The recent controversy about who is or is not “authorised to use the 1Malaysia logo” is childish to say the least. But, maybe the problem with the concept or this symbol of a new concept is exactly what the Bangsa Malaysia concept faced in conceptual clarity at the point of her original pronouncement. Let me clarify.

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The Bangsa Malaysia concept was first articulated in 1991 by then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad ( left ). In fact, the whole world also knows that the author who brainstormed and created the concept was the late Noordin Sopiee, then founder director-general of ISIS, the first and foremost of Malaysian political think tanks. No one would contest this fact and neither would the former PM.

The Bangsa Malaysia speech was originally delivered in English at the launch of the Malaysian Business Council; and which probably was designed to reflect the epitome of the then-prime minister’s Malaysia Incorporated policy.  

The policy called upon the right hand of public governance and the left hand of private governance to collaborate to create and grow wealth of the nation for the national interest, so that our cake would grow faster and each person’s share would be bigger. The Bangsa Malaysia concept was spoken, delivered and articulated quite clearly in English, but exactly like the roots of the word Malaysia; it may not have a Melayu ethnic meaning.

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Clearly the speech defined nine challenges Malaysia would face in becoming a nation. And here, let me restate therefore what my Distinguished Professor friend, AB Shamsul says, “Malaysia may be a state but not yet a nation!”

There was however one clear attempt by the then-DG of SERU (or Socio-Economic Research Unit which has since been disbanded and absorbed into EPU) to host a Bangsa Malaysia conference which, too, was conducted and mediated in English to define the concept and kill all lack of clarity. All of who mattered in Malaysia Incorporated were presumably invited. SERU even published a book as an outcome.

Confusion rather than clarity

Today the original Bangsa Malaysia concept too has been “Malayised” and there is only further confusion rather than clarity even about this fairly well-articulated concept.

To me, the worst point of our lack of national clarity of this simple and straightforward concept was when the current menteri besar of Johor said that he could and would not support the concept at an Umno general assembly when Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was still president of Umno.

When a chief minister and an Umno vice-president, and leader of the Barisan Nasional for Johor and a person who was a deputy dean of the Economics Faculty of Universiti Malaya can be confused after more than 15 years of a concept is a tragedy. All ordinary Malaysians had by then adopted this as a slogan of unity. Why had it suddenly become “political” if it, too, was only a tool of nation-building?

Dear Prime Minister of Malaysia, your greatest enemy for your new vision and the even greater nine challenges of Bangsa Malaysia are the Umno members and their friends who are your “ nyamok dalam kain selimut .” They are your greatest enemies. I think I speak for all Malaysians who love the nation more than any of the many partisan or splinter groups!

Therefore, allow me to clarify my take on this concept of 1Malaysia as I understand it and see if the PM can agree and seek to kill his “little Napoleans or Little Nyamoks ” in his kain pelikat or in his system and jurisdiction of governance first?” My definitions for the preamble to this potentially nationalist concept are:

  1. It can be a universal idea and ideal; regardless of who coined or invented it. But this concept cannot become any one person or group’s personal intellectual property. Like all wisdom; the ideal must belong to God and not man.
  2. What is unique and different about it is that it is an alphanumeric concept; which means it has both a mathematic or numeric idea, and an alphabetical idea incorporated into this compound concept.
  3. The numeric oneness is stated against the English word concept of Malaysia and not in any other ethnic preference language; and that is what makes it universal; and should never be reduced into ‘ Tanah Melayu ’ concept, as happened to the Bangsa Malaysia concept. Let me repeat my argument about the word Malaysia. Malay is the English equivalent of the ethnic concept of the people of Sungai Melayu. The concept of Malaysia is an extension of this English word and never was and never can be a Melayu word. Ask our Dewan Bahasa experts or the English or Dutch language experts.
  4. When used in the alphanumeric form against the now universal nation-state concept called Malaysia, it can actually be translated into every conceivable ethnic language as 1Malaysia; read in each language as the numerical 1 compounded with the universal name for a nation state. So, every Malaysian who is of any ethnic heritage can read the 1Malaysia in their language; without any sense of lack of cultural ownership but in fact with pride of ownership! Then it is also a truly national and universal concept of unity; without any artificial or false ownership or overlordship of any community over another; whether Malay or Jewish.
  5. Finally, if it is honestly and truly Malaysian intended as a nationalist and universal unity concept; Najib, as Prime Minister of the nation-state, should call for a serious national conference of the National Consultative Council variety wherein we (all Malaysians of the more than 100 ethnicities) can explain what they each mean by adoption of this Malaysian nationalist concept. Gone are therefore the days of ketuanan Melayu, or even the days of the “ pendatangisation ” of a pure breed and true blue ‘ anak ’ Bangsa Malaysians.

Therefore, let me conclude this piece with a sentence used by Mahathir in the foreword to a book for my father which was launched on his 90th birthday called, The Legacy of a Father’s Love :

“You know, the book declares Datuk John’s story and memory of what I told him about MICO Pharmacy. I have to state that this is the honest truth about MICO Pharmacy. When we were going to name it, I simply used the acronym of Malays, Indians, Chinese and Others to make the name, MICO. In 1991 we launched the Bangsa Malaysia; essentially the same concept within a newer framework. That was a new concept of nationality we all need to strive for.  I did not explain it very clearly then but instead argued for the nine challenges we as a people faced in becoming a Bangsa Malaysia.”

May God bless this nation-state we now call 1Malaysia!