Non Malay PM?

By Syed Akbar Ali

First a report from The Star

Sunday November 9,2008 MYT 5:34:00 PM

Non-Chinese PM for Singapore?

SINGAPORE: The predominantly Chinese republic here may have a non-Chinese prime minister one day but that is unlikely to happen any time soon, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday, four days after Americans elected their first black president. Lee said race was still a factor that determines voters’ preferences here, although he noted that attitudes have shifted.

He was replying to a question from Association of Muslim Professionals board member Yang Razali Kassim at a dialogue with 350 Malay grassroots and community leaders at the Grassroots Club. Yang Razali asked if, in the light of Barack Obama’s win, Singapore was ready for a prime minister of a minority race, and specifically from the Malay-Muslim community.

Lee said in reply: “It’s possible. It depends on how people vote, on who has the confidence of the population.” “Will it happen soon? I don’t think so, because you have to win votes. And these sentiments -- who votes for whom, and what makes him identify with that person -- these are sentiments which will not disappear completely for a long time, even if people do not talk about it, even if people wish they did not feel it.”

However, he also acknowledged that attitudes towards race have shifted in the last two to three decades. “Attitudes have shifted because English provides more of a common ground, because the new generation is better educated and they can see that there are successful people of all races,” he said.

“But to reach a position where everybody is totally race-blind and religion-blind, I think that’s very difficult. You will not find it in any country in the world.” Grassroots volunteer Muhammad Nabil Noor Mohamed, 20, said Lee’s assessment is realistic, but he also believes that people of his generation can see beyond race and religion “to assess a leader on his ability and his merit.”

Last year, a survey of 1,824 Singaporeans’ views on inter-racial ties by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies found that 94% of Chinese polled said they would not mind an Indian as prime minister, and 91% said they would not mind a Malay in the top post.

Lee prefaced his remarks on Singapore by noting that Obama’s election victory marked a “historic change” for America. But the win did not mean race was no longer an issue there, he said. He pointed out that after 20 years of Bush and Clinton presidencies, Americans wanted a change.

“People were tired, they wanted something different, and Mr Obama represented something different,” he said. “He was an effective, charismatic candidate and able to mobilise young people and enthuse them, inspire them.” Obama won 52% of the popular vote against opponent John McCain’s 46%, but a closer look at how ethnic groups voted showed that race remained a factor, Lee said. Just 43% of whites voted for Obama, compared with 60-65% of Latinos and Asians and 95% of blacks. “To say that’s socio-economic, nothing to do with race, I don’t think so,” Lee said.

Well I agree with Mr Lee Jr. But first let me talk about my experience with American redneck, hicksville type racism. A hick is a backwoods, uneducated country hick. A redneck refers to a rough labourer or farmhand - again someone who is not cultured or educated. Not that there is much culture in America in the first place.

You have not seen blatant racism untill you are in the United States. It is a really prejudiced, brain dead type of racism. I went to University in the United States from 1982 to 1986. I studied in Indiana for three years and then moved to the University of Oklahoma for my final year. Indiana was an ok place. The white folks were usually a very friendly lot. I would run into the odd racist at the gas station, in class and maybe at the mall. Nothing serious. But I had plenty of white friends and used to get invited for dinner at their homes. I used to hang out with white people. They are just normal people like any of us.

In September 1985 I got married in Kuala Lumpur. Then in January 1986, my wife and I returned to the US to continue our studies in Oklahoma. The tuition fees were much cheaper than in Indiana. But from the day we arrived in Oklahoma I noticed something very obvious. The white people there were all crazy racists, almost to a man. We went apartment hunting. This white guy showed us some apartments without speaking a word or answering any of my questions.

On two occasions, when I was coming back from class, white people threw empty beer cans in my direction. The neighbourhood kids would make racist remarks. In class, many of the professors were blatant racists. In economics class one professor veered from the topic and started arguing that slavery actually cost the Southern planters more money! If you went to a restaurant the white folks would stare at you like jakuns (lower case 'j' ok).

My wife first attended a 2 year community college which was run by a Church. It was predominantly white. There were black students there who had been kept back for up to three years because they kept failing in things like Speech class, music class (African Americans failing music!) and so on which were graded subjectively by white teachers. I thought this was odd. This was the American south. Hicksville and redneck town rolled into one. This was in the 1980s. Looking at Obama's losses in most of the redneck States, I think this racism has not changed.

