''The Malay Dilemma'' () is a 1970 book by
Malaysian
Malaysian may refer to:
* Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia
* Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia
* Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...
politician and writer
Mahathir bin Mohamad, who went on to be the country's longest serving
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
.
In it, Mahathir describes his interpretation of Malaysia's history in relation to its multi-ethnic society and racial tensions, and advocates for
affirmative action policies for
Malays
Malays may refer to:
* Malay race, a racial category encompassing peoples of Southeast Asia and sometimes the Pacific Islands
** Overseas Malays, people of Malay race ancestry living outside Malay archipelago home areas
** Cape Malays, a communit ...
. The book was originally banned in Malaysia; the ban was lifted 11 years after its first publication after Mahathir became Prime Minister. Commentators have since noted its influence on Malaysian society and governance, particularly the
New Economic Policy.
Background
At the time of publication, Mahathir had just lost his parliamentary seat, been expelled from the ruling party
UMNO
The United Malays National Organisation (Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its in ...
and
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
had recently been rocked by the
racial riots later known as the
13 May Incident.
Summary
The book is a
manifesto
A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...
outlining Mahathir's political and racial beliefs. It analyses
Malaysian history and
politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
in terms of
race, and posits the following basic positions:
* The
Malay race are the
indigenous people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
(''
bumiputras
''Bumiputera'' or ''Bumiputra'' ( Jawi: ) is a term used in Malaysia to describe Malays, the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia, and various indigenous peoples of East Malaysia (see official definition below). The term is sometimes controvers ...
'') of Malaysia, and by definition follow
Islamic faith
* The sole national language is the
Malay language
Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Rejang script, Rencong: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spo ...
and all other races are to learn it.
* The
tolerant
Toleration is the allowing, permitting, or acceptance of an action, idea, object, or person which one dislikes or disagrees with. Political scientist Andrew R. Murphy explains that "We can improve our understanding by defining "toleration" as a ...
and non-confrontational nature of the Malays has allowed them to be subjugated in their own land by the other races with the collusion of the
British.
* A program of
affirmative action is required to correct
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese (; Malay: ''Orang Cina Malaysia''), alternatively Chinese Malaysians, are Malaysian citizens of Han Chinese descent. They form the second largest ethnic group after the Malay majority constituting 22.4% of the Malaysian po ...
hegemony in business.
The dilemma thus, was whether Malays should accept this governmental aid—and Mahathir's position was that they should.
The book has attracted controversy for making
racial generalisations, such as describing "
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
stinginess and financial wizardry"
and calling Jews "hook-nosed". Mahathir proposes in the book that affirmative action policies be a solution leading ''away'' from violence towards a harmonious,
integrated Malaysia, albeit one where political and economic power is firmly concentrated in the hands of the Malays.
Initial ban in Malaysia
The book was
banned in Malaysia upon its release, but was published in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. Despite this, it was circulated widely, particularly among
Malaysian Indians
Malaysian Indians or Indian Malaysians are Malaysian citizens of Indian or South Asian ancestry. Today, they form the third-largest group in Malaysia after the Malays and the Chinese. Most are descendants of those who migrated from India durin ...
and
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese (; Malay: ''Orang Cina Malaysia''), alternatively Chinese Malaysians, are Malaysian citizens of Han Chinese descent. They form the second largest ethnic group after the Malay majority constituting 22.4% of the Malaysian po ...
, who were concerned about Mahathir's return to politics in 1973 and subsequent rise to power. After Mahathir became Prime Minister in 1981, the 11-year ban was lifted after a proposal from Mahathir's deputy
Musa Hitam.
Impact
The book has been posited, including by Mahathir himself, as a major influence for
affirmative action policies in Malaysia, most notably in the
Malaysian New Economic Policy
The New Economic Policy (NEP) ( ms, Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB)) was a social re-engineering and affirmative action program formulated by the National Operations Council (NOC) in the aftermath of 13 May Incident in Malaysia. This policy was adop ...
, which outlines racial quotas across Malaysian society in favour of designated
''bumiputera'' ethnic groups.
Reception
In the preface of the book's first edition, its British publisher casts doubt on the accuracy of Mahathir's assumptions and assertions. Mohammad Bakri Musa, in ''The Malay Dilemma Revisited'' (1999) states that his assertions and assumptions were based on his personal observations and experiences, with no empirical data to support them.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malay Dilemma, The
Society of Malaysia
1970 non-fiction books
Racial and religious quotas in Malaysia
Malaysian non-fiction books
Books about politics of Malaysia
Political manifestos