For Change To Happen Malays Must Break Silence On Racist System

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Institutionalised racism is crippling the nation, according to author and think-tank founder Chandran Nair, who is appealing to the Malays, especially the young, to voice their rejection of race-based ideologies.
Drawing a comparison with white supremacists, he argued that the Malay political elites and their enablers from other races are capitalising on these divisive policies for economic privileges.
“This state-built architecture is led by the elite Malays, not ordinary Malays,” he told Malaysiakini.
For self-aggrandisement, Chandran said these demagogues sowed seeds of discontent, fear, and animosity towards others among an innocent Malay population that does not deserve this indoctrination.
“A direct comparison can be made with white supremacists and the most recent example in the US is Donald Trump. He exposed how widespread white supremacy is in that country.
“They use the poor white people to further their racist policies against Blacks, Hispanics, Chinese. This is the same tactic used by racist politicians in Malaysia,” he added.
Chandran said the situation in Malaysia is more dire where the iniquitous tentacles of institutionalised racism are wrapped around key sectors such as education and the economy.
He pointed out that the government, being an instrument of institutionalised racism, is responsible for splitting Malaysia apart.
“Affirmative action in education targeting the disadvantaged and needy rural Malays needs to be extended to the poor Chinese and Indians as well. There is no need to dismantle (the existing system).
“The system also allows various economic advantages to the Malays, some of which is necessary but needs to be well managed so that it is not exploited by wealthy Malays in areas such as homeownership, loans, investment funds, etc. No other country does this based on race,” he added.

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Malays would be harmed in the long-term
Chandran, who plans to establish the Malaysian Anti-Racism Institute (MARI) to address this conundrum, said the Malays must make a stand because, in the long-term, they too would be harmed.
“The sad truth of this entrenched racism is that someone like me cannot change things, as I am non-Malay. I can speak about it, I can organise MARI, and hopefully contribute some constructive ideas. But the people who can make a change are the Malays and we must 'appeal' to them.
“I am appealing to the young Malays, the middle-class Malays, to take a stand and say this is wrong and that it is no different from the white racists in the US who keep silent and yet live off the privileges which are not extended to black people.
“White supremacy is not just Trump and the Ku Klux Klan. That is the obvious ugly face of it. White supremacy is the average white person who lives off systemic racism yet stays silent as they want to keep others at bay.
“The same rationale needs to be well understood by the Malays who may not want to acknowledge that they are beneficiaries of a racist system.
“My appeal to the middle-class Malays is that they rise up and begin to acknowledge they are beneficiaries of one of the most racist systems in the world. If you come to terms with it, then you can be part of the process to reform Malaysia.




Author and think-tank founder Chandran Nair





“I hope the work of MARI will empower those who are silent to say that they disagree with the racism towards their fellow Malaysians.

“They need to reject undeserved privileges, including accepting scholarships for their children who don't need or deserve them, therefore depriving poorer Malays, Chinese, and Indians,” he added.
'Widespread breakdown of values, rule of law'
For decades, Chandran said he defended Malaysia and the New Economic Policy (NEP) against critics because he believed in affirmative action for Malays and felt that racism in the country was not as severe as compared to other parts of the world.
However, in recent years he came to understand that those in power were no longer using the NEP to aid the poor Malays but to simply enrich themselves.
“More importantly, a large segment of the Malay community is going backwards.
“They are developing a racist mindset and this is regressive. Other races are also doing the same. These dangerous trends are being enforced by the elite Malay political class,” he added.
Concerned with the situation, Chandran, who shuttles between Malaysia and Hong Kong, where he is based, began to spend more time in Kuala Lumpur.


He witnessed “a widespread breakdown of value systems and even the rule of law as well as increasing concerns amongst the business community and others about what is seen as growing incompetence in various parts of the government.”





“In my view, all of this is rooted in institutionalised racism.
“The main driver is to allow for large-scale plundering. 1MDB brought that to the fore. The corrosion of institutions, the absence of meritocracy, and the breakdown of the education system have their roots in race-based policies,” he added.
Chandran believes that one can use a two-pronged approach - address the issue from a class perspective, instead of simply race.
“Essentially, the ringleaders are the elite Malays in politics and business, though there are exceptions. The politicians have designed an Ali Baba system (which co-opts allies from other races), making much of our economy one that is dominated by rent-seeking.
“They have their acolytes, which includes the rich Chinese and Indians. That is how the system works. But the apex predators are the elite Malays.
“So I felt we need to start a conversation where the Malay community understands that this framing of the challenge does not target them as a race.

“Instead, it is about the Malay elites who are scandalising their people and exploiting them just like the white supremacists do. I believe the Malay people are becoming more aware and will wake up to the call, thus the need to work together away from the politics,” he added.

On the same note, Chandran reiterated that the non-Malays must cease being apprehensive about speaking on this issue as those in power thrive on their silence.

He stressed that they need to understand these malpractices are widespread in their communities as well, and cannot be explained with excuses such as “we need to survive too”.
“We need to reject race-based identities as part of this process.
“I am a Malaysian and nobody can tell me that I don't have equal rights. And no Malaysian should be scared of talking about issues because of their race.
“The system can discriminate but that would be a function of the weakness of the state and the fear of its leaders to abandon their race-based and undeserved privileges. But that does not make it right and the state should not make any citizen feel they are not an equal because of race,” he added.
'Racism is everywhere' mindset an obstacle
Responding to those who dismiss efforts to correct the situation because "racism is everywhere", Chandran explained the difference.
He acknowledged that this mindset proves to be an obstacle to change and recalled an event he attended last month.
“This is one of the things MARI was set up to do. This is where the discussion is muddled. We need clarity.
“In fact, three weeks ago, I was invited to speak at a foreign embassy in Kuala Lumpur. There were a few distinguished Malaysians present, a couple of Tan Sris.
“When I raised this issue, they went ice-cold because they wanted to suggest that everything is fine in the country. These were not just Malays.
“As is often the case I was told, 'Chandran, there is racism everywhere in the world'. This is a cop-out. Of course, there is racism everywhere in the world.

“There are those who might use derogatory terms to insult others or even attack them on the street. I have experienced this in the UK. That is racism at an individual level and there are laws that are meant to prevent that sort of behaviour and even punish them,” he said.
However, Chandran said these individuals cannot do more harm unless they are in positions of power.
“Malaysia's racism at that societal level is not as severe as in other parts of the world. That is the reason, the country remains 'united' despite the deplorable politics of race.


“I can go to any part in Malaysia which is Malay or Chinese dominated and I would not feel out of place and would not be attacked. One does not experience the sort of vicious racism that you find in the US. I lived in Europe, I have experienced it. I was attacked by Neo-Nazis on the streets.
“But that is not what is ailing our country. What is crippling the country is institutional racism led by the state. The state using race as an instrument for economic and political needs. This is not found in other parts of the world at this point in history.
“The state is using race to discriminate against its own citizens, minority groups. That is even worse... The state using race to sow seeds of discontent, and turning a blind eye to race-based politics which in turn allows for its main actors to plunder, is rare. This is our single most important challenge.
“Malaysians have become so accustomed to this, thinking this is the same sort of racism found elsewhere. No. This is a totally unacceptable form of racism. That is the difference. We would be hard-pressed to name another country which has policies to discriminate against people based on race,” he said.
As for Malaysian politicians using religion as another tool to create division, Chandran preferred not to dwell on this issue.
He opined that dabbling in an emotional topic such as faith would serve as a distraction from the main conversation.
“The main conversation we Malaysians need to have and not be afraid to discuss is that you cannot discriminate against people based on their race and more importantly, it is to convince the Malays to oppose these unfair practices.
“The moment we bring in religion, it is a recipe for an unconstructive discussion and is riddled with confrontation. I don't think this is about religion. All people of faith will reject discrimination and racism.
“This is about a racist architecture that has been institutionalised to allow for economic exploitation by an elite Malay class, who are exploiting their own people, despite claims to be standing up for them against the other races,” he added. - Mkini

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