Friday, June 6, 2014

MENGAPA ORANG CINA PULA DIMUSUHI?

Aku tidak faham dan ‘bingung’. Seolah-olah telah wujud satu  teori yang mengatakan bahawa orang Melayu mesti memiliki perasaan perkauman dan memusuhi golongan bukan Melayu di Malaysia supaya orang Melayu boleh maju. Seolah-olah semacam begitu pemahaman sebilangan kecil penduduk Malaysia yang menggelarkan diri mereka sebagai penganut Islam sejati sedangkan Rasullullah tidak pula pernah mengajar pengikutnya supaya membenci antara satu sama lain.

Seolah-olah golongan ini sentiasa mencari kesalahan orang lain untuk meyakinkan tohmahan mereka bahawa sememangnya orang Cina yang menyebabkan orang Melayu mundur. Seolah-olah golongan bukan Melayu (Cina khususnya) yang mesti dipersalahkan yang menyebabkan orang Melayu masih mundur, masih berpendapatan rendah, masih mengharapkan bantuan dan subsidi dari kerajaan, masih mengharapkan belas dan ikhsan dari orang lain sebagai bayaran menjadi ‘tentera upahan’.

Aku agak sedih mengenangkan keadaan orang Melayu yang sebegini, walaupun sudah ramai orang Melayu yang tidak berperangai sedemikian lagi. Maknanya aku sedih melihat ‘saudara-mara’ aku yang masih bersikap demikian. Aku sedih melihat bahawa masih ramai orang Melayu di negara ini yang tidak mengikut ‘rentak’ dan ‘tari’ bangsa-bangsa lain yang jauh lebih maju dari bangsa Melayu.

Tidak dapat dinafikan bahawa orang Cina jauh lebih maju dari orang Melayu ditinjau dari sudut mana sekalipun. Namun apakah terpaksa kita memusuhi mereka disebabkan mereka berjaya di negara Malaysia ini. Apakah golongan bukan Melayu yang mahu dipersalahkan yang menyebabkan orang Melayu tidak sehebat kaum lain di negara ini?

Aku masih merasakan bahawa sudah sampai masanya orang Melayu perlu mengkritik diri sendiri. Orang Melayu hendaknya jangan leka dan khayal apabila ada pihak tertentu memuji kita. Walau diukur dari segi manapun orang Melayu masih mundur, berbanding dengan pencapaian orang lain. Lihatlah keputusan peperiksaan awam yang dikeluarkan pada setiap tahun yang jelas menunjukkan bahawa pelajar Melayu memang berada dibelakang. Tidak pula aku mahu menafikan tentang kehebatan setengah pelajar kita. Ada. Tetapi tidak seramai pelajar bukan Melayu. Bukan tidak ada pelajar Melayu yang boleh mendapat markah cemerlang. Maknanya orang Melayu boleh maju sepertimana yang dimiliki oleh bangsa lain di Malaysia. Soalnya mengapa orang Melayu masih ketinggalan.

Pihak tertentu masih melaungkan ‘cogan-cogan kata’ yang akhirnya membawa kelemahan kepada orang Melayu. Selama mana kita mahu bersandar kepada konsep ‘ketuanan Melayu’ sedangkan orang Melayu jauh lebih mundur dari kaum lain di negara ini. Kita masih terpekik dan terlolong mengatakan bahawa kaum Cina adalah ‘pendatang’ dan ‘penceroboh’. Berbagai gelaran diberikan kepada kaum bukan Melayu. Dan persoalannya ialah apakah akan maju dan berjaya orang Melayu dengan melaungkan ‘cogan-kata’ berkenaan?

Untuk apa kita (orang Melayu) mengungkit-ungkit kenyataan sedemikian. Perlembagaan telah menetapkan bahawa tiga kaum terbesar dan kaum-kaum lain adalah merupakan rakyat Malaysia yang sah. Termaktub dan jelas dalam perlembagaan Malaysia. Mereka bukan ‘pendatang’ dan ‘bukan penceroboh’. Mereka adalah rakyat Malaysia yang sah. Bangsa Malaysia.

Dan terfikir juga aku bahawa, apakah dengan memekikkan ‘slogan-slogan’ demikian dapat mengubah kedudukan orang Melayu yang masih mundur ini. Aku merasakan bahawa sudah sampai masanya orang Melayu itu sendiri mengenang dan mengenal siapa dirinya yang sebenar. Orang Melayu kini memang sudah maju jika dibandingkan dengan orang Melayu sebelum merdeka. Tetapi orang Melayu masih mundur berbanding dengan bangsa lain yang telah maju kini.

