By and Courtesy of Ranjit Singh Malhi | 5 May 2025
It is both historically misleading and constitutionally inaccurate to claim that Peninsular Malaysia is “Malay land” belonging exclusively to the Malays.
The Federal Constitution—our nation’s supreme law—guarantees full citizenship and equal rights to all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion. While it recognizes the special position of the Malays under Article 153, it also affirms the principles of equality before the law and fundamental liberties for all. These constitutional provisions were never intended to create a racially exclusive state but rather to ensure harmony and justice in a diverse society.
The Reid Commission Report of 1957, which laid the foundation for our Constitution, strongly emphasized the need for unity and equal rights among all citizens. It regarded Malay privileges as transitional—not permanent—and firmly rejected institutionalised racial discrimination. This inclusive vision was endorsed by the then Malay Rulers, the British government, and the Alliance Party (UMNO, MCA, MIC), reflecting a common aspiration to build a plural, united Malaya.
Our beloved Bapa Kemerdekaan, Tunku Abdul Rahman, proclaimed in 1957:
“This is a country for all of us… not just for one race.”
The granting of citizenship to non-Malays was part of a historic inter-ethnic bargain, built upon mutual respect, shared sacrifice, and national unity—not ethnic supremacy.
To assert today that only Malays “own” Peninsular Malaysia is to distort our history, undermine our Constitution, and threaten our fragile unity. It is a betrayal of the noble spirit of Merdeka.
Malaysia was founded as a multiethnic nation, where every citizen has an equal stake and shared belonging. That is the true meaning of independence—the very soul of our nationhood—and the path we must continue to defend and cherish.
It is also an undeniable historical fact that the earliest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia are the Orang Asli, a truth candidly acknowledged by Dato’ Abdul Rahman, then Secretary to Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor:
“The aborigines were the possessors of the soil before we [the Malays] came to the peninsula.”
The 1931 Census Report similarly states:
“The Malays are, in fact, merely immigrants of generally longer standing than the other migrant races represented in the peninsula…”
Moreover, the 1947 Census revealed that approximately 26% of Malays in Peninsular Malaysia were immigrants from what is today Indonesia.
By contrast, in that same year, 63.5% of the Chinese and 51.6% of the Indians in Peninsular Malaysia were local-born—born and raised on this land they now call home.
These facts are not meant to deny anyone’s identity or heritage but to remind us of our shared history—one that is far more intertwined than divisive narratives suggest.
To conclude, the strength of our nation lies not in the dominance of one race but in the unity of all its people. Let us rise above toxic rhetoric and embrace our diversity as a source of strength. Let us think and act as fellow Malaysians, committed to building a truly united, just, and progressive Malaysia—for all.
