KUALA LUMPUR – A Singaporean netizen’s recent thread discussing the perceived erasure of Malay culture and identity in the city-state has stirred controversy among some Malaysians, sparking mixed reactions on social media.
The intense debate unfolded after user Hannah (@hanaisweird), a 20-year-old ethnic Malay Singaporean, pointed out what she saw as a “pattern” of the absence of Malays in local media and their underrepresentation on the global stage.
In her comprehensive thread, Hannah cited examples from Hollywood movies like ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.
She also shared personal anecdotes about Singaporean relatives living abroad who faced mockery for not being of Chinese ethnicity or not speaking a Chinese dialect.
Hannah argued that the underrepresentation of Malays in Singapore was contributing to their obscurity, affecting community events, and eroding communal culture and customs. She lamented the shift in focus from Malay cultural practices to prioritising Chinese funerals, sharing a personal story about a neighbourhood kenduri that was halted.
“All this also ties into the way we could barely hold community events without getting in trouble, leading to an erasure of our own very communal culture and customs. Remember my story about my neighbourhood kenduri that suddenly stopped because more priority was given to Chinese funerals? Yeah, it’s awful.
“Not to mention that these days it’s all so trendy and stylish to be an entrepreneur, self made CEO/girlboss but before these fancy terms arrived, we were doing this for survival.”
“Malay housewives would cook and sell food, kuih, etc. Provide sewing and tailoring services. It was something so integral to our collective identity, self sufficiency,” she said.
“That’s not to say that it’s no longer a thing, but with the expectations this country has put on us, these types of businesses have become harder and harder to run, and most of us who do so have been pushed into obscurity.”
“Meanwhile, I see young Chinese entrepreneurs flexing on their cash and getting help from the government, getting to go to these elite international business events to promote themselves.”
Despite Malays making up 15.4% of the 3.5 million residents in Singapore, Hannah asserted that the community struggled for visibility and faced obstacles in running businesses.
Hannah then took aim at Malaysian Malays, whom she believed would use her thread as “fuel to hate on Malaysian Chinese folks”, because the Malaysian Malays are able to attend events she mentioned because “they’re privileged enough that they could be there.”
In response, some Malaysians accused Hannah of being a “walaun,” associating her with overzealous supporters of parties advocating Malay supremacy.
Some of Hannah’s compatriots also challenged her beliefs, pointing out that the national language of Singapore is Malay and that the national anthem Majulah Singapura was also sung in the language.
After her posting gained traction and elicited many reactions, Hannah rejected assertions that she supported Malaysian parties that promoted Malay supremacy, as she was not a citizen of the neighbouring country.
“Contrary to popular belief, I am not a walaun, I think it’s weird that you project your hatred of PAS onto me considering I’m… not even Malaysian.
“If being concerned about how our future generations will live makes me a walaun, then okay, I guess I am one. I’m not advocating for this generation because I know I’ll never see change in my lifetime, I’ve already known this since the start. I’m only thinking about the next.” – March 1, 2024