The Bangsa Malaysia (English: Malaysian nation) policy was introduced by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, to create an inclusive national identity for all inhabitants of Malaysia, thus abandoning the National Culture Policy that asserted a Malay ethnic national identity. Mahathir Mohamad said it means "people being able to identify themselves with the country, speak Bahasa Malaysia (the Malay language) and accept the Constitution."[1]
The policy's support in the government appears to vary. Abdul Ghani Othman, Menteri Besar of Johor, alleged that Bangsa Malaysia was a "nebulous concept" which overstepped the bounds of the Constitution. "Even if the term Bangsa Malaysia is to be used, it must only be applied in the context of all the peoples of Malaysia with the Malays as the pivotal race," he said.[2] However, Lim Keng Yaik, a Minister in the federal government, insisted that Bangsa Malaysia was an official government policy.[3] Other Ministers also criticised Ghani's statement; one said that the policy "has nothing to do with one race given a pivotal role over others", while another said that "It does not impinge on the rights of Bumiputeras or other communities."[4]
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak argued that attempting to define the policy from a political viewpoint was pointless, as it had no official standing in the Constitution, and called for the debate to cease. He also said that "Bangsa Malaysia means we do not evaluate someone by his skin colour, race or religion," and contradicted Ghani, saying: "It does not question the special rights of the Malays, our quota or anything of that sort."[5] Ghani insisted, however, that those advocating Bangsa Malaysia were echoing Lee Kuan Yew's call for a "Malaysian Malaysia" made during the early 1960s when Singapore was a state in Malaysia, even though the campaign had been turned down by the government.[6]
One academic suggested that the conflict stemmed from the different meanings of the word "bangsa", which can mean either race or nation. Although the concept of a Malaysian race could be confusing, he suggested, taking Bangsa Malaysia to imply a Malaysian nation would be more sensible.[4]
After the UMNO Annual General Assembly that year, Ghani elaborated that his opposition to Bangsa Malaysia and "Malaysian Malaysia" was because:
It is about everything being equal and this does not capture the hearts of Malaysians. Therefore, regardless of whatever name is given, the concept is similar and this is against idea kenegaraan (the idea of nationhood) which we have inherited.
Ghani defined his idea kenegaraan as "the idea that has united the Malays, and also the same idea that has given privileges to other races to be citizens, live together and share power and prosperity."[7]
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Mahathir bin Mohamad is a Malaysian politician, author, and doctor who served as the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held office from 1981 to 2003 and later from 2018 to February 2020 for a cumulative total of 24 years, making him the country's longest-serving prime minister. Before becoming premier, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and in other cabinet positions. He was a Member of Parliament for Langkawi from 2018 to 2022, Kubang Pasu from 1974 to 2004, and Kota Star Selatan from 1964 to 1969. His political career spanned more than 75 years, from joining protests opposing citizenship policies for non-Malays in the Malayan Union in the 1940s to forming the Gerakan Tanah Air coalition in 2022. He was granted the soubriquet Father of Modern. At the age of 99, he is currently the oldest living former Malaysian prime minister.
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Operation Lalang was a major crackdown undertaken by the Royal Malaysian Police from 27 October to 20 November 1987, ostensibly to prevent the occurrence of racial riots in Malaysia. The operation saw the arrest of 106 to 119 people—political activists, opposition politicians, intellectuals, students, artists, scientists and others—who were detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA). It was the second largest mass arrest in Malaysian history involving the ISA since the 13 May riots 18 years earlier. It also involved the revoking of the publishing licenses of two dailies, The Star and the Sin Chew Jit Poh and two weeklies, The Sunday Star and Watan.
Shahrir bin Abdul Samad is a Malaysian politician who was the Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (2008-2009), a Member of Parliament of Malaysia and the former chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC). He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the largest political component party in the former ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. In Parliament – specifically the lower house of Parliament of Malaysia, the Dewan Rakyat – he represented the constituency of Johor Bahru in the state of Johor for six non-consecutive terms..
Ketuanan Melayu is a political concept that emphasises Malay preeminence in present-day Malaysia. The Malays of Malaysia have claimed a special position and special rights owing to their longer history in the area and the fact that the present Malaysian state itself evolved from a Malay polity. The oldest political institution in Malaysia is the system of Malay rulers of the nine Malay states. The British colonial authorities transformed the system and turned it first into a system of indirect rule, then in 1948, using this culturally based institution, they incorporated the Malay monarchy into the blueprints for the independent Federation of Malaya.
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Mahiaddin bin Md. Yasin, commonly known as Muhyiddin bin Mohd. Yassin, is a Malaysian politician who served as the eighth Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2020 to 2021. Appointed as prime minister amid a political crisis, Muhyiddin served for 17 months and resigned after losing parliamentary support.
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Mohd Puad Zarkashi is a Malaysian politician who has served as Speaker of the Johor State Legislative Assembly since April 2022 and Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Rengit since March 2022. He previously served as Deputy Minister of Education in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Minister Najib Razak and former Minister Muhyiddin Yassin from April 2009 to May 2013, Member of Parliament (MP) for Batu Pahat from March 2008 to May 2013, Senator from October 2004 to October 2007 and Director-General of Special Affairs Department (JASA) from March 2015 to his resignation in April 2018. He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of the ruling BN coalition. He is also Member of the Supreme Council of UMNO. He is generally regarded as a vocal supporter of Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former Prime Minister Najib Razak as well as a critic of Perikatan Nasional (PN) and its Chairman Muhyiddin Yassin.
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This is a list of events in the year 2019 in Malaysia.
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Events in the year 2020 in Malaysia.
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Events in the year 2022 in Malaysia.
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