community - Association of Muslim Professionals

KARYAWAN
ISSUES
Interestingly, despite the growing list of problems faced, there
has been no concerted movement from within the community
asking for such measures. It is important to ask why. Proponents
of affirmative action believe that it is necessary to correct the
inequities towards a certain group of people. Is this absence of
a call for such measures an indicator that the Malay community
sees the effects of the ‘divide and rule’ policies of the British
colonialists in the past as something that is irrelevant to the
problems of today? By extension, does this also mean that they
have no issues with the current arrangement?
One prominent suggestion involving a hybrid form of affirmative
action and meritocracy came from outside the Malay community.
In 2003, Member of Parliament K Shanmugam raised the
suggestion of having some form of “social leavening” to help
bridge the gap between the Malay community and others.
Clarifying the issue in a separate occasion six years later, in
2009, Mr Shanmugam, who is now Singapore’s Law Minister and
Second Minister for Home Affairs, said he was not suggesting an
absolute model of affirmative action where quotas favouring the
Malay community are put in place in schools, the workplace or
other institutions. Rather, his suggestion was for a system that
does not forsake meritocracy yet offers more opportunities to
qualified members in the community. To give an example, he
said: “Assuming 10 people made the cut-off, try to look for some
who are also from the Malay community.”
the community. Over time, it can create a sense of resentment in
other communities, because irrespective of the injustices in the
past, affirmative action ironically involves an unequal approach
in the present to bring about “equality” in society.
But what about a “social leavening” policy as suggested by Mr
Shanmugam? Afterall, he had an example in mind involving the
former US Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, who was wellqualified
for a post as professor at Stanford University and was
selected as the university did not want all “white, Anglo-Saxon
Protestants”. Could such a model offer more opportunities
for well-qualified Malays to excel further in educational and
professional institutions?
A Question of Class?
To me, while such a measure will help some Malays excel and
create icons of success in the community, it will not address the
real issues. Having icons is well and good but the real issues faced
are not so much that of race, but that of class. Of what good is a
successful Malay person – especially from a middle or upper class
background – to another Malay person (for example, from the
lower strata of society) if he/she had not been brought up in an
environment with similar values and aspirations?
It is a class problem more than a racial one.
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To some extent, this is already being done via the Group
Representation Constituency (GRC) system in Singapore politics.
With the requirement for candidates from minority races to
stand for elections in a GRC, political parties have to select who
they feel are best qualified for the post, with race being a key
consideration for minority groups to be represented.
However, should any form of race-based measures be
implemented in other aspects of society? An absolute form
with racial quotas will not work in Singapore if it undermines
meritocracy, which is a basic tenet of our society. Examples
from the region have shown that such an approach may not
necessarily help in the long-term. Getting into university or other
institutions with the help of a quota policy tied to race may give
a chance to get one foot in the door but it comes at a price
– one’s true ability will always be questioned, and this can lead
to an erosion of pride and respect both within and outside of
Adopting race-based measures of any form will not only not
address the pertinent issues, but may cast the Malay community
further in an unfavourable light. It may strengthen the current
monolithic impression some non-Malays have of the Malay
community – as one that is in constant need of help.
The best way out is to shift the mindset away from over-linking
the community’s ills to ethnicity. It is a class problem more than
a racial one. Hence, if any form of “social leavening” were to be
implemented, it must be made clear that it is a class-based one for
all in need of help across racial groups in Singapore. If that means
that Malays in the lower strata of society happen to benefit most
from it due to sheer numbers, then, so be it. What is important is
that those in need of help are assisted while others do not remain
shackled by the negative labels attached to the community that
can further inhibit them from excelling.
Khartini Khalid is a former journalist and lecturer. She is currently pursuing her Masters in International Relations at The Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy in the United States. This is a personal view.
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