So, what is the cause of the large-scale discrimination that every Malaysian knows about but only whispers of? It has nothing to do with how affirmative action should be used to benefit poor Malays, but everything to do with a deep psychosis at the heart of the political and economic system – institutional racism.
Racism which discriminates against children who have their future ahead of them and cannot fight back is a sickness, and the political architects and perpetuators of this system should be exposed and be ashamed of themselves. So should all the well-heeled beneficiaries of such a system, especially the Malay political and business elite who remain silent at this great injustice.
In all the stages of the journey to get a university education, the discrimination of children based on race is the determining factor. This is the simple and vulgar way in which it works:
All non-Malays must attain grades that are on average two or three times better than a Malay student to gain access to a local university or to obtain a scholarship. Of course, this does not mean there aren’t many smart and hardworking Malay children who attain excellent grades and are thus deserving of the slots. But it is also widely known that the grading system can be manipulated to lower the passing rate, with the primary goal of allowing a larger proportion of the Malay majority to pass. This is a core factor that has eroded education standards across the country and has had a large scale detrimental impact on the job market due to the poor quality of entrants.
As mentioned before, the problem is the race-based quota system which dedicates typically just 10-20 per cent of spaces to non-Malays. Yet from the top institutions of the country to corporate leaders, there is silence. It is simply accepted as the norm and no one is held accountable for one of the most racist education systems in the world. With no leadership or unified voice on this matter, the country is headed quietly for the iceberg, with the lives of young Malaysians – especially those from poorer backgrounds – being dismantled or destroyed in the process.
After all, young Malay children also have innate potential that they should be allowed to unleash, but through healthy and fair competition. But this becomes a challenge because the system assures them a much easier path to success – irrespective of their grades or economic status. Thus it is only natural that they feel they do not have to work as hard, given it is not a survival imperative for them, as it is for a non-Malay.
When these Malay students achieve above average grades – four to five A-grades – then the floodgates of Malay privilege will open for them. These include fast tracks into the best universities in the country, scholarships to the best universities in the world, and on their return, guaranteed jobs into the government or the Malay-dominated Government Linked Company (GLC) ecosystem. Their future is assured. But the sad thing is that the more privileged their background the easier their path, leaving in their wake all the others and tragically the poor Malays who are already at a disadvantage given the bad quality education they receive.
If you are non-Malay, your nightmare however begins now, unless you are wealthy; and that is a minority. If you attain seven A-grades or above, you are still not guaranteed a place into the top local universities, because your Malay classmates with three A-grades will be given priority, even if they are the children of a highly paid executive.
As a non-Malay your parents and even extended family will now have to huddle to decide how to give you a proper chance in life because – despite your hard work and excellent results – the racist system will do all it can to suppress your potential. The racist system seeks to deny them their basic rights so that it can continue with its supremacist policies. It wants non-Malay parents to be bled of their savings and if they manage to scrimp and save to pay for the more expensive education options, the racist system will make it hard for their children to get jobs within government departments and the GLC gravy laced ecosystem, while slots will remain reserved for Malays, who did not do as well yet went to the best universities, funded by the state. They then come back to jobs where they will typically not have to compete with non-Malays in a system devoid of meritocracy and steeped in racism.
Yet the non-Malay will find a way and will emerge even stronger and better. In a perverse way, by being stoic and tolerating blatant racism as a child they have inbuilt resilience and a greater chance to succeed as a professional. They are helping to build the country into what it is. They fortify the country against the risks arising from the widespread lack of meritocracy in key institutions, which allows many Malays to reach elevated positions and earn shockingly high salaries without competing with non-Malays. Despite this the discriminated non-Malays become the economic backbone of the country.
