30/08: Race clouds Malaysia's 50th

Malaysia marks 50 years of
independence on Friday with a show of national unity. Ethnic Malay,
Chinese
and Indian performers will come together in a day of colourful
celebrations.

But the parades and performances mask a country questioning its
multicultural traditions.

Today ethnic Malays make up slightly more than half of the population -
about 27 million - but control less than 20 per cent of the economy.

The minority Chinese form about 24 per cent of the population but own 40
per
cent of the nation's wealth.

In an attempt to address this divide, in 1971 the government set up its
New
Economic Policy, giving ethnic Malays preference in jobs, education and
business.

But instead of closing the economic gap, many believe the policy, known as
the Bumiputra system, has widened the rift between the races.

Colonial Malaya

The iconic Petronas Twin Towers, loomimg high over Kuala Lumpur, are a
striking reminder of how far Malaysia has come since independence.

Malaysia, known as Malaya back then, was a very different place in 1957.

The departing British empire left behind an extremely diverse infant
nation,
comprising large communities of ethnic Malays, Chinese and Indians.

More than half of the country lived below the national poverty line, the
bulk of whom were ethnic Malays.

From the very beginning, national unity was a preoccupation for Malaysia's
leaders.

Fifty years on, Malaysians are still struggling to find the best ways to
get
along with each other.

Images of the diverse cultures are exploited to promote tourism.

Malaysia, the slogan goes, is "truly Asia".

Tensions

Subraiman has felt the harsh side of enduring ethnic tensions

But below the surface tensions are simmering, having burst into racial
riots
in the past.

In 2001, Subramanian, an ethnic Indian handyman, was in the wrong place at
the wrong time.

"Two motorbikes with four persons suddenly attacked me. I was wounded," he
recalls.

"I saw their hand. They were holding a knife about four feet long. I ran
to
escape but they still chased me and chopped."

The New Economic Policy was designed as an economic affirmative action
programme favouring ethnic Malays, but it was at the expense of other
communities.

Expression for change

People were also not allowed to express their views on racial or religious
issues.

That has all changed now, but the issue still stirs controversy.

Last month Wee Meng Chee, an ethnic Chinese, posted a rap song on the
internet based on Negaraku, the national anthem.

In the homemade video he criticises the government for promoting the
interests of ethnic Malays.

The video caused an outcry in the Malaysian media, with demands from some
areas that he be charged under the country's sedition laws for his
perceived
disrespect.

Musa Hitam, a former Malaysian deputy prime minister, hopes the new
openness
under the current leadership will be positive.

"This sort of expression of dissatisfaction, even based on racial feelings
should and could be used in order to improve ourselves," he told Al
Jazeera.

Malaysia now is one of the richest nations in South-East Asia and is on
the
verge of ending absolute poverty.

As a resuly many people are openly asking if the affirmative action laws
favouring ethnic Malays are really still necessary.

Right approach

Many young Malaysians still do not socialise with other races [Reuters]

Chandra Muzaffar, a social scientist and former opposition politician,
says
Malaysia's greatest achievement is inter-ethnic peace, which he says is
not
the same as unity.

"It's not a question of doing this because we're in the 21st century... it
is the right approach for all times."

What is needed, he says, is "a non-ethnic approach, where the overriding
concern is by looking at a person's socio-economic situation, at the needs
and realities."

So what of Malaysia's plan to foster unity in the next 50 years?

The government has launched a national service programme aimed at bringing
together young people of all races specifically to encourage more social
mixing.

But a Saturday night out at Kuala Lumpur's hotspots does not show much
mixing between the races, something young Malaysians are aware of.

But there are possible signs of changes. One young woman said her
generation
wanted to break down the racial stereotypes - of Malays as farmers,
Chinese
as businessmen and Indians as shopkeepers.

In another 50 years time, she says, she hopes that everyone would work
together as Malaysians and not as different races.

In Malaysia, race relations have always been an issue but the question is
how the leadership will stop tensions from boiling over again.

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