What Kind Of Keluarga Malaysia Are We Really

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Malaysians will mark 68 years of independence on Aug 31 with an air display, fireworks, and waving of Jalur Gemilang.
Official speeches will highlight our steady gross domestic product (GDP) growth, cultural vibrancy, and Malaysia’s role as Asean chair. We will hear of our four-year low in inflation and tourist arrivals that outpace our neighbours.
However, shadowing the political platitudes is last month’s protest in Dataran Merdeka over rising living costs and lack of real reformasi promised in November 2022. The disconnect between the staged official optimism and public discontent is glaring.
Surveys by the Merdeka Centre show that three in four Malaysians rank the rising living costs as the biggest concern.
An increasingly fractured government in a ruling coalition adds to the perception that 68 years of independence have yet to translate into policies that instil inclusivity and accountability in governance, stem corruption, nepotism, and cronyism.
Besides delivering on its reformasi promises, the spirit of Merdeka is tested not in the pompous speeches but in the government’s commitment to “reducing inequality and enhancing (socioeconomic) mobility” (joint report, World Bank Group and the Economy Ministry, February 2025).
Racial mindset
As an aside, on the same day that we celebrate Merdeka, across major Australian cities, right-wing activists will “March for Australia” to protest “endless migration, weak leadership, and political cowardice”, which the organisers claimed have caused Australia to change “in ways most of us never agreed to”.
That mindset echoes Geoffrey Blainey’s book “All for Australia” (1984), where he argued that mass Asian migration would transform Australia into a “cluster of tribes”, that it would threaten social cohesion and dilute the Anglo-Australian identity.
Australia’s racist past came to a head in 1997 when Pauline Hanson established her One Nation Party. Since then, anti-immigration protests that ape the Maga-affiliated movements, such as the “Return to the Land” white-only settlement in Arkansas, are gaining momentum.
Parts of Malaysian society, likewise, are steeped in a similar racial mindset. The Ketuanan Melayu rhetoric and bumiputera special rights, held to be above criticism, continue to stoke an exclusivist pride, further fragmenting our body politic.
Yes, on Merdeka day, the government will boast of a nation that punches above its weight in diplomacy, its cultural mix - as rendered in “Saya Anak Malaysia” - its cuisine, its biodiversity, its natural environs.
Many, however, will perceive Merdeka as a hollow celebration when policies are steeped in creating a privileged and underprivileged class, an increasing proportion comprising millions of migrant workers.
Even if extended research will show positive changes, mainly in the easing of cost-of-living pressures, Pakatan Harapan’s alliance with Umno has perceivably compromised its original reformasi agenda. Hence, the continuation of Umno’s racialised narratives.
So, what kind of Keluarga Malaysia are we really?
Australia now
Here, I draw some insights from Australia’s redemption of its racist past (the White Australia policy was abolished in 1975 by the Labor government) to a governance that is shaped by a “fair-go” system through its anti-discrimination laws.
The six states and two territories in Australia have their respective anti-discrimination, anti-racial vilification, and equal opportunity laws. On the federal level, citizens and permanent residents are protected by the Racial Discrimination Act, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act, and Racial Hatred Act.
All states and territories have an Anti-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity Commissioner where people can lodge their complaints. If successful, the board or commissioner can make a legally enforceable determination.
Australia is also a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd).
While Malaysia, as a UN member, upholds the principles of the UDHR, which affirms that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, we are not a signatory to the Icerd. Malaysia certainly has no qualms with state-sanctioned discrimination.
March to a different beat
For a more meaningful Merdeka, we ought to march in step to a different beat post-2025 as one Keluarga Malaysia.
Here, I’m reminded of the Confucian concept of a nation state - ‘guo (nation) jia (family) (国家).‘Guo jia’ frames the relationship between the state and its people with mutual obligations and responsibilities.
The people perform their duties. The state recognises the people’s rights as members of the extended family.
When an extended family member falls into difficulties, each family member is obliged to help. When a nation state slides into the pits, we are duty-bound to pull it out of sinking further.
By this logic, Keluarga Malaysia’s greatness is less measured by material gains than by how each family member is responsible for another. These are the values that grow the extended family and prosper as one people.
While protests, placards and political rallies do send a strong message to Putrajaya, ultimately, real change in mindsets and inter-racial engagements starts with us, in our homes, at our front gates, across the fences, and in our neighbourhood ties. - Mkini
ERIC LOO is a former journalist and educator in Australia and a journalism trainer in parts of Asia.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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