Mahathir Wants A Malaysian Society Without Racial Attitude

Additional Reporting By Kazi Mahmood, IOL South Asia Correspondent

Kuala Lumpur, August 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad called for pro-active efforts to foster ties among university students of various races to form an adult Malaysian society without racial attitude, Bernama News Agency said Tuesday, August 13.

Malaysia is facing growing racial problems, which is obvious with various reports of non-integration of the youth of different races in the country. Religion amongst others, is one major obstacle to total integration, sources said.

There are also claims that at University level, racism is more than obvious with students of specific ethnic and racial groups refusing to be friends with those of different groups.

"Though there is no racial disintegration as such, there are obvious examples of a lack of understanding among the different racial groups," a university employee told IslamOnline.

The Prime Minister proposed that every university set up inter-racial clubs to conduct activities like social and sports activities, educational outings within and outside the country and picnics.

They could also conduct courses on the customs, taboos and sensitivities of the respective races.

"It is very sad that Malaysians sometimes do not know how to appreciate the religion and the race of the different components of the Malaysian society. This should change in order to bring stronger social ties among the various races," an editorial in a local Chinese newspaper said.

The editorialist also said the common complaints among Chinese and Indian youth were that Malay youths did not want to mix around with them for various reasons. IslamOnline came to understand that the Malay-Muslims preferred to mix with Malays in general.

A student at a local University, Ali Reduan said as a Malay he found it easier to go out with Malay friends since they shared common goals.

He added that religion was also a major factor. "Malays would not want to argue with non-Muslims over the credibility of such and such religion." he said, adding that this was a major stumbling block that would not easy to remove in the future.

Mahathir also said participants must work deliberately and consciously to avoid disputes and quarrels, especially over racial differences.

"The government will give incentives and prizes to clubs that succeed in getting members of all races and also in coming out with ways to further foster ties among them," he said when launching University Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

"The university students are now keeping to their own races, they don't live together in the same dormitory or room.

"They sit apart in the lecture theatres, in the playing fields, and during co-curricular activities.

"This is an unhealthy situation and is dangerous to the country's future.

The reality is that when they leave the university to work, they will meet a multiracial society that is different from the society in the university," Mahathir said.

IslamOnline was also told that racial differences existed even at office level. Many Malaysians preferred to be friends with their own race. The racial division is that deep in certain circumstances that Malays and Indian Muslims sometimes do not see eye to eye at the work place.

This is also the case among Indians of other faith, IslamOnline was told by a high ranking officer of a government agency based in Jalan Tungku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur.

Talking on the Utar, Mahathir said that although this was a private university, that is, an educational institution that normally does not have many bumiputera (Malay) students, efforts must be made to attract as many bumiputera students as possible.

Utar, the brain child of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), the largest Chinese political party in Malaysia, is building its campus next to the Tunku Abdul Rahman College in Setapak. It is scheduled for completion by the middle of next year.

The complex, which is reported to cost between RM500 million and RM1 billion (US1=RM3.80), will have, among others, a seven-storey building, four lecture halls, 16 lecture rooms, a library and a resource center and information technology laboratory.

Earlier this year, racial riots broke out in Malaysia, raising the spectre of a lack of understanding among the various races in the country. Malaysia is composed of Malays, which form a majority of the 27 million population.

The Chinese are the second largest community, followed by the Indians and indigenous populations in Sabah and Sarawak.