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Not Bumiputera if Your Mother isn’t One

Posted on October 29, 2009October 29, 2009 By sweet surrender 16 Comments on Not Bumiputera if Your Mother isn’t One

I was shocked when I read the newspaper today regarding how a person is perceived as a bumiputera or otherwise in Sarawak. You can read the original article, Being ‘mixed’ is no privilege.

Before I go further, this post is not about pointing finger or to create any racial issue, so please read it carefully before you contribute your “smart” inputs. Also, please do not bring up the religion issue because it’s not related to this post, this post is about race, not religion. Not only that, being a Sarawakian doesn’t mean you are a bumiputera.

I’m just sharing the way I look at this matter for being a person who is of mixed parentage. I’m not a bumiputera because my father is Chinese and my mother is Bidayuh. Everyone knows, for my case I cannot be considered one and I have no complain about it. I fill in formal forms stating that I’m Chinese because my father is Chinese, I cannot fill in the forms saying that I’m Bidayuh because my name doesn’t reflect that at all. I’m not entitle to the privilege that a bumiputera can enjoy.

Let’s go back to the news article.

All these while, majority of us think that if a child’s father is a bumiputera, he/she will automatically be one regardless of the mother’s race in Sarawak. However, this news article told us that we are wrong! DEAD WRONG!

Sarawak – “Jika bapa dan ibu adalah seorang Peribumi Sarawak seperti mana yang ditakrifkan dalam Perkara 161A(6)(b) Perlembagaan persekutuan; maka anaknya adalah dianggap seorang Bumiputera.” (If the father and mother is a native of Sarawak as defined under Article 161A(6)(b) of the Federal Constitution, the child is considered a Bumiputera).

“I think to solve this problem. Article 161(A) of the Federal Constitution has to be amended. The article says that in Sarawak, both parents have to be ‘exclusively’ a native,” Ronnie said.

So for those that are affected by this, I know many! Inter-racial marriage is very common here in Sarawak. All these while, these children with bumiputera fathers and non-bumiputera mothers are known as bumiputeras by majority of us and even in school too.

Their fathers are bumiputeras, they carry bumiputera’s names, and they mostly follow the bumiputera’s lifestyles. Even in filling in formal forms for various applications be it government or non-government related, they are stating their race as either Bidayuh, Iban, Melanau… Instead of Chinese or India. Now, with the news article, they are supposed to be the same race as their mothers’ not their fathers’. All these while, they are filling in the wrong field!?!?

Think of it another way, this will indirectly reduce the number of bumiputeras in Sarawak because these children are not considered as bumiputeras. As we all know, being a bumiputera, you have many privileges. I have many friends that are of mixed parentage whereby the fathers are bumiputeras but not their mothers. They’ve been enjoying all these privileges with no issues at all. They also proudly known themselves as bumiputeras. However, according to the Federal Constitution, they are not qualified for all these privileges at all. Then, how come they get to enjoy it?

Very confusing. The more I write, the more I reason, the more confusing I’m getting.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that, in Sarawak, these children are not considered bumiputeras even though their fathers are. How sad? How odd?

I’m pretty sure there are many people that are affected or not affected are as shock as I am, if not for the news article, we will still be thinking that as long that the child’s father is a bumiputera, he/she is automatically a bumiputera. Sarawak is indeed different from other state. Very complicated. Very unique too.

As for 1 Malaysia? Hmmm… I can never understand how this whole thing works, it baffles the hell out of me. Guess maybe I’m just too stupid to understand.

To me, when you are talking about 1 Malaysia, it should be making everyone equal rather than having differences of privileges because of different races, religions, or states. Everyone should have the same rights too. If not how can we call ourselves as being one? Summore with this article about mixed parentage whereby a person is not a bumiputera if the mother is not a bumiputera. It’s even harder to achieve this 1 Malaysia thing.

I don’t see that it’s possible to make everyone equal in Malaysia. At least not now, maybe 100 years or more later which I surely won’t be here to see it.

However, I know that in Malaysia, Sarawak is one good role model in terms of racial harmony whereby all races live harmoniously together and you can even find a Malay stall next to a kolomee stall. Non Malays and Malays having their kopi sharing the same table in a non-halal kopitiam, non Malays eating their kolomee and Malays eating their mee goreng on the same table, sometimes sharing food from the same plate and happily chit chatting with each other. Where can you see such scene?

