Following the 15th general election (GE15), Chinese Malaysians have been left in a state of uncertainty, a new book observes — grappling between what they would be giving up if they left the country, and what truly awaits them elsewhere.
In “Notes to Myself and You”, former Straits Times senior editor Yap Koon Hong writes that for the community’s English-educated members especially, various “push” and “pull” factors are at play.
“On balance, for this current generation at least, Malaysia remains the beautifully relaxed and engaging ‘rainbow nation’ of multi-everything that’s peaceful and tolerant,” he writes, borrowing a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the 1990s to describe South Africa’s diverse and multicultural society.
“The tug of familiarity of family, friends, food and places and cherished memories are not considerations that are easily overlooked, subsumed, sidestepped or overturned,” Yap adds.
There is also the risk, he writes, that emigrating may be worse than staying put.
“There is no guarantee that the new country will not prove to be racially, culturally and religiously bigoted,” he says.
There is also the risk that the dream of a life of liberty, prosperity and happiness may not materialise.
On the flip side, Yap says political developments since GE15 in 2022 represent a major “push” factor for the community.
“The signs of a more strident Malay-only complexion of Malaysia are getting to be increasingly evident; even inevitable,” he writes.
According to Yap, the foremost concern among Chinese Malaysians is the prospect of Perikatan Nasional (PN) taking control of the federal government — a shift they fear could reshape the country’s political and social landscape.
“The fact that Anwar‘s Pakatan Harapan, despite having the backing of the entire Chinese-Malaysian and most of the Indian-Malaysian electorate, barely managed to form a government is, in a sense, cold comfort for non-Malay Malaysians,” he adds.
In a separate chapter, Yap writes that PN, led by PAS, represents a “terrifying political alternative” to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s vision of a moderate Malaysia.
Non-Malays may find living in Malaysia to be much more restrictive if the opposition coalition comes into power, he says.
“Notes To Myself And You” is available on Amazon Prime in e-book form, while the printed version is available only in Malaysia and Singapore by direct purchase and delivery.
Readers who want to purchase the book, priced at RM60, may contact [email protected] or call +6017 3350 855.
Alternatively, they may contact CK Yap at +6012 7932 366.
