DEFENCE Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in Parliament that the reason Chinese and Indians made up only a tiny proportion of army recruits was because their "patriotism spirit is not high enough". This is a narrow view of patriotism and is misleading. Dr Lim Teck Ghee (Letters, Nov 12) suggested that the government should engage independent researchers to find out the truth why non-Malays are not so keen to join the military. I am not sure I agree with Lim that we need further studies to ascertain the reasons as to why non-Malay recruitment is at a low level, and if this is owing to non-Malay lack of patriotism or to some other factor. The reasons are obvious. The widely-held public opinion is that government policy is the reason.
How to measure patriotism
The sense of patriotism is a complex one but it does not include supporting your country and the government all the time. It can include supporting your country but not the government of the day, especially if you perceive that government’s policies and programmes treat you as second-class citizens.
Unfortunately, the Malaysian Chinese do not feel that the government has treated them fairly or deserves their loyalty.
Patriotism can be expressed in many ways, including campaigning against corruption and injustice. True patriots hate injustice in their own country more than anywhere else. Those who defend human rights and good governance are patriots. The ordinary people who work diligently, pay taxes and bring up their families to be good citizens without depending on the state are also patriots. Law-abiding citizens are patriots as compared to law breakers or those who bend the laws. Finally, no one can say that I am not patriotic just because I do not agree with the defence minister’s statement.
I concede that there may be other reasons to explain the Chinese reluctance to join the military but these have nothing to do with the lack of patriotism. There is a Cantonese saying "Hoi chai mu tong ping, hoi chai mu cho kait". Literally it means that the "good son does not become a soldier and good wood does not become sandals". Perhaps this deep-seated cultural aversion to the military also explains why Chinese youth are reluctant to join the military. However, a fair, just and widely-admired government and equitable policies can overcome such cultural complexes.
Let’s not forget that the courageous defence to the Japanese takeover of Malaya in World War II was mainly put up by the Chinese who paid for their patriotism to the country with countless lives and other sacrifices. The emergency was won with Chinese blood and the majority of Chinese rallied round a non-communist government. The historical evidence is clear that when their country is in danger and they are fighting for a cause they believe in, Malaysian Chinese are not lacking in patriotism.
The price of patriotism
Besides the armed forces, the government and its agencies employ millions of workers but clearly not all the major races are fairly represented in the ranks. When I worked for the Public Works Department from 1957 to 1962, there was a large majority of non-Malay employees. But, when I recently visited my old office, there was hardly one in sight.
Thousands of patriotic non-Malays try daily to get work in the government services but fail. Many have gone to work in Singapore which incidentally is doing much better than us.
Today, Singapore is poised to overtake Malaysia as the third largest economy in Southeast Asia with a GDP of US$210 billion and a GDP per capita of US$36,537. The Malaysian GDP per capita of US$6,975 is five times smaller than that of Singapore, although we are nearly 500 times larger in size. It does not take a rocket scientist to find out why this situation has come about. The human capital gain that Singapore has obtained at the expense of Malaysia is making all the difference.
Government leaders – rather than moaning and groaning – should appreciate that millions of non-Malays continue to be loyal and patriotic to the country.
Koon Yew Yin is an engineer by training and retired businessman. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
