Singapore Malays know exactly what it’s like to have been colonised by the British.

They also know what it’s like to allow an ethnic minority to seek refuge in their land. And eventually witness eugenics systematically create the influx of that ethnic group that they allowed in to outnumber them through immigration.

They also know what it is like to have the land which they have owned for generations be taken away from them through laws or policies enacted in the name of national development, because the land their homes sit on are needed for other purposes by the state’s developmental master plans. Then they have to watch as the sites of their ancestral homes which they vacated in support of the good of the nation be occupied by the newer immigrants but out of their reach for economic, social or other structural reasons.

They gave up their land so that everyone else could have homes and jobs.

Having been through all this, they are still welcoming to new immigrants of all ethnicities.

The irony is that after having had so much taken away from them, they are not the ones practising racism openly or broadly performing acts of ethnic chauvinism against new arrivals. Rather they are the ones tolerating being on the receiving end of racial and religious prejudice as part and parcel of daily life. Be it casual racism by oblivious people unaware they are committing offensive acts against minorities, or any other form of xenophobia, the fact remains that demographic minorities have to face this abuse daily without consequence to the offenders.

I think we need to be mindful of how patient the Malays have been with everyone else. We don’t normally see acts of violence or insurrection from the Malays against other ethnicities or the government.

This is in part due to the tenets of the Islamic faith which most Malays practice, guiding them to live and act in accordance with ethical humanitarian principles leaning towards charity and kindness to all humans and animals.

Islam also emphasizes that Muslims abide by the law of the land they live in to keep the peace and protect all lives in residence of the territory.

This is why I find it concerning when anyone attempts to single out Malays as a problem for homeland security. If there might be any underlying political agendas afoot that lead to the framing of Malays as threats, we need to nip those agendas in the bud and root them out before they damage the fabric of peaceful society by creating distrust for the Malays.

We live on an island that is part of the Malay Archepilago. Let’s be grateful that the Malays have allowed us to settle and make our homes here.

To put things into perspective, would you give up your home for free to a stranger because they needed a new home, and then you go move to a smaller house? That is what the native Singapore Malays have done for us. The least we can do is not disrespect them through our daily behaviour.

Terima kasih.
https://www.facebook.com/share/1MMZUb41Rn/?