But there was a major positive side to my stay in Oklahoma. When I transferred to the University of Oklahoma I had 58 credits left to earn my degree - about 19 courses to complete. Normally it would take four semesters (2 years) to complete 58 credits of coursework. But I disliked Oklahoma so much (plus I did not want my wife to be exposed to any unnecessary risk) I completed the 58 credits in 10 months. I did this by taking extra heavy workloads and also 'testing out' of some courses. This means instead of taking the course, you read the textbook and take a test. If you pass the test with a certain grade, then you are exempted from taking the full course. It was an extremely busy 10 months for me. The heavy work load meant my grades were none too great but I did complete the 58 credits.

I recall that after I took my tests I had to go to the Student Affair's office to update them (I would NOT be signing up for any more classes the next semester) as I had completed all my requirements and would be graduating 'early'. The obviously racist white guy at the Registry started yelling at me and said it was impossible for anyone to complete 58 credits in one year. But that is exactly what I had done.

I went to see the Foreign Students Advisor (a Mexican woman) as well as one faculty advisor (who was also white but ok) and complained to them about the guy at Student Affairs. This seemed to do the trick and everything went well after that - or so I thought. I even took a risk and without waiting for the results of a last test (I was confident I would pass) my wife and I flew home in December 1986. A couple of weeks later a Malaysian friend posted the results of my last test - which I had passed.

Then to my horror, soon after that, I received a letter in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur from Student Affairs at the University of Oklahoma, saying that I 'could not be graduated' because I had not completed one course. I wrote back to them , citing the test results which I already had with me and told them to update their records and to please mail to me my degree asap. I received my degree in the mail some time after that. I like to think that till this day I am among few students at the U of Oklahoma who completed 58 credits worth of coursework in just 10 months.

That was my personal experience with American style racism. We also suffer racism and prejudice here in Malaysia but it is not of the blatant and potentially violent type they have in America. The white people are ready to kill you if they do not like your colour. Here if Chan is racist, Tan could be your brother in law, if Shafie is racist, Faisal could be your lifelong friend, if Kumar is racist, Ravi could be your business partner.

Only the inept, unintelligent, lack of knowledge, not enough learning, and bankrupt of ideas politicians make a fuss about race, but really at the ground level, Malaysians are relaxed.

The majority of American voters are still white. So the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency is a good sign that the whites in America have learnt to look beyond race and colour. Only 43% of whites voted for Obama but since their absolute numbers are still very large, the white vote is significant.

About electing a minority person as leader - I think the same will go for Singapore. And eventually the same will apply in Malaysia. People will look beyond race and colour if they think that the candidate will protect and provide for them.

A lawyer friend told me that after Obama won the Presidency, Mr Lim Kit Siang stated in Parliament that some sort of congratulations should be recorded about Obama's achievement in being the first African American to be elected President of the United States. Mr Lim then wondered aloud when a Chinese, an Indian, a Kadazan or Iban would become the Prime Minister of Malaysia. One UMNO/BN backbencher retorted that it was no big deal because Malaysia already had a Prime Minister who was Indian. He was obviously referring to Tun Dr Mahathir's Indian father.

Personally I have the greatest confidence that a Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or anyone can be elected as Prime Minister of Malaysia - and maybe in the not too distant future. But such an individual must be seen as the protector and provider for all Malaysians - each according to his needs.

I am chosing my words very carefully here because the Penan's needs are very different from mine or yours. The needs of the Chinese are different from the Sulus or the poor Indians in the estates. The needs of the Malays, the Sabah and Sarawak bumiputras and the poor Indians are similar but not exactly the same. So we need a juggler as the Prime Minister. A smart, kind hearted, technically capable juggler who can deliver what the various people of this country need - for them to achieve wealth and happiness.

In the US, Obama is seen as someone will be the protector and provider for all Americans. He is expected to be able to juggle the needs of many.

The appearance of a Juggler like this is NOT dependent on other people. If we have many such persons it is good but we need just one person. It depends on the individual. Do we have such persons in this country? Are you such a person? What about your children?