Is the Malay community in Singapore marginalized?<\/p>\n
By Goh Chok Tong<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE: I want to use this occasion to focus on your
\nachievements in the last 10 years.<\/p>\n
In the last century, we were one of the few new countries that
\nmade solid progress. One major reason for our success was because
\nevery community in Singapore progressed, not just an anointed
\nfew.<\/p>\n
Without this shared progress and prosperity, it would have
\nbeen difficult to maintain harmony among the different races. And
\nwithout racial harmony, we would not have had stability and
\nachieved so much in so short a time.<\/p>\n
Thus, when some people in Singapore and outside alleged that
\nthe Malay community in Singapore was \"marginalized\", I asked for
\na study to see if this was so.<\/p>\n
In particular, Lily Zubaidah Rahim's book, The Singapore
\nDilemma -- The Political And Educational Marginality Of The Malay
\nCommunity, provided the excuse for Malaysian media interest in
\nthe fate of Malay Singaporeans.<\/p>\n
I say \"excuse\" because it struck me as odd that the Malaysian
\nmedia should discuss the book only now, when it was published in
\n1998.<\/p>\n
Be that as it may, I welcome an open, rational and
\nconstructive debate on the question: Is the Malay community in
\nSingapore marginalized?<\/p>\n
The answer lies in whether the Malay community has made
\nsignificant progress over the years. If the Malay community has
\nkept up progress with the other communities, it cannot be said to
\nbe marginalized.<\/p>\n
It is marginalized only if it is stuck in a stagnant pool, and
\nthe lives of those in the community have not improved while
\nothers' have. And if the Malay community is indeed marginalized,
\nthen I and the People's Action Party government should be
\nindicted for failing to discharge our responsibility to an
\nimportant pillar of Singapore's multi-racial society.<\/p>\n
My officials have prepared a paper on the progress made by the
\nMalay community in education, occupation, income and quality of
\nlife.<\/p>\n
I will highlight some of the findings, and leave the paper
\nwith you to analyze and draw your own conclusions.<\/p>\n
First, in the area of education, the Malays have attained a
\nhigh level of literacy. In fact, the achievements in literacy
\nsurpass the national average.<\/p>\n
The Malay community has improved its educational profile. Half
\nof its non-students aged 15 years and over last year had attained
\nsecondary and higher qualifications, compared with just over one-
\nthird in 1990.<\/p>\n
Of the Malay students who take PSLE, more now qualify for
\nadmission to secondary school. In 1990, 74 per cent were eligible
\nto enter secondary school. In 1999, 91 per cent qualified. The
\ncorresponding national averages were 88 per cent in 1990 and 96
\nper cent in 1999.<\/p>\n
The gap between the Malay community and the national average
\nhas thus narrowed -- from 14 percentage points to 5 percentage
\npoints in just 10 years.<\/p>\n
More Malays in each cohort now complete secondary school. In
\n1990, 61 per cent of a Malay Primary 1 cohort completed secondary
\nschool.<\/p>\n
By 1999, 88 per cent did. The corresponding national averages
\nwere 80 per cent in 1990 and 93 per cent in 1999. The gap has
\nnarrowed from 19 percentage points in 1990 to 5 percentage points
\nin 1999.<\/p>\n
The improved secondary-school-completion rate has been
\naccompanied by increased admission into university and
\npolytechnic.<\/p>\n
The percentage of a Malay Primary 1 cohort entering university
\nand polytechnic has more than doubled from 13 per cent in 1990 to
\n28 per cent in 1999. The percentage entering university has
\nincreased by almost 1.5 times, from 2.9 per cent to 4.2 per cent.
\nThe total number of Malay university graduates has increased by
\nmore than 3.5 times.<\/p>\n
In particular, there were significant increases in the number
\nof Malay graduates in the fields of engineering, medicine,
\ndentistry and information technology.<\/p>\n
But here, while there has been good improvement, the gap
\nbetween the Malay community and the national average in admission
\nto tertiary education is widening.<\/p>\n
This is one area you want to focus some attention on.