From My Angle

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Comments (16) on “Not Bumiputera if Your Mother isn’t One”

  1. cell says:
    October 29, 2009 at 9:26 pm

    In a true democrarcy whoever created these laws are voted there one way or another by the people . The people create the system and government they deserve. Find a way to vote them out next time if this is a true democracy.

  2. sweet surrender says:
    October 29, 2009 at 10:25 pm

    cell, thanks for ur input.

  3. caroline says:
    October 29, 2009 at 11:07 pm

    Yeah…i’ve read this article and it really sadden me cos for so many years, we regard our race according to our father’s race, like me, i’m iban-bidayuh, my dad is iban so i am iban. all this while i filll up the form stating i’m iban…

    tiba2 this thing comes up and it will caused a lot of confusion especially in swak with mix marriage as smtg that is very common.

    feel so sorry for the girl cos what is 1malaysia when someone deserve the education are not given one just bcs she is not considered as bumiputera…and there’s 10% quota for non-bumi right? and y she can’t enter? too bad for a bright student like her.

    wat is 1malaysia when there’s still a gap btwn bumi n non-bumi…n y do we have to have bumi n non-bumi? as long as this title stay, 1malaysia will never ever a success…words are useless without action.

  4. sweet surrender says:
    October 29, 2009 at 11:49 pm

    caroline, yeala… suddenly it’s like that *sweat* in fact it’s there long time ago but no one bothers or knows coz everyone automatically assume that a child will follow his/her father’s race. It’s kinda weird too, if they are not considered bumiputera how can they get all those privileges right. They can get it because they are but now they are not? Really don’t understand.

  5. ahlost says:
    October 30, 2009 at 5:44 pm

    *nods*nods* at caroline’s comment 🙂

  6. sweet surrender says:
    October 30, 2009 at 6:13 pm

    ahlost, really need to knock their heads *LOL*

  7. Cyril says:
    October 31, 2009 at 10:42 am

    This shouldn’t be an issue at all…

    I don’t know what’s the huge problem with recognising mix-marriages?

    Another sad day for Malaysia…

  8. sweet surrender says:
    October 31, 2009 at 5:50 pm

    cyril, don’t know what’s those people doing really. It’s strange how this thing can be different in state or federal constitution, they should be tallied with each other?

    You are bumiputera in Sarawak, you are not bumiputera in Malaysia, yet you are Malaysian, then who are you as a Malaysian? This really need to be rectified if they really want to play by the rule of segregating citizens by race else do away with the race thing and give everyone equal opportunities.

    It’s supposed to protect the race yet this case seems like they want to eradicate the race.

  9. caroline says:
    November 2, 2009 at 1:01 pm

    agree wit u irene..;)

  10. sweet surrender says:
    November 2, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    caroline, hopefully this issue will be rectify soon, they must not forget that they are still in the government because of Sarawak, if not for Sarawak, they won’t be here today.

  11. Sadboy says:
    December 15, 2009 at 9:25 am

    What will happen to those with chinese father and malay mother? The bumiputera mother’s land cannot pass down to their son and daughter? shouldnt 1Malaysia have the same rule? why semenanjug can enjoy bumiputera priviledge when either 1 of parent is bumi, automatically their son/ daughter is bumi… y not in Sarawak? Sigh…

  12. sweet surrender says:
    December 15, 2009 at 10:57 am

    Sadboy, yes… The land cannot be passed down. We are aware of this. We had spent quite a lot of time and money to convert it to mixed zone to avoid such problem. However, not all the land can be converted, in that case, just say bye bye to it.

  13. Sadboy says:
    December 30, 2009 at 1:34 pm

    My father is chinese while my mother is malay.. Can i go to native court, and certified myself as bumi? Im still waiting and want to see how our PM solve this problem… I really feel, we need to have same definition or bumi status.. y semenanjung peoples considered as bumi if the mother is malay, and y not in sarawak?

  14. sweet surrender says:
    December 30, 2009 at 1:50 pm

    Sadboy, you can, no one can stop you but there is no guarantee ur application will be approved.

  15. Jason says:
    September 18, 2010 at 8:24 pm

    I think there was big misunderstanding on the writing “Jika bapa dan ibu adalah seorang Peribumi”
    It supposed to be “atau”.
    This is just a minor alteration of words then settle.

  16. sweet surrender says:
    September 19, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    Jason, say is easy, do is hard. Besides, misunderstanding or typo or whatever, it still doesn’t change the fact until they are willing to change.

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