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Their majority presence ought to suggest that they should have the urgency to do the right thing as the citizens of the country to manifest their love for the country. In reality, it's quite the contrary actually. Malays have shown disinterest in registering themselves as voters.
here are probably 9 different areas or countries for which the Malay existence is apparent. They are Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, the Philippines, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and South Africa. If I ask an average Malay of Malaysian origin "Would you like to abandon Malaysia and go live in those 7 other countries?"; the answer would probably be "No". Why? well let's see. Maybe because the Malays in Malaysia enjoy the most blissful life when compared to their counterparts in those other countries? If they go to Indonesia, there are too many Malays - hence exposing themselves to unecessary struggle. If they go to Singapore and Thailand, well they become minority - hence losing privileges - same goes to the Philippines, South Africa, Timor and Papua New Guinea. So the only other option would be Brunei. But then again, the Malays in Malaysia are too pampered with the joyful life in Malaysia that offering them to go to Brunei somehow becomes unattractive - not that Brunei is a boring country but in most Malay's perception, Brunei is a boring country.
We have therefore concluded for the Malays in Malaysia that Malaysia is the only country that is harmonious to the hearts of the Malays. If that is the case, shouldn't the Malays treasure this beloved country of theirs? No doubt that Malaysia also belongs to other ethnic groups but Malays account for 70% of the country's population. Their majority presence ought to suggest that they should have the urgency to do the right thing as the citizens of the country to manifest their love for the country. In reality, it's quite the contrary actually. Malays have shown disinterest in registering themselves as voters.
On page 14 of the New Straits Times (NST) published on 28 June 2010, it was reported that the ratio of newly-registered Malay and non-Malay voters is 1:40, according to a study conducted by the UMNO Youth membership and registration bureau. This is truly pathetic. I find myself in fury when reading this. I feel that these Malays lack the sense of urgency, responsibility, pride and it appears that they are either too complacent, or plain stupid. With 70% presence of the population, it can very well be an inverse impact to the significance of its polical power. Imagine 70% of the population has that "malaise" attitude. What an unecessary erosion it can cause to the Malay political power in a country that they possess the majority population.
The NST also reported that the total number of voters registered with the Election Commission until the end of last year was 11.1 million with 56% being Bumiputra. Out of the 56%, God knows how much are the Malays. Let's just take that 56% as an illustrative figure. We all know that the Malay votes are divided between UMNO, PAS and PKR. So, with simplicity applied, 56% divided by 3 equals 18.6%. Ironically, that looks like the Bumiputra's equity achievement in the country, ie. 18% (Although recently it was reported to be approximately 22%). So, are we saying that on top of the pathetic equity share of 18%, the Malays are on the brink of eroding their political strength to 18% as well?
My comments in this blog will also be read by non-Malays. I must clarify that there are no ill intentions. Malays and non-Malays should co-exist in harmony. All I am saying is that the Malays seem to not care to uphold their responsibility as the citizens of this country. You (non-Malays) would probably be amused (as opposed to me being bemused) when reading this. How can an ethnic group that holds a gigantic 70% share of the population only achieved 1:40 ratio of new voters when compared to the other ethnic groups? It's illogical to the extent that a huge chunk of the Malays are probably blissfully dangerous exposing themselves to self-termination (from the context of political relevance). Last I heard, the Malay population is growing exponentially, contrary to the non-Malays who seem to have a diminishing growth rate - and it's still a pathetic 1:40 ratio nonetheless.
I urge the Malays to wake up. Some of you who couldn't care less about politics may have ignored this responsibility simply because they are frustrated with the government. For the love of the land you proudly sing "Tanah tumpahnya darahku...", you ought to preserve the political relevance of the so called "70% of the population" for the sake of your kids and the future generation. Unless you plan to pack your bags and take the next flight to Brunei, you should get yourselves registered as voters.
* kopihangtuah
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