By Melissa Chi
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 11, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — Political foes Lim Kit Siang and Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek have unanimously agreed race columns should no longer exist on identification papers such as birth certificates and identity cards (IC).
The DAP parliamentary leader said he does not see any reason for the race column to remain.
“It has been more than half a century, we should all be Malaysians, in line with the 1 Malaysia concept,” Lim told The Malaysian Insider.
As for data collection purposes, he said that can be done through census.
“I think we should move towards regarding everyone as Malaysians… (Racial classification) should be a secondary purpose instead of the overbearing objective,” the Ipoh Timur MP said.
MCA president Dr Chua saw eye to eye with the veteran opposition leader on this sensitive issue.
“A lot of Malaysians feel that race is no more important,” he said, although he acknowledged that there might be some problems with data collection on ethnic population.
“Data collection is still important in any country but somewhere along the lines on how to do these collection — it will take some time because we are so used to profiling people along racial lines — a lot of people might not be happy if they were not identified according to their race. We have to slowly educate people to think along the ‘Malaysian’ lines,” he said.
The issue was brought up by Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh and her husband, an Indian Malaysian, who wanted to register their new-born daughter as an “anak Malaysia” but was not allowed by the National Registration Department (NRD).
The racial classification issue had sparked heated debates in the micro-blogging site Twitter as well as on Facebook and blogs.
Currently, the race column on the birth certificate is blank and although it does not have a written list of acceptable races, the generally acceptable ones are Malay, Chinese, Indian, Orang Asli, Kadazan/ Dusun, Melanau, Murut, Bajau, Bidayuh, Iban, Orang Ulu, Bumiputra Sabah and Bumiputra Sarawak.
DAP’s Teresa Kok said abolishing the race column from all government forms will be seen as a test to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s sincerity in implementing his “1 Malaysia” policy.
“The National Registration Department’s (NRD) refusal to allow ADUN Subang Jaya Hannah Yeoh and her husband Ramachandran Muniandy to register their daughter as an ‘anak Malaysia’ proves yet again that Prime Minister Najib’s supposedly inclusive 1 Malaysia is mere political propaganda with no substance whatsoever.
“For all Najib’s extravagant 1 Malaysia advertising and logos liberally plastered all over government uniforms, government buildings and election freebies, it is all meaningless because when it comes to actual policy, Najib does not practise what he preaches which is a united Malaysia where all Malaysian are equal,” she said in a statement.
The Seputeh MP said the race labels deny the people from “self-identifying” themselves and each other as being simply Malaysian for “their selfish political expediency”.
PAS’s Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar on the other hand, chose middle ground on this issue, and said instead that both options should be studied thoroughly to see what the purpose of the race column is, as well as the implications if it was taken out.
“On the race thing, there is no simple direct answer because race designation is part of the constitution which has components or sections which refer to race, so it is therefore not the end of the matter by just deleting them in birth certificates.
“The whole package regarding how to treat races in Malaysia need to be looked at…if we want to delete the race column at the birth certificate level, it won’t end there. The intricacy is with the constitution itself — some section of the constitution cannot even be discussed,” he said.
The Tumpat MP commended Yeoh for challenging the issue but stressed that the government has to look at the more underlying factor of this issue.
PKR’s Fuziah Salleh however, disagreed with the proposal and said the race column serves a purpose and that one should be proud to be a Malaysian but at the same time acknowledge one’s race.
“It is the identity to the ethnicity because you cannot forget your roots but on the other hand, we have to be careful not to be racist. I think it is okay the way I see it, it is to relate to our ethnicity, we should be able to identify our roots, with our roots, come our culture, our upbringing. It is something to be identified with because someone without ethnicity or identity is someone without history,” the Kuantan MP told The Malaysian Insider.
International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mustapha Mohamed also agreed with Fuziah, saying that the race column should remain for data collection purposes.
Information Deputy Minister Datuk Heng Seai Kie agreed as well, and saw the debate as one with a political agenda.
“In the first place, I don’t agree anybody for their political agenda to undo whatever rights that has been given to all the races in the country and protected under the federal constitution. What’s wrong to be proud of being a Malaysian Chinese.
“This is ridiculous and I don’t see the point because what we are fighting for is equal rights — when we apply for a tender or for IPT or IPTA (education scholarships), maybe we can do away with that but for birth certificate or IC to me is no problem at all,” she said.
The MCA information chief cited the federal constitution which states that a child’s race should go according to the father’s, in the case of mix marriages.
Malaysia is not alone in the debate as the United States of America has also struggled with a similar problem.
According to The New York Times, by the 1970s, Americans were expected to designate themselves as members of one officially recognised racial group: black, white, American Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Korean or “other,” an option used frequently by people of Hispanic origin.
