In regards to the statement made by Defence Minister Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, I urge him to check his historical facts once more. In the past, many non-Malays were keen to join the armed forces. However, the current rate of decline in the recruitment of non-Malays could be due to many factors, thus to say that they are not patriotic is absolutely an injustice to them.

During the time of the Japanese Occupation in our country, the establishment of the Malayan People’s Anti Japanese Army (MPAJA) is one example of patriotism shown by the Chinese citizens and various ethnic groups.

The MPAJA consisted of members of various ethnic groups in Malaya who had fought side by side against the Japanese oppression, and in the end, with the combined efforts of everyone, they had successfully achieved national independence.

Besides that, during the Emergency period which happened 61 years ago, the Chinese villages in rural areas suffered as victims of the unrest. The British government was forced to defend the country against the threat of the Communists Party of Malaya (CPM). However, in response to MCA’s initiative, many Malayan Chinese had in one way or another, voluntarily formed and joined the Home Guard in order to protect the security and stability of the country and had contributed selflessly to the country by resolutely protecting the country’s interest from all threats.

All Malaysians regardless of race had contributed towards the struggle for national independence. Their involvement towards this struggle was paid for in sweat and blood, in both the Japanese Occupation and the Emergency against the CPM.

I would also like to stress that although the army in present times is indeed dominated by a single race, it does not mean that the other races are not patriotic. The Malaysian Chinese had contributed heavily in the Department of Defence, and the breakdown of race in the armed forces in 1971 can be seen below:

Army	Royal Malay Regiment: Malay 100%Other regiments/corps:1)  Malays – 50% officer, 84% other ranks and file2)  Non-Malays-50% officer , 16% other ranks and file
Navy	1)  Malays – 51% officer, 74% other ranks and files 2)  Non-Malays – 49% officer, 26% other ranks and other files
Air Force	1)       Malays – 46% officer, 59% other ranks and files 2)       Non-Malays – 54% officer, 41% other ranks and files

Thus it can be seen from the above table that, not withstanding the rank of officer or other ranks and files, the ratio for the participation of non-Malays is higher than that of the Malays. This is especially so in the Air Force whereby the percentage of Malay officers is only 46%. Therefore, is this table more than sufficient to prove to everyone that the Malaysian Chinese are indeed patriotic?

I would also like to add that besides showing one’s patriotism by joining the armed forces, the non-Malays have also contributed greatly in other fields such as nation building activities and the economy growth of the country. Therefore, I hope that the Defence Minister can refine his definition of the word “patriotic” and to carefully check the historical accounts of the country before jumping to conclusions as doing so might be harmful to the mutual trust and relationship that has been fostered between all races for a long time now.

LOH SENG KOK
Member of MCA Central Committee,
Member of MCA Presidential Council,
Deputy Chairman of MCA Publicity Bureau

-MCA online-