The wall was white and blank but yet there I was, taking interest in the uninspiring wall. A public discussion was going on inside a small hall. I came because the names of the panel were sufficiently widely known across the urban society but as I found out later and too late, the discussion failed to fill my body with a soul; the discussion was filled with repetitive mosaic of clichés. So, there I was, inattentive, until a friend got up and announced to the audience, explaining, that we were all Malays, once. That took my eyes off the wall, my ears off the low hum of air conditioner, my mind off a pie in the sky.
I have heard many points about race and religion but this was the first time I heard a person saying that we all were Malays. As he went so eloquently, the idea of Malays was far greater than the notion ethnicity as most of us comprehend today. He asserted, if I correctly interpreted his point, that all groups living in Southeast Asia or more accurately the Nusantara were Malays.
Right or wrong, it was a curious notion, and provocative. Indeed, the crowd which was relatively chatty throughout the discussion, fell into silence, perhaps dumbstruck. The fact that the number of Malays amid the audience was limited to few people probably contributed to that silence. After a few seconds of information processing, I said to myself, ”Oooo”¦”
I have given up on the effort to define Malay due to various competing definitions. Though I do prefer certain definition , I do not dwell too much on the matter. Still, the varying definitions do provide one with the amusement one requires when one has little tasks to fill one’s time.
The Malaysian constitution defines a Malay as a Muslim, among other things. This allows Arabs, Chinese, Indians and others originated from outside of the Nusantara who are Muslims to be considered as Malays; Malays whom do not embrace Islam are somehow not Malays. This is as absurd as a pink invisible unicorn.
The regionalist Malays describe Malays as the indigenous populace of the Nusantara; the Malaya Irredenta. The formation of the now defunct Maphilindo was formed to appeal to this regionalist Malay concept, among other things. I myself prefer this definition; it is inclusive enough to bring most people of Southeast Asia organically together but yet, it is exclusive enough for “us” to be unique. I however have met Filipinos and Indonesians who frown when they are described as Malays. Old rivalries and wars between the Malays and the Javanese strengthen the difference. Yet, those wars were called Pamalayu, perang antara Melayu, a Malay civil war.
The cosmopolitan Malays prefer a more inclusive idea: everybody who resides in the Nusantara is a Malay. This, perhaps, was what the friend of mine was referring to.
Another concept of Malay refers to the citizenship of Malaya, just as the citizens of Germany are Germans, the citizens of Italy are Italians, for France French, for China Chinese; a naturalized Nepali could be a German. This was once put forward by Putera-AMCJA in the People’s Constitution of 1947 which was rejected in favor of another constitution that we Malaysians now live under. Well, after all that amendments, sort of.
These definitions are not necessarily mutually exclusive and it is likely not exhaustive either. That however does not prevent me from asking, which Malay appeals to your bias?
p/s — this entry was first published at Bolehland.