Righting the Wrong

Forgotten Malaysian History

(Restoring Voices, Reclaiming Truths)

Ranjit Singh Malhi (2026)

The history syllabus we studied is completely different from what is present in the current school curriculum. There is a clear attempt to minimise the roles and contributions of various sections of society. There is a clear effort to rewrite the country's history to serve certain political agendas. This country would not be what it is today if not for the blood, sweat, and hardships endured by various immigrants who landed on this land.

Ranjit Singh Malhi is a senior academic who has been in the business of writing history books, like forever. Over the years, he has lamented that the Malaysian history taught in secondary schools has progressively downplayed the role of the Non-Malays in the country's early history. The contributions of the non-Malays to subsequent development, defending the nation against enemies of its independence, and their own economic progress are gradually being erased. 

Penang Waterfall Temple
Established in 1914, long before the Malayan
Land Codes were established.

At this age and era, this book feels more essential than ever. Evidence of ignorance about Malaysian history is evident from the recent fiasco surrounding the legitimacy of numerous unregistered Hindu temples across the country. The confrontational buffoons who are on a witch hunt to demolish all Hindu temples they consider illegally built are products of Malay-centric, whitewashed history lessons. This book aims to set the record straight: the history of Malaya is not solely Malay-centric.

Some time ago, many Malaysian historians mooted the idea that Malaysia was never 'colonised' by the British but merely 'administered' it. When the British enacted laws for Malaya on how it should be governed, as they did on several occasions, they effectively ruled us. 

The word 'pendatang' (newcomer) is a slur in Malaysia used against non-Malay people. It is absurd to continue using such a phrase, as some non-Malays have been here since before the 16th century. Clearly, they are more deeply rooted here than some first-generation Indonesians who claim to be more Malay by virtue of their religion. 

The Malays are a group of Austronesian seafarers from Taiwan who migrated through the Indonesian archipelago, from Sumatra, and then settled in the peninsula, mostly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The various tribes of people from the archipelago—such as the Malays, Minangkabaus, Javanese, Kerinchis, and Mendalings—each claim to be more 'son of the soil' than the others. It may be that the 1931 British census showed that non-Malays outnumbered Malays, which led to them being grouped together under the umbrella of Malay.

Lately, Yap Ah Loy's contribution to transforming Kuala Lumpur into a thriving city has been overshadowed in the name of 'Ketuanan Melayu' (Malay Supremacy). The names of Raja Abdullah, Sutan Puasa, and Abdullah Hukum are being mentioned. Raja Abdullah may have brought Chinese miners to work in Ampang. Sutan Puasa owned a piece of mining land. It was Yap Ah Loy who helped rebuild Kuala Lumpur after a fire and floods. 

The Orang Asli's role as the peninsula's earliest inhabitants is often overlooked. They arrived on the peninsula around 10,000 years ago. During the era of the Malay Sultanates, the Orang Asli were enslaved, causing them to retreat further into the wilderness. They played a vital role in maintaining security, especially against the communists. The skills of the Senoi Praque need no elaboration.

Kpl Baharuddin @ Senoi Praque

The Indian culture has been a powerful civilising influence on the Malay kingdom. This is reflected in their cuisine, language, wedding rituals, and royal ceremonies.

The author goes on to highlight the contributions of various communities in nation-building. The Javanese are depicted as a model of agricultural excellence. After being recruited as labourers across various geographical locations, they developed entrepreneurial skills and hard work that allowed them to become independent rubber estate smallholders. They retained their language and culture, living in Kampong Jawa, a common sight in many towns. Many Javanese have become Malaysian political leaders, not as Javanese but as Malays. 

The existence of the Melaka Chettis, a unique Hindu Peranakan community, dates back to the 15th century. Originally traders, they have now expanded into many professional fields. Their culture combines Tamil Hindu, Malay, and Chinese influences. Many speak Bazaar Malay at home. The community even produced a dondang sayang singer. Their traditions, dress, and cuisine are a blend of Indian and local flavours. They are among the original inhabitants of Malaya. 

The Baba-Nyonya, part of the Peranakan Chinese community, also shares a rich heritage with the Chettis. They have incorporated elements of Western culture into their traditions. They demonstrate allegiance to the Crown to distinguish themselves from the ‘off the boat’ Straits Chinese who arrived later. The former spoke a Malay-Hokkien blended language, while the latter spoke Hokkien or other dialects. The Baba-Nyonyas have their own distinctive cuisine and attire. Many from this community went on to become national leaders, including Tan Cheng Lock, the first president of the MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association); his son, Tan Siew Sin, the first Malaysian finance minister; and others. 

