The Malay, non-Malay cat & mouse game

I read snippets of the speech by Tengku Faris Petra, the crown prince of Kelantan here and it gave me goosebumps.

Tengku Faris: Non-Malays should not seek equality. Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra said today that Malays had been coerced into giving non-Malays citizenship and the latter should therefore not seek equality or special treatment.

He said this during his keynote speech at a forum titled “Malay unity is the core of national unity” organised by the newly formed Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu in Kuala Lumpur today.

Speaking to a crowd of about 1,000 people, Tengku Faris said the Malay rulers would be an umbrella to foster unity among all Malaysians, based on the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara ... Malaysiakini in full - subscription required

I don't have a subscription to Malaysiakini which is why I have shamelessly C&P the above from Seventh Rangers' blog.

I don't know what sort of "special treatment" that the non-Malays are seeking as alluded by Tengku Faris that got his goat. It appears to me that whatever it is, Tengku Faris felt he had a duty to issue a warning to the Malays.

As to equality, does he mean that the non-Malays, despite being Malaysians, should be classified differently from the Malays in terms of their citizenship? Like, maybe, 2nd class? Or, third class? Or pariahs?

So, we are back to the argument that the non-Malays are "kaum pendatang" and shall remain so for ever and ever? To me, this is a standard "sandiwara Ketuanan Melayu" and Tengku Faris is no different from Hishamuddin. You don't need to wave a keris to threaten the non-Malays. Sometimes, words are more powerful when targeted at the right audience. Especially an audience that make up of a race known to run amok when provoked.

Tengku Faris has played up a sensitive issue that continues to divide Malaysians.

If the non-Malays can never be "equal" Malaysians, and not entitled to any kind of treatment which is deemed "special" by whatever vague definition the Malays choose to interpret, then pray tell, where do the non-Malays stand under the Malaysian sun?

For once, why not be specific about what the Malays want and don't want from the non-Malays? Be honest about it. Perhaps then, we non-Malays can make an informed choice, not just for ourselves, but for our children and their future.

We also want to know - are we Malaysians or are we merely non-Malay Malaysians?