Fifty Years On, Race, Religion Still Haunt Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur- A six-minute rap video on YouTube that mocked Malaysia‘s national anthem and enraged its majority ethnic Malay community has reopened old racial wounds as the country prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Politically dominant Malays want the singer, a 24-year-old Malaysian Chinese student living in Taiwan, to be jailed or even stripped of his citizenship for the controversial video, which they say insulted the Malays and Islam.

Chinese say the singer, whose lyrics implied Malays were laid-back and Chinese worked hard, was merely restating a fact.

As Malaysia marks 50 years of independence from British rule this week, the nation remains a split personality -- exposing worrisome racial and religious divides, and stoking fears of more tension ahead of an anticipated early general election.

There are still three separate stripes of Malaysians -- Malays, Chinese and Indians -- and racial tensions rumble under the fun-loving surface of this relatively prosperous developing nation.

"It‘s becoming increasingly difficult for the people of various ethnic groups to participate in a common activity," said prominent historian Khoo Kay Kim.

"It covers every aspect of life now, even sports. It never used to be so sharp."

Race and religion are touchy issues in multi-racial Malaysia, where Malay Muslims form about 60 percent of a population of roughly 26 million. Hindus, Buddhists and Christians dominate among the Indian and Chinese minorities.

Source: in.reuters.com

 

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