, Boo faced intense criticisms and death threats by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which is a part of the BN coalition.[2]
In 2015, human rights activist Shafiqah Othman Hamzah also noted that the practice of apartheid policies against different religions in Malaysia is institutionalised and widespread, adding that "What we are living in Malaysia is almost no different from apartheid."[3]
Gender apartheid[edit]
Some human rights activists also added that Malaysia's policies also extends to gender apartheid In 2006, human rights activist Marina Mahathir the daughter of Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohammad described the status of Muslim women in Malaysia as similar to that of apartheid-era South Africa.[1]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jonathan Kent (11 March 2006). "Malaysia 'apartheid' row deepens". BBC. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Nik Aziz says 'bumiputera' term is racist". The Malaysian Insider. 1 March 2009. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hamzah, Shafiqah Othman. "Are we headed for a Malaysian apartheid? | Malay Mail". www.malaymail.com. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ↑ Harding, Andrew (27 July 2012). "Chapter 8 - Religion and the Constitution". The Constitution of Malaysia: A Contextual Analysis. Hart Publishing. ISBN 9781847319838. Search this book on
- ↑ Norshahril Saat (16 December 2018). "Commentary: Malaysia's anti-ICERD rally a reality check for Pakatan Harapan". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "PAS and Umno to hold anti-Icerd rally in KL on Dec 8 - Malaysiakini". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ↑ Chung, Clarissa; Zainal, Fatimah (24 May 2019). "Experts: 'Social contract' never in the Constitution". The Star. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ↑ Hau, Dr Boo Cheng (20 March 2009). "Immorality of de facto apartheid must go". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
Sources[edit]
- Barnard, Timothy P. (2004). Contesting Malayness: Malay Identity Across Boundaries. Singapore: Singapore University Press, National University of Singapore. ISBN 978-9971-69-279-7. Retrieved 23 January 2022. Search this book on
- Soong, Kua Kia (January 2008). "Racial conflict in Malaysia: against the official history". Race & Class. 49 (3): 33–53. doi:10.1177/0306396807085900. ISSN 0306-3968. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- Wade, Geoff (16 November 2009). "Southeast Asian Apartheid: The Origins and Evolution of Ethnocracy in Malaysia". The Asia-Pacific Journal. Archived from the original on 2021-11-26. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
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