NEARLY 13 years ago, then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew
triggered a debate about Malay loyalty with televised comments he
made before a university audience (December 1986). Lee stated that
the government had taken two opinion polls prior to and following
the visit of Israeli President Chiam Herzog (November 1986) to the
republic.
The poll found that the number of Malay respondents who were not
against the visit fell sharply from one poll to the next, while the
proportion of non-Malays who did not oppose the visit rose
marginally.
Lee interpreted this to mean that "in certain circumstances, the
Malay Singaporeans react with the emphasis on Malay/Muslim rather
than Singaporean.
An article in the Far Eastern Economic Review Asia 1998 Yearbook
(pg 222f) says, "To Lee this came down to a question of loyalty :
"Are we sure that in a moment of crisis, when the heat is on, we
are all together heart to heart? I hope so. But we ought to have a
fallback position and quickly fill up all the missing hearts if
some go missing."
The same article says, "In February 1987, Lee's son commented
further on the status of the Malays in an open forum on why Malays
do not hold sensitive positions in the armed forces. Explaining
that there are no Malay fighter pilots, for example, because their
religion might conflict with their duty to Singapore, he provoked a
backlash of criticism from the Muslim community in addition to
Singapore's Muslim neighbours."
The article goes on to say, "these statements represented some of
the most frank public commentaries ever made by Singapore's
political leaders on the role of the Malays, which continues to
stir emotions among the Malay community."
As recently as September 18, Mr Lee, speaking at a Singapore 21
forum said, the reality is that while Singapore has made progress
in integrating the different races, certain emotional bonds are
instinctive and cannot be removed overnight. (Straits Times
September 19, 1999)
Asked by a polytechnic student if Singapore could overcome this and
become a nation, Mr Lee said: "Yes, I think so, over a long period
of time and selectively. We must not make an error.
"If, for instance, you put in a Malay officer who's very religious
and who has family ties in Malaysia in charge of a machine gun
unit, that's a very tricky business.
"We've got to know his background. I'm saying these things because
they are real, and if I didn't think that, and I think even if
today the Prime Minister doesn't think carefully about this, we
could have a tragedy."
"So, these are problems which, as poly students, you're
colour-blind to, but when you face life in reality, it's a
different proposition."
Reports in the Singapore media this year refuting Indonesian
Presidents Habibie's remarks in February that Singapore was racist
because Malays could not become military officers only stated that
there are Malay officers in the armed forces.
The reports made no reference to the documented remarks (above) of
the two Lees regarding Malay loyalty.
The reports also did not state:
1. if Malays hold sensitive positions in the armed forces;
2. if any Malay officers in the Singapore air force are fighter
pilots; and
3. if the Lees have changed their expressed position regarding
loyalty of the Malays.
While meritocracy is still maintained in the island and the
Singapore armed forces appoints and promotes Malays, there is no
evidence that Malay Singaporeans hold sensitive positions in the
Singapore armed forces. http://www.singapore-window.org/sw99/90915loy.htm
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'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
-- Alfred Lord Tennyson