Jean Abdullah

The Portuguese Eurasian community traces its ancestry back five centuries to Melaka. They still carry their surnames. We are aware of many sportsmen, musicians, politicians, judges, and even a ‘First Lady’ for a brief moment through Jeanne Danker Abdullah. 

South Indians contributed immensely to Malaysia's subsequent economic and infrastructure development. The history textbooks conveniently omit the part where hundreds of thousands perished in the elements during the transformation of tropical jungles into rubber plantations. Then the hands that diligently tapped the white gold under the cloak of darkness to create modern Malaysia. The British also found them to be excellent workers for laying railway tracks. 

Then there were the Ceylonese, Malayalees, Telugus, Tamil Muslims, Sinhalese, entrepreneurial Gujaratis, and Sindhis.

The Sikhs, though small in number, proved to be no pushovers. Brought into the police force in the late 19th century, they play an important role in the country's defence. In this context, they are accused of being lapdogs of the British, doing their dirty work of curbing the natives. In their defence, the Sikhs were quite riled up after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Komagata Maru incident, where Sikh immigrants from India were denied entry and turned back. The passengers who reached Calcutta were forcibly arrested and shot during a scuffle. This event is said to have spurred the anti-British Gadar movement. A Malayan Sikh is credited with chartering the ocean liner from Hong Kong to ferry immigrants to Canada. 

Jagat Singh of Perlis

The significance of Sikh moneylenders as an alternative to traditional banking cannot be overstated. The story of Jagat Singh of Perlis is quite compelling. His involvement in moneylending enabled him to acquire nearly half of Perlis' land. The British had to intervene and exile him to Penang.

Their contributions to the legal profession, sports, education, politics, civil services, banking, and medical services cannot be denied. 

The ethnicities from Sabah and Sarawak also have their side of history that is glazed over to deny them their role in national progress. The 1943 Jesselton Uprising is a significant moment when a multi-ethnic Sanahan crowd stood up against the formidable Japanese forces during World War II. 

The current Government, which has strong roots and links with the right-leaning, pro-British, elitist Alliance Party, aims to promote the idea that the UMNO-MCA-MIC coalition is the only entity claiming independence from London. The contributions of the radical Malay left, such as PKMM and their liaison with the Japanese while maintaining rapport with MPAJA and CPM, are downplayed. Ahmad Boestamam, one of the key figures of the Malay left and other offshoot parties, does not receive due recognition.

In the early years of Malaya, Chinese entrepreneurs played a crucial role in developing commercial agriculture and tin mining. There is a special mention of a defender of the working class, Karam Singh Veriah; Karpal Singh Deo, whose fierce arguments about the Constitution still echo in the Opposition's minds; the revered spiritual leader Nik Aziz; the best Prime Minister Malaysia never had, Tun Dr Ismail; and the 'more Malay than Malay' leopold who cannot change his spots, Mahathir Mohamad. 

The book concludes with a report on the May 13 racial riots. The official narrative, as mentioned by Tunku, is that it was orchestrated by communal extremists supported by secret societies and Communists. In reality, it might have been a political coup in disguise. The ultra-Malay faction within UMNO, including Harun Idris, Mahathir Mohamad, Abdul Razak, and Ghazali Shafie, plotted to remove Tunku. It was a well-executed coup de tat that struck fear into Malaysia. New economic and educational policies were introduced to determine the country's direction for generations. Racial supremacy became ingrained in everyday life in Malaysia.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Not funny

It was a local cycling event with the usual thrills and frills. It was a fun event. It was not a race. People came in dressed in masks and capes. There was a chap who wore a Viking helmet with cowhorn-like horns to give a fiesta feel to everyone around. 

Close to a thousand riders thronged the much-delayed, newly paved expressway that would bring people all the way from Ampang to Putrajaya and beyond.

For the bystanders, it must have been a sight to behold. Rows of cyclists in tight-fitting gears all going in a single file must have tickled the onlookers to the bones. 

So there were a group of cyclists in front of me who were boisterously rolling along the highway. Manning the traffic was a group of Bangladeshi foreign workers. They, too, were fascinated with the event of the day. They, too, whipped out their mobile devices to record the race.

One of the racers in front of me quipped, "hey, give a good pose. For all you know, you would be appearing on Bangla Youtube!" (closest translation)

https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Reproduction-
Viking-Warrior-Helmet/dp/B008E4DFYW

It was an uncalled-for conversation. Just like everyone else, a foreigner or a general worker also has their likes and dislikes. He, too, wants to capture a momentous moment or share a scene that he wants others to see. Just because he is from the working class and is from a country considered to be in the lower rung of socioeconomic status, his action is by no means a justification for mocking. 

Another thing, YouTube is universal. There is no such thing as a Bangla YouTube or a Myanmarese one, but the local language may be. Now, with subtitles and audio choices, the world is one. 

Unfortunately, most Malaysians are like this - condescending and feeling one-up against each other. We suffer from so much insecurity that we pin others down to convince ourselves that we are doing alright. It is a form of cognitive dissonance. 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Vampires in Mississipi?

Sinners (2025)
Directed: Ryan Coogler

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31193180/

We are all familiar with vampires and the medical explanation for their condition. Examining their behaviours, doctors have concluded that they must be suffering from acute intermittent porphyria. It is a genetically inherited disease in which a deficient enzyme leads to the build-up of heme under the skin. Certain trigger factors can initiate a chain reaction, producing by-products that cause severe skin reactions, such as blistering and pain. These triggers include light and possibly garlic, which contains sulphur. 

Legend has it that the aberrant gene mainly affects a particular aristocratic family in Transylvania, present-day Romania, known as the Draculas. Understandably, folklore about this family in movies and stories involves white-skinned characters. Of course, in this day and age, just an arrangement would not suffice.

In the early days of photography and the development of moving pictures, as well as until the 1970s, film rolls were often biased against individuals with dark skin. They were orthochromatic, meaning they were sensitive to blue and green light but blind to red. This technical limitation made lighter skin tones more flattering, while darker skin tones appeared unnaturally dark and lacked detail. Film development processes cater for Caucasian subjects.

The discrimination persisted into the 1960s, when colour film gained popularity. The chemicals used to develop the films were not designed to preserve a wide range of tones except for shades of white. Kodak even had a colour chart called the Shirley Card, featuring a picture of a particular white woman, used as a standard to determine image clarity and skin tones in prints. 

Shirley card

It was protests from furniture makers and chocolate manufacturers against Kodak's films that prompted changes in how they detected a wider range of colours in their movies. Earlier complaints from graduating black students, along with blurry graduation photos, were ignored. They had complained, 'The darker the person was, the less visible his image.' When Kodak's business interests were threatened, they responded. Kodak introduced Kodak Gold, which claimed it could photograph a black horse against a white background without losing any details. 

Digital photography transformed everything. Instead of using light-sensitive films that need developing, it utilises electronic sensors to capture and store images. 

Given this background, it is only logical that 21st-century filmmakers, for whom equity is a buzzword and various movements around us testify to this, should create a film that rectifies the past. Now, we have a fictional story of vampires suddenly appearing in 1930s America, specifically in Mississippi, where African Americans are portrayed as running around with fangs and biting necks.

Incorporating themes of racial discrimination, the KKK, and a gore-filled night scene in dim lighting, the film aims to correct historical errors, featuring black vampires and meticulously filming dark-skinned actors with attention to makeup and facial expressions.

Verdict: Not my cup of tea (3/5).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

https://www.profitableratecpm.com/eavw6i1vus?key=563e27a9bff24095551c69d633759b79

A Rallying Cry!

The War Against Indians(2025)

150 Years of Betrayal, Suppression and Injustice in Malaya & Malaysia.

Author: Suthan Mookaiah

At the outset, the author does not claim the book as a literary work. He professes to merely inking his lived experiences. The sales of his books are a legitimate revenue source for him, as he funds upliftment programmes in Tamil Schools through his movement, Maatram.

Sollayah grew up in Taman West Country, a former estate land in Kajang. He saw the estates in Malaysia flattened in the heady days of Mahathirism. In the rapaciousness to make Malaysia a developed nation by 2020 and produce mega-millionaires of a certain denomination, the country was in heat. There was a land rush. Apparently, nobody, including the Indian leaders who were meant to represent them, had the inkling to think of the millions of Indians who had at least two to generations of a family whose world only revolved around the rubber estates and their surroundings.

Nobody thought of having the ex-estate workers vocational training or structured living programmes. Most economic developmental ideas initiated by its leader went into disarray. The Tamil schools were left unfunded with their structures in deplorable states. Community leaders of other groups were smart enough to care for the down line whilst the Indians were busy fattening their own coffers and running down each other.

The author's father had the wisdom to send his son to be educated in a national school (as compared to a Tamil school, as most nostalgic ex-estate dwellers would) despite the financial restraints. The author's father was odd-jobbing as a grasscutter. Suthan's studies enabled him to secure him a comfortable remuneration overseas. He returned to his homeland around the turn of the last decade and decided to pay back to the society he grew up in.

