Discrimination in Malaysia
25 July 2003

This article was published in Malaysiakini as 'Discrimination from "national unity" Ministry' (Monday, July 28, 2003)

In a country struggling to heal its racial and religious divide, Datuk Dr. Siti Zaharah's statement concerning the increase in the population of effeminate male students in the local universities, is very disturbing indeed. As the Minister for National Unity and Social Development, she has gone against the principles of her own Ministry and the Government in general.

While the majority of Malaysians are working hard to discard their differences and build upon their similarities, statement such as this tend to slow down this process. Highlighting the differences of each individual and segregating them based on their physical appearance and behaviour is part of a wider spectrum of discrimination, which consists of other variables such as race, religion, gender, sexuality and social class. A country on the verge of being a developed nation should have abandoned this archaic mentality long ago.

Due to the history of our nation itself, perhaps it is not surprising to observe that discrimination is still a prominent feature in our society. In the years before Independence, the British practiced a "Divide and Rule" policy in Malaya. However, after Independence, communal politics began to take over. Although we have been governed by a coalition of ethnic based political parties for more than four decades, most of us still maintain a certain degree of discriminatory view towards one another.

We should not turn a blind eye to this fact. On the contrary, we should accept that discrimination occurs at all levels of our society. Being truthful to ourselves will help us come to terms with our own prejudices and allow us to concentrate on building our society based on shared values.

Fortunately, with the increase in Internet access by Malaysians yearly, more people are joining open discussions in chat rooms, bulletin boards and forums. By sharing opinions and suggestions, people from various cultures will be able to learn more about others and more importantly about their own faults.
The task of national integration is undoubtedly going to be difficult and long. But judging by the participation of people on the Internet, we are at least moving towards the right direction.

Therefore I view with trepidation, Datuk Dr. Siti Zaharah's conclusion that "the country may have to face serious social implications in the future unless something is done to counter the gender disparity in institutions of higher learning" (as reported in The Star on Saturday 12 July, 2003). She also suggested that the emergence of effeminate males in our institutions of higher learning is caused by the increase in the number of female students compared to male.

Just when we thought the Government has finally realized that meritocracy should be the basis of admission into universities, the Minister introduced another possible stumbling block for young Malaysians seeking better education.

So now, in addition to filling up our gender, age, race and religion in the university admission forms, we might have to add another column for Physical Behaviour, to help the authorities correct the imbalance between masculine male and effeminate male students.

The main aim of institutions of higher learning is to produce knowledgeable graduates capable of contributing to the nation in various fields. We should not judge this capability based on any criteria other than meritocracy. Education is not a privilege, but a right of every citizen irrespective of age, gender, race, religion, social class and physical behaviour.

Recently, the Government plans to make Malaysia the centre of educational excellence in this region. Instead of concerning themselves with issues of gender imbalance and selective behavioural discrimination, they should shift their attention to other more pressing problems.

Are we addressing the problem of imbalance between the number of seats for science courses and art courses? Is the Education Ministry looking into the problem of imbalance between high quality graduates and graduates who barely manage to scrape through the grades? What about the difference between students who manage to get places in universities based solely on their merits and those that get in merely because of privilege and circumstance?

Everyone who has the interest and the ability to continue their education should be given a chance to further their studies. Discrimination will only help to exterminate the will power of hard working Malaysians to contribute to the development of the nation.

PELITA NEGARA

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