Starting with the 2000 census, Americans were allowed to mark one or more races.
Big picture wise, there is no debating this of course but in practical terms, so long as legally there is a separation base on race AND there is a separate set of laws based on religion and a lack clarity civil court supremacy, its impossible for all intent and purpose.
Its in the mangled constitution we have likely to be impossible to remove within any of our lifetime.
It boils down to – and the debate ultimately is about – what purpose the identification by race in IC is supposed to serve (weighed against other problems it entails). Race is anchored on the biological/physical: If one is proud of heritage one demands accuracy. Kalimullah will of course say he’s Pathan not Indian but sorting out on race is a challenging task anthropologist. Left to official/functionary in Birth/registration Dept (not well versed in English) he knows not the difference between Pathan & Taliban! They should allow “Lain” category for mixed parentage. For Hannah Yeoh’s case one could describe as Indian – Chinese under “Lain” column unless she’s feminist wanting it Chinese-Indian! To ask for “Anak Malaysia” is inaccurate as being a Malaysian is a nationality, not a race. However she is making a political point here – lets forget about race, which is what LKS & CSL agree but perhaps for different reasons.
I think we should be acutely aware of what we ask for. Doing away with race column is a good idea provided the government of day and the civil service are colour bind and will implement policies that are fair to all the people. But do we have such a government or civil service now.
Let me quote you two examples: recruitment into civil service and dishing out of scholarships. If no race is ever mentioned, how do you know how many percent of the jobs in the civil service or scholarships are given to other races. By then, a racist government will use the excuse that there are no statistics available by race.
To me mentioning race is an identification paper is not the essence or substance of racism in this country. To me it is how we accept and treat each other. Please look around; even a few Chinese in the administrative service (in the government) today are being lumped together in one god forsaken ministry doing almost nothing significant. Then you look at the ministries headed by MCA and other non Malay ministers. What substantive power or significant roles have they played? Then what about all the important GLCs from Khazanah to Petronas? How does none mentioning of race in an identification paper help to resolve institutionised discrimination and the non acceptance of other races of their roles under the Malaysian sun?
The IC has race column because from day 1 of the Alliance Govt based on communal parties (UMNO MCA & MIC) race is a sorting mechanism to differentiate and hierarchize different races for its political objectives implemented via bureaucracies. How to implement NEP based on Malays achieving 30% of corporate equity when lack of information in this respect in NRIC makes to that extent much more difficult? On what basis is Dr Chua’s MCA going to admit members if the IC does not have a column on race to depict Chinese? Of course to uphold 1 Malaysia, “Malaysian 1st and Race 2nd, one does not place importance on race but not every one agrees. In Malaysia everything is about race! Muhyuddin says he’s Malay 1st Malaysian 2nd – how is he going to uphold this order of importance if IC has no race column to show he’s a Malay?
Having said that, LimKamPut’s statement “race is an identification paper is not the essence or substance of racism in this country” is unimpugnable. Racism here is because of race policies institutionalsed of which unfortunately race column in IC is used to facilitate (rather than used for other practical purposes that it can serve). People now attack race column in NRIC in order to attack the race policies.
To lobby for removal of race column on LKS/Hannah’s part may be viewed as an attempt to indirectly to ‘Sabutage’ the NEP implementation based on race.
However whats CSL’s objective to agree? Is it when MCA lost badly no one can say the Chinese voters voted against MCA or if it won, Malays voted for it?
CSL does not appear to grasp the irony that he, the president of a race based communal MCA, is agreeing position with LKS of a multiracial party that does not recruit its members based on race specifics!
I think UMNO wants race column to stay so that it can control the Malays. Please give the Malay their own rights and choice
I looked at my Birth Certificate and there is no mentioning of Race. I am so proud of my Birth Certificate. Actually it was produced by the British, since I was born before there was a Malaysia.
I know that Kit Siang means it. I wonder if YB SL Chua means it. If we are all Malaysians first and only, then MCA / UMNO / MIC becomes irrelevant.
The British colonial master, 50 years ago, wanted to divide us ( easier to rule ). So sad that after 50 years, our own, still choose to divide us.
YB SL Chua, talk is cheap. Now, will you walk the talk.
We must change the tenant at Putrajaya
During one UMNO GA, Najib remarked that one member who was said to belong to ‘unknown race’ was Malay and thus entitled to NEP. When the race column is removed, only Chinese sounding name will be treated as non-Malay and all others are Malays. We shall then have 20% of the population supporting 80% others.
There is no need to change the official document. It is up to the government to decide whether or not it chooses to have race-blind policies. Race column in all government documents serves to provide information. It is up to the government to use them properly.
Kit makes a mistake in agreeing with CSL.