Pendeta Dr. Za’ba yang merupakan seorang patriot dan pejuang bangsa tidak pernah menyuarakan dalam tulisannya agar membenci kaum lain, walaupun beliau sentiasa mengkritik tentang kelemahan orang Melayu. Mari kita renungkan kenyataan Za’ba yang dijelaskan pertama kalinya dalam Malay Mail, 1.12.1923 oleh Za’ba dan diterjemahkan pula dalam Al-Ikhwan bertarikh 1.3.1927.  Katanya,

            “ Orang kita Melayu ini pada hitungan am atau jumlahnya ialah kaum yang tersangat miskin. Kemiskinan itulah sifat yang terlebih sangat lengkap dan nyata daripada lain-lain sifat kebangsaannya dan ialah juga sebenar-benar kekurangan yang menjadikan mereka kalah atau ketinggalan dibelakang dalam perlumbaan kemajuan. Miskin pada wang ringgit dan harta benda, miskin pada hemat dan cita-cita, miskin pada pelajaran dan latihan pengetahuan, miskin pada alat-alat kelengkapan otak dan pada beberapa sifat-sifat keperangaian yang tinggi dan mulia- jadilah mereka tak dapat tiada tersangkut dan ketinggalan dalam perjalanan bangsa-bangsa.

Perkataan miskin atau kemskinan seperti yang diperkatakan bagi mereka itu bukanlah semata-mata dimaksudkan bermakna tiada berharta atau tiada kaya sahaja, melainkan adalah ia itu bermakna beberapa banyak dan berapa ganda terlebih dahsyat daripada itu. Kemiskinan orang Melayu ituialah kemiskinan yang meliputi serba dan mengelilingi mereka pada segalanya” Adnan Haji Nawang,” ZA’BA, patriot dan pendeta Melayu

Pendeta Za’ba tidak menyalahkan orang Cina seperti yang biasa disuarakan oleh para ‘pejuang’ Melayu kini. Malah beliau menyeru supaya orang Melayu mencontohi setengah aktiviti orang Cina yang menyebababkan mereka maju. Lihat kenyataannya di bawah,

            “Kami telah menanam satu atau dua ekar getah sebab tiru orang Eropah, tetapi kenapa pekerjaan lama seperti tanam pisang dan kelapa terbiar kepada orang Jawa saja dan melombong, membuka kedai, ketukangan dan lain-lain dibiarkan kepada orang Cina? Kenapa tiru dari Eropah sahaja dan tidak tiru dari orang Jawa dan Cina? (Lembaga Melayu, 6.7.1917)

Mengapa orang Melayu masih ‘segan’ untuk mencontohi apa yang orang Cina telah buat. Pasti orang Cina mahu bekerjasama untuk memajukan orang Melayu khususnya dan rakyat Malaysia amnya. Aku amat yakin.

abuhassanadam

6 Jun 2014

8 comments:

  1. well,,,,,BN dont want malay to improve so sad,

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tn Abu Hassan, bolehkah tuan emailkan saya postal address supaya saya boleh hantar kepada tuan artikel lama bercetak yang menarik? Email address saya ialah anoq@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. You have written what in in the Chinese hearts. We dare not to write this to provoke more racism. Like in America, the Afro-Americans (being the minority) can only be the ones that condemns themselves and call themselves nigger / "nigga" - any other races cannot and will not do it for the fear that the Afro-Americans will claim discrimination. Here, we are treated like dogs, pariah and 3rd class citizens when the government dare not place the law on those whom call us "Pendatangs" when themselves are from Jawa.

    I wonder how many Malays think like you. Is this is the majority?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mr. Kwan Yuan: Interesting that you have brought up such matter. There is a lot to write about, regarding the points raised by you. I have high regards for the writer of the above article; a rare breed of Malay who is inclusive in his outlook. Now I shall only refer to the last sentence raised by you: they call us "pendatangs" when they themselves are from Jawa. To start with - Don't you think it is right for the Malays to call the Chinese pendatangs? (Ha! Ha! I have yet to hear them calling the Indians pendatang.... Maybe the Indians do not pose a threat to them. Ha! Ha! What threat? The Malays control the civil service (if not because of the Chinese vernacular schools where there are still quite a sizeable number of ethnic Chinese who are employed as teachers, then we shall see a 99% of the Malaysian civil service being served by the Malays/Bumiputras. And look at the armed forces, police etc etc. Also the major banks, GLC, Heads of states, etc, etc... and the list goes on...yes, the Malays feel threatened. The Chinese, being a tough breed, have always learnt to survive in trying circumstances. The Malays have always say the Chinese are rich, and they are lucky that the Malays allowed them to tap opportunities in this land of gold. Recently the ISMA fella said that. Also that fella, a Chinese convert (but so trying very hard to be a Malay... Assoc Prof Ridhuan Tee) likes to say that the Chinese are very ungrateful - they are hard-headed beings who refuse to be assimilated! unlike he who has blended so nicely and now himself claims to be a Malay. The ordinary Malay's typical assertion that the Chinese are rich because the top 10 richest Malaysians happen to be Chinese, so the rest of the Chinese in this country must be rich. Also, the frequent government data show that the Chinese are still richer than the Malays. yes, the Chinese could have been successful in maintaining a decent family wealth primarily due to their shrinking family size...out of necessitiy.... don't know if the government knows that the Chinese numbers are getting smaller and smaller. And say in another 100 years, their number will be like Indonesia's... about 3 - 5%. At that time, the Malays will no longer feel threatened by the Chinese's presence. They will not call the Chinese pendatang anymore. At that time there won't be anymore Chinese schools.

