Ketuanan Melayu: A Story of the Thinking Norm of the Malay Political Elite

AB Sulaiman was born in a remote jungle-fringe traditional Malay village named Kampong Selayang. Today the tree-studded kampong is tucked virtually under a three-tier major crossroads linking roads from north to south, east and west of peninsula Malaysia. When viewed from the air it is a virtual island surrounded by modern suburban residences, bustling commercial centres and high rise condominiums.

He does not fail to see the contrast. He sees this as a metaphor revealing the ugly truth that the community appears besieged by the demands and advances of modernity. It fits well with the axiom you can take a Malay out of his kampong, but you can’t take the kampong out of the Malay. This observation matters a lot to him for this conservative arm of the Malay community is holding the reins of government, thus raising the question of whether or not it is technically competent and equipped to lead the country into the future. It is on this note that he writes this book.