\nAdmission into university and polytechnic is limited to the cream
\nof the cohort, and on the basis of merit.<\/p>\n
The Malay community has made significant improvements in the
\nnumber of passes at primary, secondary and post-secondary levels.<\/p>\n
However, in order to compete successfully for places in
\nuniversities and polytechnics, you need to improve the quality of
\nsuch passes. In particular, you must do well in the subjects that
\nhave most application and relevance for university and
\npolytechnic education. I refer in particular to English, and
\nmathematics and science subjects.<\/p>\n
Let us now turn to the economic arena.<\/p>\n
The proportion of Malay Singaporeans holding higher-level and
\nskilled jobs has increased over the years. In 1990, only 12 per
\ncent of Malays were holding administrative and managerial, and
\nprofessional, technical and related jobs.<\/p>\n
By last year, 23 per cent did. There were significantly more
\nMalay professionals such as accountants, engineers, doctors and
\nlawyers. Correspondingly, the proportion of Malay workers holding
\nblue-collar jobs has declined from 57 per cent in 1990 to 41 per
\ncent last year.<\/p>\n
The median monthly income of resident Malay workers rose from
\n$954 in 1990 to $1,790 last year.<\/p>\n
The median resident Malay household income has also risen,
\nfrom $1,880 to $2,708.<\/p>\n
The median CPF account balance of working Malays has more than
\ndoubled over the last 10 years, from $32,800 in 1990 to $79,700
\nas at the end of last November. The respective CPF figures for
\nall Singaporeans are $34,200 and $85,100.<\/p>\n
Malay Singaporeans have also seen considerable improvements to
\ntheir quality of life.<\/p>\n
More Malay households have upgraded to better housing. In
\n1990, 41 per cent lived in HDB four-room or larger flats and
\nprivate housing. By last year, 65 per cent did.<\/p>\n
The vast majority of Malay households own the houses they live
\nin. Malay households, which already enjoyed a high level of home
\nownership in 1990 (92 per cent), registered further improvement
\nto 94 per cent last year.<\/p>\n
In 1998, 16 per cent of Malay households owned cars, up from
\n13 per cent in 1990; 28 per cent owned air-conditioners, up from
\n8 per cent; 40 per cent owned mobile phones, up from 1 per cent;
\n37 per cent owned personal computers, up from 8 per cent; and 61
\nper cent owned laser-disc or VCD players, up from 12 per cent.<\/p>\n
I hope the ownership rate of computers will catch up with that
\nfor laser-disc and VCD players in the next few years.<\/p>\n
In 1990, 3,522 Muslims from Singapore went on the haj. This
\nnumber has gone up steadily, to 4,413 last year. Since 1990,
\neight new mosques have been developed in Singapore, and another
\n11 old mosques upgraded, resulting in an increase of about 29,700
\nprayer spaces.<\/p>\n
Another way of seeing whether Singapore Malays are
\nmarginalized is to compare their education and economic profile
\nwith Malays in Malaysia. If their profile is the same or better,
\nthen they cannot be said to be marginalized. Because nobody would
\nsay that the Malaysian Malays are marginalized.<\/p>\n
Compared to Malays in Malaysia, Singapore Malays have done
\nwell educationally. Last year, 25 per cent of the Singapore
\nresident Malay workforce had upper-secondary or higher
\nqualifications.<\/p>\n
In 1998, which was the latest Malaysian statistics available,
\nthe equivalent figure for Malaysian Malays was 14 per cent. The
\nproportion of Singapore Malays who enter the tertiary level of
\neducation is also comparable to that of Malaysians, that is,
\nMalaysian Malays, Malaysian Chinese and Malaysians of other races
\nconsidered as a group.<\/p>\n
The occupational distribution of Singapore Malays also
\ncompares favorably with that of Malaysian Malays. Last year, 23
\nper cent of the Singapore resident Malay workforce were holding
\nadministrative and managerial, and professional, technical and
\nrelated positions.<\/p>\n
In 1998, the equivalent figure for Malaysian Malays was 16 per
\ncent.<\/p>\n
In terms of possession of consumer durables, Singaporean Malay
