Malaysia's population 25.7 miliion consists for 50.4% of Malays, 23.6% of ethnic Chinese, 11% of indigeneous people and 7.1% of ethnic Indians. This last group has always been relegated to the fringes of Malay society squeezed beteen the economically powerful Chinese and politically powerful Malays. A lack of confidence and cohesion among the ethnic Indian Malays did not contribute to any improvement of their position. A new found self-confidence among this group, however, is emerging and Malaysia's political landscape may change because of it.
The Malaysian Indians never suffered the fate of the Malaysian Chinese who, until as late as 1969, were still the victim of anti-Chinese pogroms by ethnic Malays. In 2008, a prominent UMNO party member labeled his Chinese compatriots as "mere squatters" in Malaysia and were not deserving of equal rights.
Due to their low position in Malaysian society, Malaysian Indians did not suffer from the jealousy the often richer ethnic Chinese evoked in the ethnic Malays. Their numbers were and are also much smaller than those of the ethnic Chinese.
But since the start of the 21st century and the unstoppable rise of India on the global stage, Malaysian Indians are feeling increasingly self-confident. The growing power of the ancestral homeland reflects also on of ethnic Indian origin who live outside India and are citizens of other countries. Ethnic Indians around the world feel emboldend by India's rising power and influence. In Malaysia this means that they increasingly refuse to accept their lower status in Malaysian society and are claiming their constitutional rights.
The Malaysian political establishment is also aware that treating their ethnic Indian population badly and withholding their rights will put strain on the relationship with India.
The rise of China strenghtened the position of the ethnic Chinese population in Southeast Asia. Where in the past politically instigated pogroms against the ethnic Chinese happened from time to time, now political leaders in all Southeast Asian countries will think twice before allowing something like this to happen again as it will certainly cause mainland China to react with sanctions and a withdrawal of much coveted Chinese investments.
Due to India's rise, ethnic Indians in Malaysia will have trump card of sorts in their sleeves. The Malaysian political establishment will need to adhere to their demands to an improvement of their situation in order not to upset India itself. This will mean a further erosion of the political power of ethnic Malays who only form a tiny majority in Malaysia. A combined movement of ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indians can force the ethnic Malay political powers to finally officially abandon their promotion of Ketuanan Melayu or Malay supremacy and accept that Malaysia is a multi racial society.
Such a change will not be a smooth one but how to organize and establish such a society could be learned from neighbour Singapore where the ethnic Chinese majority has gone to great lengths to ensure all religions and ethnicities equal rights and opportunities.
This article appeared earlier on www.businesstrendsasia.com
