PETALING JAYA (Nov 6, 2006): Johor Umno chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman's comment that Bangsa Malaysia is unacceptable has drawn much criticism from other Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties and the Opposition.

They said the comment was putting down the ruling coalition's fundamental principle of integration and unity among the different component parties.

Some acknowledged they preferred the term Rakyat than Bangsa Malaysia, but pointed out that semantics aside, the concept was crucial to reflect the multi-cultural make-up of Malaysian society.

For Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Bangsa Malaysia is a general concept and "state of mind".

"It does not need to be defined in detail," he said, adding that there was no need to amend the constitution for this purpose.

Najib, who is also Umno deputy president, said he was more inclined towards a general understanding of the concept.

"I like to stress that it is more towards a state of the mind, meaning that we lose the prejudice, incompatibility among the races, and unwillingness to mix with other races," he told a news conference after closing the two-day Johor Umno Convention in Johor Baru today.

"If we treat it as a state of the mind, I think we can avoid the polemics. And if we try to define it, it will raise a lot of questions and debates on the matter," Bernama quoted him as saying.

In his policy speech at the Johor Umno convention yesterday, Abdul Ghani reportedly described the Bangsa Malaysia concept as a "rojak" of races, which was unacceptable.

He said Umno Johor was against the idea and that there was no need to reinvent a national identity as the constitution has clearly defined the different races who are citizens of Malaysia.

He said that if subjected to abuse, the concept could pose a threat to national stability.

"Even if the term Bangsa Malaysia is to be used, it must only be applied in the context of all the peoples of Malaysia with the Malays as the pivotal race," he was quoted as saying.

Abdul Ghani also questioned the government's meritocracy system, saying it was a form of discrimination and oppression for the Malays.

He said it was impossible to strive for meritocracy in the absence of equal opportunities for education for rural and urban Malays.

According to Bernama today, the Malaysian race issue emerged recently when several parties claimed that the idea could strenghten racial unity in the country as the various races learn to respect each others' differences and similarities.

In his speech at the state Umno convention, Najib said the country's leaders have the wisdom to champion the interests of the Malays without violating the other races' rights.

"We will continue to fight for the Malays without any time-frame. It would not be possible to erase 400 years of being backward in 20 years."

He the 400 years of colonial rule had left "piles of national debts to the Malays" which could not be settled in a short time.

Najib also commented on the government's decision to teach Science and Mathemathics in English in schools.

The issue was discussed at the convention, and there were calls for the government to scrap the plan.

He said the government had decided on this, but if there was a need, the decision could be reviewed.

"In this matter, rural schools must be supplied with quality teachers. In the UPSR (Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah), many Malay children scored four As and one B. What is B? English. "Mastering English is crucial to ensure that the Malays become globalised citizens. Otherwise, we will not excel. We will always be village heroes," he said.

What others say:

Penang Chief Minister and Gerakan deputy president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon expressed surprise at Abdul Ghani's comments.

He said the government's stand on Bangsa Malaysia was clear in the Vision 2020 agenda.

He said the document stated that "Malaysia must be a nation that is at peace with itself territorially and ethnically integrated, living in harmony in full and fair partnership made up of one Bangsa Malaysia, with political loyalty and dedication to the nation".

"The term clearly does not infringe on the rights of the Malays. When we go out of the country, we identify ourselves as Malaysians, not by our race," he added.

Gerakan Youth deputy chief Lim Si Pin said it was a great regret to see a BN leader putting down the fundamental root and principle that created the coalition.

He questioned Abdul Ghani's roled in the BN government as he could not see how a united BN could work together.

"Abdul Ghani seems to only know how to perpetuate a type of Ôbackward thinking' found in colonial times, which is to separate the races via a divide and rule policy found when our country was still under British rule.

"But now, we have already achieved independence for the last 49 years and why does such narrow thinking still exist?"

Lim said that in 1990, the government mooted the "Vision 2020" concept, whose aspirations included the creation of a progressive nation known as Bangsa Malaysia.

"The concept is not a threat to the Malays and neither does it interfere with the special privileges accorded to the Malays.

"Only with the working together of the different races found in the country can all races prosper," he said.