\nhouseholds also compare favorably with Malaysian bumiputras.<\/p>\n
There are, of course, areas where the Malaysian Malays have
\ndone better than Singapore Malays. For example, there are
\nproportionately more doctors and lawyers among them.<\/p>\n
Also, although we do not have the data, it is obvious that
\nthey have more millionaires and more Malays holding top positions
\nin the public and private sectors. But overall, our Singapore
\nMalays fare well when compared with the Malaysian Malays.<\/p>\n
You can be proud of what you have accomplished. It is counter-
\nproductive to imagine yourself marginalized when you have made
\nreal gains, and can achieve more. It is, in fact, dangerous for
\nyour community, as it will result in a self-fulfilling prophecy.<\/p>\n
Malay Singaporeans live in a multi-racial, multi-religious
\nsociety. When they make an effort to widen the common ground with
\nthe other communities, they will maximize the opportunities and
\nprospects for themselves.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, if they choose to emphasize their
\nseparateness and reduce the common area, the other communities
\nwill instinctively keep their distance.<\/p>\n
This will mean, in extremes, 400,000 Malays fending for
\nthemselves, for example, in educating their own children and in
\ncreating jobs for them.<\/p>\n
Put in another way, you can choose to fish in the ocean or you
\ncan decide to fish in a pond. If you choose the latter, you are
\nnot likely to catch fish as big or as many fishes as those who
\nfish in the ocean.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, my understanding is that our Malays want to be an
\nintegral part of the larger Singapore 'family'.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, I believe that you now need to pay attention
\nalso to improving the quality of achievements.
\nIn the past, we used to focus on \"Sports for All\", to improve the
\nhealth and fitness of the general population.<\/p>\n
But such a broad-based effort would not produce medal-winning
\nperformances. If we want to succeed in international
\ncompetitions, we must identify and nurture a smaller group of
\ntalented and dedicated sportsmen and sportswomen.<\/p>\n
\"Sports Excellence\" is the program we have now put in place to
\nprovide our particularly-talented sportsmen and sportswomen with
\nthe additional training and support to groom them to be
\ninternationally competitive.<\/p>\n
Likewise, you have made tremendous progress in uplifting the
\ngeneral Malay community, in education, occupation, income and
\nquality of life.<\/p>\n
But in the next phase of development, if you want to produce
\nmany more outstanding individuals of Singapore society, and not
\nmerely of the Malay community, you should put in place a focused
\nprogram which seeks to improve the quality of achievements.<\/p>\n
If you want a higher proportion of Malays to gain admission to
\npolytechnics and universities, the community must secure better
\npasses in core subjects. It would not be sufficient to merely
\nhave a higher proportion of passes at the O or A levels.<\/p>\n
In this context, the Malay MPs have sought my support for a
\nprogram to identify and develop top talents within the community.<\/p>\n
I support generally this new thrust, but I would like it
\nbroadened to one of pushing for excellence in all areas, from
\neducation to occupation.<\/p>\n
I am honored that you feel that my contributions to the Malay
\ncommunity and to Singapore are worthy of a special tribute, when
\nyou have already paid me one with your significant progress and
\ncontributions to Singapore.<\/p>\n
The next time we get together, I hope to hear from you how
\nmuch more progress you have made, as a community, and in your
\ncontributions to a more integrated, multi-racial, multi-religious
\nSingapore. That would be a tribute I would welcome.<\/p>\n
The above is based on Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's speech to
\nMalay community leaders on Sunday.<\/p>\n
-- The Straits Times<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/is-the-malay-community-in-singapore-marginalized-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }