Music Teeling Gan dreamt of being a doctor. Despite having excellent grades, he wasn't accepted to his medical school of choice because of Malaysia's quota system, which allocates less seats for minorities like him. Back then when I didn't get I was like really upset. Basically they all...
already allocated like okay for Indians there are this amount of seats that should be given for Chinese there should be this amount of seats be given and also for Malays this amount of seats should be given. Since there are a lot of competition for that seat so I have to like really outperform from the others to actually get into that seat. By global anti-discrimination standards, Malaysia's law protecting its historically ethnic majority is unusual.
Instead of helping minorities, its affirmative action system is a major disadvantage for them. Thilingan's best friend is one of few Muslims who dare to criticize the privilege he enjoys being in the ethnic majority. Yeah, it's unfair.
The system is wrong today because some people are taking it for granted. We can't really change the system. Even if we want to.
I don't think this system actually affects our friendships. Friendships should just remain the same. Since gaining independence from Great Britain in 1957, Malaysians were promised equality.
Malay Muslims, who represent nearly 70% of the population, coexist side by side with descendants of Indian and Chinese migrants sent to work in Malaysia by British colonists. I love you, my love. But during riots in 1969, Malay Muslims attacked ethnic Chinese whom they accused of monopolizing wealth and positions of responsibility and power.
To ease the tensions, the government passed a series of affirmative action laws, which are still in place today, to ensure the Muslim majority would be guaranteed employment, access to education, and positions in civil service. This director made a documentary about the topic, telling the story of Indians across the country. The Malays have their own rights, and we have no right to question their rights.
It's a very sensitive issue. Race and politics and religion are always very, very... I think you understand that. End of the day, each and everyone will have our own rights. The filmmaker acknowledges this viewpoint, but he fundamentally disagrees.
He recalls that his family has been Malaysian for four generations. I am in. I'm from Malaysia and I'm registered as a citizen and I pay tax and I'm treated not like a citizen. On paper, yes, I am Malaysian but it just doesn't feel like your own home when you're continuously being discriminated. We asked Malay Muslims about the legal privileges granted to them being in the majority.
In the Malaysian Constitution, they have a special for the Malay. Why? Because this is our country. Chinese come from China, India from India.
But originally, Malaysian is, Malay is, this is our country. People here just follow what the government say. Okay?
Okay. Enough. End of.
The subject is taboo. Far from the official discourse of the Malaysian government, which often praises harmony, preferential treatment of Muslim Malays applying for civil servant positions is also indisputable, with nearly 80% of top management positions being held by Muslim Malays in 2022. Come do like a Malaysian ad commercial. Long-standing division between ethnic groups has also led to discrimination against those in mixed marriages, which represents less than 10% of unions in Malaysia.
Samini, of Indian descent, and Sidney, of Chinese descent, faced reluctance from their families. His father refused to meet me until it was two years into our relationship. So I was quite hurt about it. What did you feel exactly?
I was like, why are they so racist? Why do they not like me? I felt very angry.
I felt very mad about the whole thing. Sometimes I feel that Malaysians, we try to celebrate our diversity by being separate. The diversity that we celebrate is one that is meant to be in its own isolated communities. Little Darwin, just 14 months old, carrying hope that the next generation will grow beyond ethnicity-based discriminatory policies. In 2021, the government launched the Malaysia One Family slogan, an impossible ideal so long as inequality is enshrined in law.