    Yes, the Chinese are really pendatangs. Did not their ancestors come from somewhere? And doesn't this land, the Semenanjung Tanah Melayu, belong to the Malays'? Forget about Sarawak and Sabah, as people don't really talk about those two states. And also forget about the orang asli (now they like to call themselves orang asal). Forget about the fact that our leaders always say that the Malays had been colonised for more than 500 years by some foreign powers and that they had to get back their dues, presumably due to being suppressed and discriminated by the so-called foreign powers for so long. So they need special treatment by the government, in the form of various policies. The history of this country seemed to have only started some 500+ years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mr. Kwan Yuan. : Just let me continue with my rambling. You mentioned "when themselves are from Jawa", referring to many of the present Malays in this country. I have also held the views (until recently) that Malays in this country and elsewhere, in particular those from Indonesia, should not be lumped together. There should be a cut-off point. Malaysia and Indonesia are different political entities. They are modern states. There are boundaries defining the two countries. Unlike those days when the whole area, the Malay Archipelago, seemed to be a huge playground for the Malay stock when they moved about so freely. Just study the history of of the Semenanjung, and especially the links between the various royal households with places in Sumatra. Just look at some of our political leaders: a good example is the PM whose ancestors hailed from Sulawesi. And he is proud of it. Can you call him a "pendatang"? You may like to, but to the Malays, he is not, because he is a Malay. It doesn't matter where a Malay came from, as long as he is a Malay, and of course he must be a Muslim. Then you may ask me.... What about the Balinese Malays? I can't answer that. Another example of high profile Malays who are of recent origins from "elsewhere" " remember Khir Toyo (doesn't sound like someone from Jawa?) the ex MB of Selangor. According to reports, his father came from Jawa in his teens, and you see his son could become an MB. And there are millions of Malays out there whose ancestry could be traced to places like southern Thailand, Phillipines, etc. It is interesting to look at this point which concerns the origin of we Malaysians. The Malays are strongly connected culturally and spiritually, and the present Malays will easily accept those who want to call themselves Malays. According to the Malaysian constitution, a person can become a Malay if he/she satisfies these requirements (1) must habitually speak Malay (2) must follow Malay cutlure and customs (3) must be a Muslim. You can still look like a Chinese but you are already a Malay. But there are those who do not really follow No. 1 and 2, but as long as they satisfy No. 3 they also call themsleves Malays. Many of these Malays are from Penang. So where do you stand? You are a Chinese, a dog, a pariah, a 3rd class citizen. I shall ramble later.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Saudara Yukon Jakun,

    Thanks for the enlightenment. Hope to see more. abuhassanadam.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mr. Kwan Yuan.. May I continue.. I feel that the phrase "treated like dogs" is a bit too harsh to the ears. Shall I say that the Chinese are treated as 2nd class citizens? This is quite a common expression used among Chinese Malaysians nowadays. I remember way back when Tun Hussein Onn was the PM (in the mid 1970s) he remarked that he didn't mind being a 2nd class citizen if he could be like Tan Sri Lee Yan Lian, a wealthy Chinese Malaysian at that time. Around that time, the expression "2nd class citizen" surfaced. By the way, are the Chinese really 2nd class citizens? How do we define a person a first, second or third class citizen? Of course, there's no such thing in the constitution, but in reality is there such a thing? This is where perceptions come in. The Chinese would say that they have not been treated fairly though they are citizens. and the Malays would retort "Apa lagi Cina mahu?" They will quote the list of 10 richest people in the country, being Chinese and "where else in the world could you find Chinese vernacular schools", and the government would substantiate the claim by coming up with some data which shows that the Chinese still lead the pack in terms of economic standing. Then how could they claim that they are 2nd class citizens?That they should have the same rights as the Malays or other Bumiputras. And do the Malays know that (or they refuse to acknowledge the fact) the Chinese have not been treated fairly? And in what areas are the Chinese not treated fairly, as they might claim? In education, getting the choice courses at unis? the awarding of scholarships? in getting government jobs/contracts? Then we should understand that the Malays will defend whatever due to them as their birthright (as stated explicitly or otherwise in the consttitution). Or that the so-called rights are not rights: they are privileges : read "Keistimewaan" Social justice might define that if so-and-so is already economically sound, he should not get anymore special treatment from the government. Does this happen in this country? Zulkifli Noordin (deputy head of Perkasa) affirmed (see Youtube) that the Chinese are pendatangs and as this is Malay land (as is stated in the constitution) so if the Malays want anything, the government should not hesitate to give them. This is their birthright. And you might want to ask: Why is it that all Malays get a discount when they buy houses? Is this stated in the constitution? And what would happen oned day when the government stopped giving discounts to Malay house-buyers? Then now and very often we hear of the so-called social contract (supposedly a contract that your forefathers had with the Malays around the time of Independence) that spelled out the dos and don'ts as regards (mainly) the sharing of wealth in this country. I really do not know if there is really a thing called "social contract". We may have to ask a constitutional lawyer. Maybe Dr Aziz Bari (former professor from UIAM) could answer.

    ReplyDelete
  8. http://www.amazon.com/What-Teacher-Didnt-Annexe-Lectures/dp/9834484534

    ReplyDelete