This reminded me of one of LKY's comments regarding the problems Singapore would have under a Malay-controlled regime. In this respect, I agree with LKY that we are better off than our minority brothers in Malaysia, many of whom even after staying 40 years and more in Malaysia are still without the blue IC.:(
Lee Kuan Yew – Malaysia could have enjoyed Singapore’s multi-racial system if not for the break up
September 14, 2010
Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore commented on the racial relations of Malaysia saying that if Singapore and Malaysia did not part ways back in 1965, the latter would have enjoyed the type of nationalism and multi-racism culture that are practiced by Singapore. He was speaking at an interview with the New York Times recently where he mentioned that it was being ‘turfed out’ of Malaysia which formed the first regret of his career that span many decades.
In a transcript of the interview which was not published in the magazine, he said “I think if the Tunku had kept us together, what we did in Singapore, had Malaysia accepted a multiracial base for their society, much of what we’ve achieved in Singapore would be achieved in Malaysia. Now we have a very polarised Malaysia — Malays, Chinese and Indians in separate schools, living separate lives and not really getting on with one another. You read them. That’s bad for us as close neighbours. We made quite sure whatever your race, language or religion, you are an equal citizen and we’ll drum that into the people and I think our Chinese understand and today we have an integrated society. We will not as a majority squeeze the minority because once we’re by ourselves, the Chinese become the majority. Using racial politics was the “easy way”, claiming that if he had used this method in Singapore to gain the majority vote, its society would eventually be destroyed. Because if you play it that way, if you have dissension, if you chose the easy way to Muslim votes and switch to racial politics, this society is finished. The easiest way to get majority vote is — vote for me, we’re Chinese, they’re Indians, they’re Malays. Our society will be ripped apart. If you do not have a cohesive society, you cannot make progress,”
He also said “The regret is there’s such a narrow base to build this enormous edifice so I’ve got to tell the next generation, please do not take for granted what’s been built. If you forget that this is a small island which we are built upon, and reach a 100-storey high tower block and may go up to 150 (storeys) if you are wise. But if you believe that it’s permanent, it will come tumbling down and you will never get a second chance. I believe they (the youth) have come to believe that this (racial harmony) is a natural state of affairs, and they can take liberties with it. I know this is never so. We (Singapore government) have crafted a set of very intricate rules — no housing blocks shall have more than a percentage of so many Chinese, Indians, Malays. All are thoroughly mixed. Your neighbours are Indians, Malays, you go to the same shopping malls, the same schools, same playing fields, you go up and down the same lifts — we cannot allow segregation. We’ve got here, we’ve become cohesive, keep it that way. We’ve not used Chinese as a majority language because it will split the population. If you want to keep your Malay, or your Chinese, or your Tamil, Urdu or whatever, do that as a second language, not equal to your first language. It is up to you, how high a standard you want to achieve,”
“Malaysia took the different line; Malaysians saw it as a Malay country, all others are lodgers, ‘orang tumpangan’, and they the Bumiputeras, sons of the soil, run the show. So the Sultans, the Chief Justice and judges, generals, police commissioner, the whole hierarchy is Malay,”
http://malaysiatoday.com/2010/09/lee-kuan-yew-%E2%80%93-malaysia-could-have-enjoyed-singapore%E2%80%99s-multi-racial-system-if-not-for-the-break-up/
