Fear and loathing in 'New Malaysia'

“The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.”

- James Branch Cabell, 'The Silver Stallion'

COMMENT | I suppose, once you leave Malaysia, you are “Malaysian”. In Malaysia you remain a racial demographic and all that entails. The prime minister’s comment about how “Malaysians” overseas are valued for their professional “skill set” is indicative of how, once you leave our country, you truly become a citizen, or at least politicians talk as if you are a citizen and not belonging to a racial group.

The fallout from the “Malay Dignity” forum has brought upon some soul searching in people who viewed a change of government as the beginnings of a new Malaysia, or a repudiation of the failed policies of the former Barisan Nasional (BN) regime.

The reality that Harapan is morphing into a neo-BN has reinvigorated the discourse surrounding the idea that non-Malays do not really have a place under the Malaysian sun...