ADUN SPEAKS | More discussion of institutionalised racism needed

ADUN SPEAKS | I read with great interest and enthusiasm the ideas of Chandran Nair, author, businessperson, and think-tank founder.

If everything goes well, he plans to establish the Malaysian Anti-Racism Institute or Mari.

His focus is on how Malaysians, both Malays and non-Malays, confront the question of racial discrimination that has been institutionalised and normalised over the years.

While former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad talked about the Malay dilemma, Chandran wants to touch on the non-Malay dilemma, after 64 years of the country’s independence.

What is the non-Malay dilemma? The non-Malays are accustomed to accept the reality of being second-class citizens.

Some of them believe this is the price to pay to have a slice of the pie; opposition to this state of affairs might not be an option. Many non-Malays have resigned to accept the status quo of entrenched and divisive racial discrimination.

The Malays, particularly the elite, are the beneficiaries of the racially entrenched system. Some are not aware of the actual situation but, with many having benefited, don’t intend to remove the system that feeds them.

This entrenched racism has meant among other things that Malays do not have to compete on equal terms with the non-Malays.

The grand narrative of discrimination against non-Malays has also provided an ideological...