Lately , I read the stories about the native American Indian . I was dismayed to know what had happen to these native American Indians . I came across and learned about them vaguely in the Western cowboy movies . They were always the bad guys and dubbed them savagers .The settlers backed by the Yankee army , they were the good guys . The native Indians were fighting hard against the mighty and grand Yankee army . Thousands of the native Indians were killed and massacred . In the end , in series of battles they fought , the native American Indians lost the war .
Why did the native Indians fought so hard knowing that the Yankee army was so powerful , well armed and many ? Yet the native Indian combated with their bows and arrows . With limited guns and bullets which they stole from the Yankee , were insufficient . They were brave people and fought brilliantly to their last drop of blood because they were defending their rights over their land and territories . They were the fiercest of fighters. More importantly , they were defending their culture , tradition , belief , economic ways of living and the sovereignty of their tribes and territories.
Red Cloud , the capable warrior fought the battle to gain rights over the river valley . Crazy Horse another brave warrior led a surprise attacked on General George Cook army and preventing the army to join force with General Custer Army . As the result , General Custer lost the battle of Bighorn . There were many native Indian warriors like ,
Initially the native American Indians were friendly people . They showed the foreigners with great hospitality . The problem came when the foreigners became settlers and they came to annex and stay . They wanted to claim the land as their own . They destroyed the sites which the native considered sacred . They were forced to leave their home . The long conflict began .
I was taken aback by the history of fate fell upon the native American Indians . I wonder what would happen to the Deutero Malays if they are faced with that situation .
I believe our forefathers knew that the Malays should not be like the native Indians of
I am also taken aback by some who try to infringe our constitution and beginning their aspersions by questioning it . As I understand it , ketuanan Melayu is not stipulated in the Constitution . It is wrongly interpreted and a wrongly perceived . It is not that Malay is the ' Tuan ' and rest of the non Malays are servants . As I understand it , the article 153 refers to special privileges of the Malay and rights of other must be respected for preserving peace and harmony.What is wrong with that ?.
Now I do understand and I thank to our forefathers who acknowledged the history of the native American Indians . Engaging that , the Malay importance prevails in the articles 153 signature the Malay position in hopping that the Malay would not be dumped in the reservation . Furthermore , it would guide the Malay to stay relevant in the controversial world of Capitalism in a multi ethnic society of
Looking back at the previous past and before the coming of the invaders , the Malay land (Tanah Melayu ) existed . It had the sovereign Sultanate of Malay kingdoms whose Governments representing their territories . It came in the order of hierarchy governing with stipulated laws , principles and protocols .
It develops the social ,economic ,cultural orders with strong and institutionalized fundamental values of Islam . Above all , the Malays norms practicing in the customary laws strengthen the ‘rights ‘ that the Malays and the Bumiputra are the master ( tuan ) of their Tanah Melayu . Make no mistake , it is not translated as ' master and servant ' relationship .
We were invaded by the Dutch , the Portuguese than the East Indian Company , later British colonial masters for more than 300 hundred years . At the same time , the exodus of non historical origins organized by the Colonial rulers arrived to stay for serving and feeding the Colonial industrial revolution in the West . They were welcome .
We must not be apologetic in propagating the expression of Ketuanan Melayu nor it is taken as the sign of Malay weaknesses . It also should not take the expression as to apprehend others . We must prescribe the notion and the sprit of ‘ Ketuanan Melayu ‘ for us to move forward in the order for change and achieving for the best of all Malaysian . The spirit of Ketuanan Melayu has served as one of the major principles of Malaysian democracy in a multi cultural ecosystem . It is in the evolution of our Nation track record and without denial has brought peace harmony and prosperity to our beloved Nation .
As someone remarks , 'Ketuanan Melayu ' was an expression used by our forefathers to remind and unite the ethnic Malays with the highest justification of covenant and to highly respect others in equality . Together with other ethnics we will strive for unity , peace , harmony and prosperity . Insyallah ,
Herni Azura Ghafar
You are right there. Our leaders were kind enough to accept one million Chinese to be instant citizens of Tanah Melayu before Merdeka and these Chinese must have promised the world, i.e. they will respect the law here, uphold the Constitution, never bad mouth the country, especially foreigners, respect the special rights of the Malays and Bumiputeras, help the Malays and other Bumiputeras in business, never cheat in business, never lie and spread fitnah, never try to convert Muslims to other religions, make Bahasa Melayu the official language, be law abiding, never question Islam as official religion, never abuse their Indonesia maids, etc, etc, etc because they desperately wanted to live in Malaysia because there was nothing to eat in China then. Between starvation and the prosperous new land, they chose then Malaya and pledged to be good citizens.
BalasPadamNow look what happened?