Interestingly, rural areas show less racist trend

Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
My View - The Sun Daily
March 23, 2016

A SURVEY of 1,056 respondents by the Centre for a Better Tomorrow (Cenbet) showed that one out of three Malaysians is “racist”.

The finding is somewhat expected given that Malaysia is virtually a playground for “singular racially-dominated” political parties – including the so-called “multiracial” ones. This is reflected perhaps in 28.1% of those who admitted as “having shades of racism”, if not the 59.1% categorised as “averagely or selectively racist in nature”.

What is unexpected and more worrying based on the data is that 76% of the same racist respondents are from the urban area, while 24% are from the rural counterpart. One would have thought that urban inhabitants are more “race neutral” given the cosmopolitan nature of the urban fabric and lifestyles relative to the more monolithic rural areas representing the inhabitants of villages. Moreover the latter are somewhat less exposed to the “outside” – lacking the knowledge of an “international” language as always claimed to be global.

Some have even described them as katak dibawah tempurung! After all, the survey seems to give a clear indication that there are lasting good values enshrined in the villages nationwide. And that we should not be so quick to “rubbish” them and their inherent traditional ways since the less racist ways could better anchor the country as it has many a times borne out experientially. And as demonstrated by Lat some traditional values remain indelible as part of the collective persona.

In this regard, what is happening to the last Siamese community in Penang, Kampung Siam, is even more troubling. After existing peacefully for more than 200 years it is now poised to be another urban (and potentially “racist”) enclave.
Indeed about 28 traditional villages in Penang are said to be “on the brink of extinction” according to the Centre for Policy Research and International Studies at USM. Affected villages include Kampung Bagan Dalam, Kampung Batu Maung, Kampung Padang Benggali, Kampung Selut, Kampung Lima Kongsi and Kampung Tengah Jelutong.

As late as last year, 48 families of Kampung Mutiara resident in Batu Ferringhi were almost evicted if not for the postponement of an eviction order issued in July, pending discussions with the landowner and stakeholders. In any case, the court order to evict is still very much in force. Yet there are other villages throughout the nation that are facing similar predicaments, most notably Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur.

As in the case of Kampung Mutiara, village issues can be very emotive banding people across the divides standing in unity. Meaning to say the values that emanate from the kampung identity that bind us together is still alive. And it must be nurtured further for the sake of national unity.

It is laudable that Cenbet is proposing that a “National Unity Index” be considered when formulating public policy and administrative measures. But it must begin much earlier as “national unity” is one of the five system aspirations stipulated in both the education blueprints. The kampung ways must be embraced too.

This is especially so as the Cenbet survey also pointed to another worrying finding. That is, the largest group that showed racist or shades thereof belonged to the youngest age cohort of 18-25 years (41%), compared to 40% for 26-36 years, and 36% for 37-45 years. More so given the tendency of the younger age groups to most likely migrate to the urban centres seeking an allegedly “better” livelihood. In contrast the elder folk head for the kampung to retire or otherwise enjoy a slower pace of life. All this augurs well for the villagers, but it is the opposite for the urban dwellers going by the survey findings.

It is further exacerbated by the finding where those with incomes less than RM999 are the least racist, compared to those earning between RM1,000 and RM4,999 (46%), or between RM5,000 and RM9,999 (30%). The last two groups tend to be more urban oriented, especially the latter of the two.

Ultimately it raises the question what sort of high-income nation we will be come 2020 where the urban middle-class (supposedly more “racist”) are more dominant. Starting from where we are today the future high-income Malaysia is certainly troubling. Ironically, we seem to have fallen far short of being Bangsa Malaysia as stipulated by the very first challenge towards Wawasan 2020.