BY: CHRISTOPHER FERNANDEZ

Politicking and bickering over the alleged claim that the Chinese and Indians in this country are ‘pendatang’ or immigrants flares up from time to time and some Malays say the Chinese and Indians are merely ‘guests’ in this country.

This issue needs to be firmly resoleved amicably. Going by the accounts of credible historians the Chinese and Indians arrived from China and India respectively to Tanah Melayu just about the same time (or earlier) than the Malays from Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi.

The right gauge to go by is that the Malays, Chinese and Indians are all immigrants who came to this land and took over from the Orang Asli and other tribal groups before the British colonialists arrived to dictate terms.

This is why there is absolutely no basis at all to use or address a Chinese or an Indian as ‘pendatang’ as he or she has every and equal rights as the Malay by being a citizen of this country since the formation of Malaysia in August 31, 1957.

It is hoped that the present Malay government of Malaysia will recognise and respect these facts and not distort or revise history to hoodwink the Malays into thinking that they have the sole rights to administer the nation.

All three major races must work together in peace and harmony towards nation building to ensure that the prosperity gained from economic growth and success is equitably distributed among Malaysians.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE