5 Men & 5 Ideas: Building National Identity

On Dato' Onn Ja'afar and Tunku Abdul Rahman
"Onn established the principle that the essential character of the nation must be Malay...while the Tunku convinced the Malays that their identity would not be diminished by their acceptance of multiracial society."

On Racial Polarization
"Our universities are now not known for the quality of education they provide, but as showcases of some of the wors expressions of racial polarization in our midst...They have failed to fulfil their first and basic function, which is citizenship building."

On the Generation Gap
"Sixty percent of Malaysians are 30 years old and below. Most of them are not able to relate to the nation building struggles experienced by an earlier generation. With every passing year, this inter-generational divide grows wider. This disconnect in the collective memory means people tend to differ more and more in their appreciation of common history and in their understanding of what being Malaysian means."

On Malay Unity
"What is the relevance of Bangsa, Agama and Negara today? If at one time it connoted unity of the Malay mind and spirit, today it suggests the very opposite, the absence of such unity. Indeed, the biggest issue in political discourse today is not about how Malays relate to non-Malays, but how Malays relate to one another."

On National Culture
"Most non-Malays do not contest the view that national culture is based on Malay culture. Neither do they feel diminished by it. Acceptance of this position has not prevented them from practising their own cultures. This freedom to live and practise one's culture remains one of the outstanding features of Malaysian plural society."

On Affirmative Action
"The NEP's affirmative action programme has a beginning but no ending. SOme think this is smart politics, because it does not impose a shelf life on affirmative action. But this attitude is self-deceiving and ultimately self-defeating because it removes the incentive to become self-reliant. It is a recipe that will create permanent dependency and breed a crippled race."