“Malaysia won’t succeed if non-Muslims don’t have opportunity.” — Barack Obama

A Quick Primer

For those of you who don’t know Malaysia, we’re an interesting country. We practice a strange sort of race-based affirmative action in an attempt to balance out some of the socio-economic pressures that we experience. Although the quote above doesn’t directly mention race, our history has caused race and religion to be somewhat entwined in the makeup of society.

Back to the point. Affirmative action isn’t the strange bit. Plenty of countries implement similar policies for different reasons. Where Malaysia differs from the norm is that our policies are engineered towards benefiting the majority rather than the minority.

To understand this unusual state of affairs, we return to the days of the British empire.

Britain entered Malaysia and very quickly built up the economy in a way that benefited foreign workers that came in from other countries. Unfortunately, these methods simultaneously weakened the economic position of the Malays and other indigenous peoples of the area.

To resolve this distortion, the locals and the foreigners worked together on a peaceful resolution — while fighting together for the independence of the nation — striking several policy deals in exchange for citizenship. One of those policies was affirmative action in favor of the local populace — known as the Bumiputeras of Malaysia.

It was a reasonable solution given the time, the circumstances, and the place.

“We are fair to all races” — Zahid Hamidi

The Question

Naturally, as they extended into the present day, these policies became a subject of much debate.

The different nationalities that joined Malaysia at the start are now, on average, in their 3rd and 4th generations. Most expect the questions around citizenship and fairness — once very real concerns for the country — to be a thing of the past.

This is not necessarily the case. We still see the occasional race-fuelled vitriol splashed across the news, spewed by individuals who have more opinions than sense.

These are the extremes, and in no way reflective of the majority of the nation. However, while most clearly disagree with these views, the presence of such influences, however small, is a pretty strong reality check in what we consider a modernized society.

Obama’s statement simply served as a catalyst to bring the national identity to the forefront of the public consciousness. It asks, implicitly, the following question:

How fair are we to the different peoples of Malaysia?

Definitions

Equal opportunity implies that everyone should have the same shot at success, discounting factors outside of their control. These factors include things such as race, gender, and background.

Two basic examples:

1. People should be (regardless of parental income) equally capable of getting an education.
2. People should be (provided they have the right skills) equally capable of getting a specific job.

Equal opportunity does not ensure that everyone becomes successful. It aims to shift responsibility to the people — it is the assurance that the doors are open, and you can choose which ones to walk through.

The Answer

Based on the above, do we currently provide equal opportunities to everyone in the country? No.

Our existing system treats people differently. Although it attempts to shift the wealth distribution in the country, it does so by tilting financial and social aid towards one side of society.

A side not only defined by need, but also by racial and religious affiliation.

Are we trying to improve the system? Yes.

Although most attempts to date have been half-hearted, we are at least beginning to understand the problem in more detail. By building on a base of common understanding, we’ve achieved greater social equality than there was in the recent past.

There is more common ground to work with.

The more open discussion of ideological differences, the policy shifts in both government and opposition parties over the past few years; these are all indicative of large changes sweeping through the public mind.

Will we eventually reach a state where we can call ourselves an equal opportunity nation? I don’t know.

Do we need to get there? Absolutely. Not for the sake of pleasing an American president, but for our own growth as a country. It is one of the many steps towards people achieving a better understanding of each others’ needs.