It is no coincidence then that tens of thousands have packed up and emigrated to other countries just in the last one year alone. It is also no coincidence that most are non-Malays and non-Muslims. Since Independence, over a million have emigrated in succeeding waves, in 1969 after race riots, in 1979 after a political crisis,1987 after the Financial Crisis and now recently over the last 5-6 years.
The racist policies adopted by the UMNO-controlled Federal Government since the May 13 1969 riots have alienated the non-Malays(Chinese and Indians, some 3rd and 4th generation full citizens). There have been numerous complaints of discrimination in government(civil service, police, army)employment and promotion and even denial of access to public colleges and universities, including scholarships. Even employment/promotion in the universities are radically biased towards Malay Muslims.This has lately been extended to GLCs or Government-controlled Companies. Government contracts are reserved for bumiputras and even licences for imported cars are dished out by the Minister to family and supporters of UMNO to the exclusion of the non-Malay non-Muslims.
The complaints have been largely ignored and brush aside with disdain and contempt, at times with comments like " they are mere discomforts".
Read what an UMNO Minister has to say just today about 'traitors' who left the country Here.
These discriminatory policies have been undertaken under the guise of so-called privileges for natives and 'bumiputras' - princes of the soil (a political creation/definition devised after the May 13 riots to shut out non-Malays and non-Muslims and to accentuate the concept of 'Ketuanan Melayu' or Malay Superiority, propagated by UMNO and extremist right-wing Malay organizations aligned to it, when they objected to a Constitution which would be an inclusive one rather than one which granted citizenship but not nationality to the other races,soon after Independence in 1949.
Ever since then the country have been divided along racial and religious lines largely due to UMNO's policy of positive discrimination in favour of Malay Muslims and natives which were roped in under Bumiputraism to boost their numbers and lend legitimacy to their claim of being the majority and dominant race.
They have continually demonized Chinese as Jews of Asia and have even included this brainwashing in 'training' courses for civil servants and students under the purview of the Prime Minsters Department. Click Here
Repeated complaints that the UMNO-controlled government have acted ultra vires the Constitution have always been ignored.
They have continually demonized Chinese as Jews of Asia and have even included this brainwashing in 'training' courses for civil servants and students under the purview of the Prime Minsters Department. Click Here
Repeated complaints that the UMNO-controlled government have acted ultra vires the Constitution have always been ignored.
The Malaysian Indians took to the streets in the capital of Kuala Lumpur by their thousands in 2008 in their first-ever protest against UMNO discrimination and marginalization,after decades of neglect and racism.This was the first time Malaysian Indians had openly shown defiance and this was reflected in the ballot boxes at the last General Elections when they voted with the Chinese and half of the Malays against UMNO and their coalition partners.
UMNO used the Internal Security Act to arrest the protest leaders and detained them without trial.
Despite the draconian and cruel tactics used by UMNO and their state apparatus in the Police and Judiciary, the UMNO-controlled Government lost its two-thirds majority in the Federal Parliament and 5 States in its worst-ever performance in any General Elections since Independence from the British in 1949.
Despite the draconian and cruel tactics used by UMNO and their state apparatus in the Police and Judiciary, the UMNO-controlled Government lost its two-thirds majority in the Federal Parliament and 5 States in its worst-ever performance in any General Elections since Independence from the British in 1949.
Since then, UMNO and the extreme right-wing organizations have embarked on a campaign to 'punish' and to teach the non-Malays a lesson and have hardened their position on race and religion,alternately telling 'pendatangs' (immigrants) to go back to where they came from (at the same time turning a blind eye to several million illegal immigrants from Indonesia who have conveniently 'vanished' into Malaysian society and obtained residency or citizenship) and continuing their suppression of religious freedom, like delaying approval of a permit to build a church (for 20-odd years) and recently encouraging street protests and tacit approval through Facebook against the Court ruling that Catholics are allowed to use the word "Allah" in publications. The UMNO government is appealing the High Court decision amidst condemnation by UMNO Ministers and legal officers of the Court decision.
In the meantime,violence has erupted in the form of churches,mosques and a Sikh temple being fire-bombed. Read an analysis by Dr Lim Teck Ghee here and CT Wong here.
Coupled with the Islamization of the Government started by the former Mahathir adminstration and supported then with equal zeal and fervour by the then ex-ABIM leader and then Deputy Prime Minster, Anwar Ibrahim(who is now ironically the Opposition Leader after being brutalised by the Police under Mahathir and hauled up for sodomy charges[some claimed trumped-up charges], convicted and overturned), it is no wonder that non-Muslims are feeling alienated and frustrated in their own country where many are complaining of citizenship with unequal rights and are now abandoning their country of birth in droves.
Many Malaysians who have left are still watching the political situation in Malaysia with some interest and hoping against hope that one day soon UMNO and the Nazi wannabes will be swept from power into the dustbin of history and that the darkness will lift and the peoples will be free of the tyranny of UMNO and the racist policies will be a thing of the past.
It will be an uphill task and until the moderate and decent leaders in UMNO realise the folly of belonging to a racist party whose out-dated policies have out-lived its usefulness in the modern 21st century, it may not happen. Let us hope they will listen to reason.
But the struggle for good must always go on against evil or the country will be doomed.