Through his movement, he tries to expose the decades of systemic marginalisation of the community after the collapse of the plantation economy. He tries to give dignity to Tamil Schools and stop the indiscriminate destruction of Hindu temples. The criminalisation of Indian youth is worrisome.

The author suggests the community to use the power of social to learn and disseminate useful information to hurl up the community to sturdy grounds.

He sells his book through the TikTok shop.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

It was a lovely day!

At 'starting point'

Have you heard the latest news around town? The National Heart Institute (Institut Jantung Negara, IJN) is offering free stress tests. Unlike other medical procedures, this one is not conducted in a hospital; it is carried out on the streets. Yes, IJN organised its annual premier cycling event, IJN Ride. All you need to do is sign up, choose your category, and ride. If you have anything suggestive of a heart condition, IJN will take it from there.

So, there it was. IJN Ride For Your Heart on 19th January 2025. The 115 km ride was scheduled to start at 7am. So there we were, waiting at the starting line in Anyara Hills, Semenyih, a new housing development. And waiting. The announcer had run out of announcements to make in his not-so-proficient English. The VIP was still not there to flag the participants. Despite being the State's Chief Minister with police outriders and controlled traffic for him to pass through, he thought it fashionable to arrive late. I guess he wanted to stamp his authority. When he finally arrived, ten minutes late, the participants gave him a befitting welcome. When the announcer, in his highly accented English, asked the participants to warmly welcome the VIP, they responded with pin-drop silence accentuated by the screaming of cicadas. 

Just barely 400 metres after flag-off, there was a casualty. Two cyclists had crashed into each other's path. Shaken but not stirred, they were all right. It was a lovely day to ride. For someone from an area with a temperate climate, their idea of a beautiful day is the sight of the sun over the horizon and sunlight shining through their hair. Not in Malaysia, it is not. The sun showed its full glory by 10 am, and from then on, the temperature reached scorching late 20 degrees C. The idea of engaging in strenuous sporting activities at high noon is indeed a duel mostly avoided by Malaysians. But then, the world needs lunatics to set standards on sanity.

Miraculously, the sun shied away through the ride, all 115 km of it. Either it was one of those gloomy days, or the shamans employed by the organisers must have done a good job. Yes, it is an open secret (or maybe an urban legend) that Malaysian sports bodies have shamans (bomoh) on their payroll to control the weather during important sports events. In the 1970s, when Malaysia was flying high as a football nation, it was discovered that we performed exceptionally well when the pitch was wet. This was attributed to the pathetic training pitches and the players' experience learning to play soccer in their youthful years in paddy fields. So, the bomohs were summoned to perform their 'rain dance' to invite the heavens to pour. That resulted in significant victories for Malaysia in the Merdeka Tournament. Seeing our country bag double-digit goals against minion teams was a common sight.

The ride covered a route commonly used by cyclists around the Klang Valley. Cruising along the flat terrain of Ulu Semenyih, we were guided to the sleepy town of Broga, which in its days had seen much resistance given to British colonial masters. The ride paved us to Lenggeng, another town forgotten in the annals of time. The national highway and the appetite for the general public to get from point to point B in a jiffy essentially sealed the growth of this town. Still, life goes on. Not to be confused with another town in the State of Perak, which still garners attention from the users of the East-West Highway to Kota Bharu. Curious minds flock here to view the complete skeletal remains of the oldest man in South East Man, the Perak Man, at Lenggong Archeological Museum.

At Lenggeng, we took a turn to climb over the Two Sisters, as they may be fondly referred to. It is a bi-peaked formation that is part of the Titiwangsa range. The sisters were quite unforgiving, starting with a 10% climb. It covered about a 5 km distance followed by a free-wheeling decline, only to tackle another 5 km climb heading towards Kuala Klawang, the driest town on the Peninsula, in the district of Jelebu. Another free-wheeling afterwards. 

Kuala Klawang @ Jelebu

By then, we had covered about half of the total distance. After a short banana and bun break, we were good to go.

The next half of the journey included the much-dreaded Kangkoi-Peres climb to Hulu Langat. In essence, it covered a 13 km unforgiving trail, with the road mostly going uphill, punctuated by a couple of deceiving short breathers. The undulating roads created the illusion that the climbs were ending, only to reveal another ascent. It started at the 75 km mark. We expected it to be blazing hot by then. Surprisingly, it was a tolerable 27°C thereabouts, with no sun 'breathing' down our necks. Still, it was no pleasure cruise!

The 'we' I have been mentioning throughout the event consists of me, myself, and my inner demons. I had to train for the race on my own after a fellow partner-in-crime withdrew due to family commitments. It was a test of self-motivation and discipline whilst juggling work commitments and the cranky weather recently. 