He said the concept was one of the fundamental pillars in the Ninth Malaysian Plan and that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had reiterated that it was his mission to achieve the vision specifically through a united Bangsa Malaysia.

Lim also said the Johor Umno chief has misunderstood the meaning of meritocracy. "We believed if implemented fairly, even among the deserving Malay community, more Malays will be able to enjoy the full benefits instead of losing out as alluded by Abdul Ghani."

Gerakan Youth sports and youth bureau head Lee Hui Seng said as the country moved towards modernisation, any attempt to create racial division will further polarise the younger generation.

He said the concept would promote unity and eventually a society whose people will not be identified as a particular race but just Malaysians.

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister and MCA Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said Bangsa Malaysia was the spirit of Malaysia's multi-racial society and enshrined in Vision 2020's objectives to ensure the various ethnic groups are always united to move forward.

He said the government should lead the country irrespective of race.

He said MCA Youth will continue to promote the spirit of rakyat or Bangsa Malaysia, which he noted was just a terminology.

The youth wing defended efforts to practise meritocracy. Liow said meritocracy was meant to allow everyone a chance to excel and is important in nurturing more capable Malaysians to succeed in all fields.

Wong Nai Chee (BN-Kota Melaka) said he preferred the term rakyat than bangsa Malaysia.

He disagreed with the idea that the Malays should be the pivotal race, which would be contrary to the notion of multi-culturism.

He described multi-culturalism as all cultures having equal footing in a society where the Malays form the majority population.

"It is totally different to say we want to have one culture playing a dominant role.

"Every culture should have equal footing and this is what multi-culturalism is about," he said.

Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Hitam)

"I don't care what it is called. The most important thing is the unity and diversity of the country. The rakyat Malaysia spirit is more important.

"Abdul Ghani is entitled to his views but the more important thing is national unity."

Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (Keadilan-Permatang Pauh)

"We must have a sense of belonging here. Bangsa Malaysia or not is just a terminology.

"We all are Malaysians and have to [uphold] our rights under the constitution," she said.

"Meritocracy is important as we cannot always rely on a tongkat (walking stick)."

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the party rejected Abdul Ghani's contention that Bangsa Malaysia was unconstitutional as every citizen was accorded basic human rights under the constitution to forge a united nation.

"Clearly, for a senior Umno leader to reject Bangsa Malaysia is in itself unconstitutional because it rejects political equality accorded to all Malaysian citizenry under Article 8 of the Federal Constitution.

"Clearly Umno and Abdul Ghani are still falling back on racial politics to maintain their political control in government," he said.

Lim said as an academic, Abdul Ghani's rejection of meritocracy was short-sighted and has no place in this era of globalisation, which stressed on competition and productivity.

S.K. Devamany (BN-Cameron Highland) said while he respected the rights of the Malays, he disagreed with Abdul Ghani.

"We have to go back to the Rukun Negara to see the sprit of Bangsa Malaysia. It lays the foundation for the stability of the country."

Lau Yeng Peng (BN-Puchong)

"I feel very disappointed with Abdul Ghani's statement. If we define Bangsa Malaysia as rojak, then we are going backward.

"We try our best to build Bangsa Malaysia as we want the country to have stability and continue to develop.

"Meritocracy is important as we are competing with the outside world as well."

Drop the communal rhetoric

theSun says: Political leaders have a duty to guide the populace towards a better future.

Unfortunately, Johor Umno chief Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, who is also mentri besar of the state, chose to opt out of that responsibility when he criticised the call by a broad range of groups for a Bangsa Malaysia, the concept of a unified Malaysian race that thinks, lives and works as one for the greater good of society.

Abdul Ghani rejected the idea because it would, he said, result in a mishmash of peoples with no clear identity. The special status of the Malays guaranteed by the Federal Constitution would thus be diluted. In doing so, he is reinforcing a communal mentality which fears the idea of an open, progressive society that is in keeping with these changing times.

While it is understandable that Umno leaders would be keen to position themselves to their party constituents ahead of the annual general assembly in mid-November, Abdul Ghani has scored a rather dubious point.

It does not bode well for the nation that a leader of his seniority chooses to emphasise divisive ideas instead of encouraging a universal outlook that would free our communities from the parochial baggage of the past. It is axiomatic that we cannot dream of progress until we dare to think great thoughts.