Apparently, Malaysia is not yet 1Malaysia, and that’s why our PM is busy giving everybody ‘Salam 1Malaysia’ in his speeches everywhere. When we basically thought that the issue of Bumiputera’s in Sabah and Sarawak was a clear cut thing, it has re-surfaced this week, sadly.
As a matter of fact, I think I’m no more a Bumiputera Sarawak or native Sarawakian if the education policy is enforced here in Sarawak because my parents are both mix-blooded.
Every Sarawakian believes that you gain your Bumiputera status when your father is a Bumiputere regardless of religion and mother’s ethnicity, but it seems that this rule only dances in Sarawak and probably Sabah, but does not apply when you go to the peninsular of Malaysia, or any colleges under the wisdom of the Malaysian Education Ministry.
According to an article by the Borneo Post, the following is deemed as Bumiputeras:
• In the Semenanjung – “Jika salah seorang ibu atau bapa calon adalah seorang Melayu yang beragama Islam/Orang Asli seperti mana yang ditakrifkan dalam Perkara 160(2) Perlembagaan Persekutuan; maka anaknya adalah dianggap seorang Bumiputera.” (If either parent of a candidate is a Malay who is a Muslim/Orang Asli as defined in Article 160 (2) of the Federal Constitution, the child is considered a Bumiputera.)
• In Sabah – “Jika bapa calon adalah seorang Melayu yang beragama Islam/Peribumi Sabah seperti yang ditakrifkan dalam Perkara 161A(6)(a) Perlembagaan Persekutuan; maka anaknya adalah dianggap seorang Bumiputera.” (If the father of the candidate is a Malay who is a Muslim/native of Sabah as defined by Article 161A(6)(a) of the Federal Constitution, the child is considered a Bumiputera.)
• In Sarawak – “Jika bapa dan ibu adalah seorang Peribumi Sarawak seperti mana yang ditakrifkan dalam Perkara 161A(6)(b) Perlembagaan persekutuan; maka anaknya adalah dianggap seorang Bumiputera.” (If the father and mother is a native of Sarawak as defined under Article 161A(6)(b) of the Federal Constitution, the child is considered a Bumiputera.
I find it weird that one has to be a child of born Malay or a Muslim parent in Sabah and the Peninsular to be considered a Bumiputera, because I never thought that the Bumiputera status applies only to Muslims. I seriously always figured that it was something related to your father’s ethnic group. More interesting is the fact that the criteria to be a Bumiputera from Sarawak requires both your parents to be from the natives of Sarawak when I also figured that it had nothing to do with the mum’s ethnicity, but it has everything to do with the dad. Now, it seems that those small facts are twisted and I’m on the wrong side of the whole understanding of the status of a Bumiputera.
Can’t say much on this issue coz it is directly linked to my day job, but I hope it gets resolve as fast as possible, and in the spirit of unity and fairness.
Happy Holloween everyone!