The inner demons were mostly curtailed as the external environment was kind. 

These long, monotonous rides make me think. Besides giving me ideas on what to write in the next blog, they also humble me. Finding myself in the middle of mighty structures of Nature that have been around forever reminds me of the fragility of this existence. One minute we are here, and the next you are late (pun intended).

Just like life, we start the race with much pomp and glitz. Along the way, the cyclists break into pelotons akin to all the relatives who keep you company throughout life's path. Deep inside, you still have to manage the day-to-day, just as a cyclist must listen to his body, plan his caloric intake and hydration, avoid potholes, and deal with lunatics behind wheels—motorised and otherwise—who are hell-bent on causing trouble for cyclists just for kicks and the occasional change of gears in anticipation of a climb. Some things work mechanically, like pedalling, while others require vigilance. In other words, you are the controller of your destiny in life, cycling-wise and philosophically. 

Once Genting Peres was conquered, it was a home run, really. Sliding down a 10-km decline from the 85 km mark, the subsequent section consisted of rolling hills. It was back to the starting point, completing a loop of 115 km, climbing over 1,420 m in 5h 25min. 

Even when I hit the finishing line, I had so much pent-up energy that I thought I should have pushed myself more. But then, it is better to finish strong than to drag my sorry self half-dead. What's more, come tomorrow, I have to return to my daytime job.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Caste, not race?

Origin (2023)
Director: Ava Duverney

(Based on the book, 'Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents' by Isabel Wilkerson)

It is an interesting way of looking at all the problems affecting the world today. It is blamed on caste segregation. Traditionally, we think of caste as a problem only affecting India. And Indians believe it is a system brought in by colonial masters and divided the nation to ease control. The stifling of one layer of society over the other is not just based on the colour of their skin. It is something beyond. The group at the top end of the food chain would want to maintain the status quo and keep the people beneath them forever squashed.

The writer, Isabel Wilkerson, a Pulitzer Prize winner, compared situations in three scenarios. 

She looked at the black situation in America, where blacks are stereotyped as troublemakers, poor, unemployed, unemployable and criminals. The system reinforces this stereotype upon them to a level that even the blacks buy into the trope. The blacks become apologetic about how they are and make amends to be 'liked' by the oppressors, i.e. the white Americans. 

The truth of the matter is that the white men brought them as slaves from Africa. Everything was alright when they were the masters and the blacks their slaves. Things became complicated when emancipation happened. The whites made it a point to retain themselves in the highest perch of the food chain. They suppressed the blacks through the preservation of the white gene pool via marriage laws, housing restrictions and educational opportunities. This continued until they occupied the unsavoury aspects of the country's statistics. Stories of police brutality, George Floyd and Trayvon Martin have become a recurrent theme.

It is not the colour of the skin of the other that matters. Look at post-WWI Germany. The wisdom of the Nazi Party thought the Jews should be made the bogeymen to make their country rise from the ashes of the First World War. Propaganda after propaganda of the Nazis made Jews the scorn of the country. Jews were identified, tagged, marked, quarantined, cursed and finally sent to incinerators, all under the law of the land.

The author then travelled to India to see how caste discrimination affects the Dalit community. Accompanied by a Dalit academician, she is told how the elitist and the ruling class suppress the Dalit community from succeeding in life. The film goes on to show how members of the low rung of society are oppressed and confined to performing menial chores that nobody wants to do. Ambedkar is featured here as the living of someone who went on to obtain a double PhD despite all the odds that worked against him to keep him down. The manner in which his society had reservations about sharing, even drinking water, even as a Government official, is stressed too. A statue of Ambedkar in Delhi is shown to be placed in a cage because the statue is constantly vandalised, suggesting to the viewers that the general public hates revering a Dalit figure even though he helped to draft the Indian Constitution. Is that the hint?

The presentation conveniently failed to inform the high number of high-performing students who could not secure a place in the local universities, all because of caste quota. To continue studying, these students and their parents must fork out high sums of money to get foreign education and possibly foreign employment. India's loss is the rest of the world's gain.

The film tries to simplify everything. The innate desire for one person to dominate over the other is inherent in all of us. It does not depend on race or ethnicity. People will find reasons to suppress others with made-up reasons. This probably goes well with critical race theorists who insist that racism is inherent in the legal institution to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans.

Wilkerson looks at black suppression not as a race issue but as a caste suppression. A group of people, in the USA's case, it is the Hispanics and the Blacks, are put at the bottom of the hierarchical 'caste system' through generations of oppressive laws.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

google.com, pub-8936739298367050, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0