From UEC to MM2H, Razman sees 'Malay dominance' under siege
Ili Aqilah, N Faizal Ghazali & Seth Akmal
Published: Nov 8, 2024 11:31 AM
Perak PAS chief Razman Zakaria fears that “Malay dominance” of the country is under threat.
In an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini, Razman claimed the push to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) and Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme are efforts that could enable non-Malay communities to gain undue dominance in the country.
On the MM2H programme to attract long-term foreign residents, Razman expressed fears that it could result in significant policy changes.
“For instance, if locals express a need for 1,000 homes but 2,000 are built, leading to unsold properties, this may necessitate opening sales to outsiders through the MM2H initiative.
“Who purchases these houses? Among all residents, who qualifies as locals? This poses a genuine threat to our country, which is why we must be vigilant. The next step may be a change in policy,” he said.
One policy Razman appeared to especially be concerned about is education.
He said while there is flexibility in educational pathways - such as Malays enrolling in religious schools instead of public institutions - those wishing to work in government roles must first pass the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination.
“To pass SPM, one must pass History and Bahasa Malaysia, proving they can speak Malay and understand the country's history,” Razman mentioned.
He then cited stereotypes against the Chinese as an example, where some in the community mispronounce phrases like “sila duduk” (please sit) as “sila luluk” and “jangan terburu-buru” (don’t be hasty) as “jangan terbulu-bulu.”
“These individuals complete their education (then) go to Taiwan. What saddens us is that they navigate a different system (UEC) yet expect us to recognise and accept their qualifications,” he added.
“That is why, in my opinion, they are trying to portray that Malaysia belongs to non-Malay and not Malay dominance,” he claimed.
In comparison, Razman remarked that people like MCA president Wee Ka Siong and DAP leader Nga Kor Ming speak in Malay fluently due to their education in mainstream schools.
Last year, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek stated that there are no plans to recognise the UEC - which is the Chinese independent high school examination equivalent to SPM - citing its inconsistency with the national education policy and the provisions of the Education Act 1996.
READ MORE | KINIGUIDE: UEC: Are the criticism justified
Regardless, Razman warned that if the country's leadership were to fall into the hands of “minorities”, then the education system could suffer.
He claimed that minorities might even restrict the teaching of Jawi, or even the Quran and hadith.
Hence, in the Perak PAS chief’s view, for lasting peace, the country should remain under majority leadership, asserting that a minority-led nation would struggle to achieve harmony.
“In Perak for example, there are 29 percent non-Malay voters. This means out of 100 people, 71 are Malay and the remaining are 29 (non-Malay).
“If the 29 decided the policy for the 71 people, can we achieve peace? That’s the question.
“That is why we said the 71 people must rule the country; that is why we want to raise awareness about the importance of political power.
“When political power is absent, they can enact laws and govern at their discretion. We do not seek to be racist, but it is essential to voice these concerns among the Malays,” he explained.
‘PN will win Perak’
On a separate matter, Razman said he was optimistic that the Perikatan Nasional coalition would win Perak in the next polls.
The Perak opposition leader noted that PN holds 26 state seats and needs just four more to form a government.
“Perak has 59 seats, and to form a state government, we need 30. Now we have 26.
“We will defend our seats… InsyaAllah… and raise awareness that leads us to govern the state, ensuring we manage it well. I am confident in this outcome,” he concluded.
In the last general election, no single coalition won enough seats in Perak to form the state government.
Pakatan Harapan won 24 state seats, while BN won nine.
The two then joined forces to form the state administration, with Saarani Mohamad reappointed as menteri besar.
He claimed that minorities might even restrict the teaching of Jawi, or even the Quran and hadith.
Hence, in the Perak PAS chief’s view, for lasting peace, the country should remain under majority leadership, asserting that a minority-led nation would struggle to achieve harmony.
“In Perak for example, there are 29 percent non-Malay voters. This means out of 100 people, 71 are Malay and the remaining are 29 (non-Malay).
“If the 29 decided the policy for the 71 people, can we achieve peace? That’s the question.
“That is why we said the 71 people must rule the country; that is why we want to raise awareness about the importance of political power.
“When political power is absent, they can enact laws and govern at their discretion. We do not seek to be racist, but it is essential to voice these concerns among the Malays,” he explained.
‘PN will win Perak’
On a separate matter, Razman said he was optimistic that the Perikatan Nasional coalition would win Perak in the next polls.
The Perak opposition leader noted that PN holds 26 state seats and needs just four more to form a government.
“Perak has 59 seats, and to form a state government, we need 30. Now we have 26.
“We will defend our seats… InsyaAllah… and raise awareness that leads us to govern the state, ensuring we manage it well. I am confident in this outcome,” he concluded.
In the last general election, no single coalition won enough seats in Perak to form the state government.
Pakatan Harapan won 24 state seats, while BN won nine.
The two then joined forces to form the state administration, with Saarani Mohamad reappointed as menteri besar.
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