By Thatjayman
Multi-racialism has been one of Singaporean core policies since its independence in 1965. In the light of this policy, all races (hereinafter referred to as ethnicity) are equal before the eyes of the state, and in no way shall any of the ethnic groups receive any forms of preferential treatment. Reflected in the National Pledge; “regardless of race, language or religion,” this policy aims to create a cultural melting pot of diverse cultures, and more importantly, the presence of people from different ethnic backgrounds living harmoniously, under the banner of a collective identity called Singaporean.
However, George (2000) describes the state`s return to roots approach emphasis on the country`s component Asian cultures as being part of a trend towards greater ethnic polarisation. This ring is true as Castells (2004) states that one of the building materials of identity construction is the power of apparatus, i.e. the State. The juxtaposition would be that of, in the attempt to create a diverse nation of different ethnic cultures under a collective banner of identity. The inadvertent result would be the identification of oneself along the lines of ethnicity, thereby re-enforcing solidarity within that ethnic group, and at the same time creating a boundary between “us” and the “others” (Castells, 2004).
As a Singaporean Malay, I have heard of several pejorative terms; one of them was the labelling of Malays as being lazy and too laid back, thereby contributing to the economic backwardness of the community. Whilst it is true that the Malay community has seen major progress from the 80s; hitherto, the final results still leave much to be desired.
In a survey conducted in 2006 by the Ministry Of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), the number of Malay secondary school dropouts, as of 2005, was 7.3 students per 1000 students. Although this is a drastic drop from 1980, which was 24 dropouts per 1000 students, the figure still exceeded the national average, which was 4.2 dropouts per 1000 students.[1]
From personal experience, I have seen how this stereotype has affected even the Malays. More often than not, my deep and profound interest in certain areas, such as studies, has been met with sniggering remarks from my friends, who are ironically Malays themselves. To quote one of them, “You are truly a Malay only if you are laid back, and take things easily.” This is just one example of how certain traits are closely, and if I say so myself, loosely, being attached to a particular ethnicity, in this case, the Malays in Singapore as being lazy and too laid back.
I find pride in the success of Malay students, such as Natasha Nabila, the top Malay student in the 2007 PSLE. However, scores of social problems that hit the front page of newspapers has made me think how certain problems are “uniquely Malay” in Singapore. One of them is the number of teenage births. In the same survey, the number of teenage births amongst the Malay female population was 10.6 births per 1000 female Malay residents, a figure that is far exceeded the national average, 3.5 births per 1000 female residents.[2]
To quote from another personal experience, there is an example; that is when I was sitting down at a food-court, enjoying my lunch. Seated at the table, next to me was a Chinese lady and her son. A young Malay lady, presumably in her early twenties, was holding on to the hand of a young girl, who called the lady “mama,” and was queuing near the table where I was seated. The young boy suddenly said to his mother, “Ma, how come that jie-jie got daughter one?” The response of this mother made me gasp in disbelief. She said, ”Haiya, ah boy, Malays like that one. Young-young already have children. Don`t know whether married or not.”
One can only imagine my agony upon hearing her remarks. In no way did I take that remark as being a racist one, for it does reflect, to a certain extent, the reality of the Malay community in Singapore. However, her statement bears testimony to the dangers of identifying oneself to a particular ethnicity, which often leads to the stereotyping of certain traits to certain ethnicity.
Singapore has seen tremendous social order, ever since its independence in 1965. Upheavals and conflicts raised upon ethnicity is a rarity, and I can safely say absent.
This is owing to the various legislation and law that are put forth by the state to prevent such conflicts from occurring. However, what is of great concern would be that of ethnic polarisation, thereby the attachment of certain stereotypes to particular ethnicity. This is an inadvertent result of the multi-racial policy, whose main aim is to create a diverse nation consisting of different and colourful ethnicities, which live under one collective identity.
In the light of the diverse ethnicities, and more so in the face of globalisation, it is all too easy to fall into the mindset of identifying oneself in accordance to his/her ethnicity as the main form of identification. To quote George (2000), ethnicity is, to most, a precious source, providing them with identity, culture and self-respect.
References:
Castells, Manuel, 2004, The Power of Identity, 2nd Ed, Blackwell.
George, Cherian, 2000, “Neglected Nationhood:Singapore Without Singaporeans?” in Singapore, the Air-conditioned Nation, Landmark Books.
“Progress of Malay Community”, data retrieved from http://www.mcys.gov.sg/MCDSFiles/download/ProgressofMalayCommunity.pdf, on 05/10/2008.
Source: thatjayman.wordpress.com
