The son of Mahathir, current leader of the Parti Peujang, describes schools where minority languages are taught as a “legacy of British colonization” that must be overcome in the name of “a Malay identity that is not distinguished by ethnic origins.” But more than the linguistic question, what fuels the divisions is the imbalance in favor of the Malay (and Muslim) identity, the battlehorse of local politics since independence.
Kuala Lumpur () – Certain statements by the president of the Parti Pejuang (Party of Homeland Fighters), Mukhriz Mahathir, have refocused on one of the most debated aspects of the great ethnic, cultural and religious diversity that characterizes Malaysia: the language of instruction in schools.
In a Facebook post, the son of the “great old man” of Malaysian politics, Mahathir Mohamad, 97, who was on the political scene with several terms as minister and prime minister until his defeat in elections last November, used a provocative tone to question the position expressed by Lim Kit Siang, an MP from the Democratic Action Party, associated with the current government coalition, on whether the post of prime minister should also be open to non-Malays. Although he added that he did not believe this would be possible in his or his children’s lifetimes, Lim brought up the example of Barack Obama, who rose to the highest office in his country despite his origins. .
For Mukhriz Mahathir, it is correct to raise the question, which, however, must be subordinated to the elimination of the factors that feed the divisions on ethnic and racial grounds. Among them – cites the politician, who is Muslim and Malay – are the schools in which Tamil or Chinese are taught as the first language, which, in his opinion, foster different identities among young Malays and therefore hinder their full integration.
“Our founding fathers should not have accepted that teaching in other languages, a legacy of British colonization, continued after independence, because they should have realized that this would fuel further divisions in the population,” he said.
“We must allow our children to learn, play and mix with each other so that the present diversity is an occasion for celebration and not division,” he continued. “Only then can we hope to see non-Malays as nothing more than Malays, without distinguishing between them.” because of their ethnic origin.
Currently, schools that teach Mandarin and Tamil (the languages of the Chinese and Indian minorities, representing 20.8% and 6.2% of the population, respectively) also have Malay and English as compulsory subjects. The integration, however, is not complete, but perhaps -more than the preservation of the linguistic and cultural traits typical of minorities-, the imbalance in favor of the Malay (and Muslim) identity, horse of political battle since independence.
For this reason, Mukhriz points out, “as long as the Malays remain the main electoral bloc and remain united, a non-Malay can only become prime minister with their support.” That is, he will be subject not so much to his own capabilities and proposals, but to the indications that the political leaders of the Malay ethnic group give to his supporters.
