Are You A Malay?
The word "Malay" was adopted into English via the Dutch word "Malayo", which ultimately originates from the Malay word "Melayu". According to one popular theory, the word Melayu means "migrating" or "fleeing", which might refer to the high mobility of these people across the region.
Generically, the name "Malay" is used to describe all the numerous related groups inhabiting the Malay Archipelago, and which are not of older aboriginal stock. These include the Aceh, Minangkabaus, Bataks and Mandailings who live in Sumatra ; Java and Sunda in Java ; Banjars, Ibans, Kadazans and Melanaus in Borneo ; Bugis and Torajas in Sulawesi ; the various dominant ethnic groups in the Philippines such as the Tagalogs, Ilocanos and Ifugao of Luzon island, the Bisaya of the central Philippines, the Maguindanao, Tausug and Bajau of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago ; and the people of East Timor (again, excluding those of older Papuan stock).
Specifically, this name is also proper to the subgroup which is native to the eastern part of Sumatra but migrated to the Malay Peninsula and the Riau Archipelago over the past thousand years or so. Sometimes, but very rarely, this subgroup is called "Riau Malays" to distinguish it as a specific group.
The term Melayu (Malay Person in Malay Language), in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, refers to a person who practices Islam and Malay Cultures, speaks Malay Language, and whose ancestors are Malays. However, not all Malay people had been converted to Islam. The constitution defines a Malay as being one who "professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay customs and is the child of at least one parent who was born within the Federation of Malaysia before independence on the 31st of August 1957".
Other groups classified as Malays which live outside what is called the Malay archipelago include the Cham who live in Cambodia and Vietnam and the Utsuls who live on the island of Hainan. Descendants of the Malays could be found today in Sri Lanka, South Africa (the "Cape Malays") and Madagascar. In the latter, they are known as the Merina and constitute one of the dominant ethnic groups in that country.
In terms of religion, most Malays had converted from Hinduism, Buddhism and animism to Islam in the early 15th century; influenced by Arab, Chinese and Indian Muslim seafarers during the Islamic Golden Age. Today, Muslims form the dominant religious group among Malays of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. Their conversion to Islam from Hinduism and Theravada Buddhism began in the 1400s, largely influenced by the decision of the royal court of Malacca.
Bumiputra or Bumiputera (Sanskrit, translated literally, it means "sons of the Earth"; Malay, translated literally, it means "princes of the Earth"), is an official definition widely used in Malaysia, embracing ethnic Malays as well as other indigenous ethnic groups. The word "Bumiputra" was first used in Parliament in 1965 during the debate of the act which would create the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), a government agency formed to preserve Bumiputra interests.
In practice, however, the term Bumiputra was probably created to address collectively the group described in Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia. Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia grants the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or King of Malaysia, responsibility for safeguarding the rights and privileges of the Malay and other indigenous peoples of Malaysia, collectively referred to as Bumiputra. The article specifies how the federal government may protect the interest of these groups by establishing quotas for entry into the civil service, public scholarships and public education. It is often considered to be part of the social contract.
Another controversial aspect is that the Orang Asli of peninsular Malaysia are not considered Bumiputra under the Federal constitution. As their settlement predates that of the Malays, this is considered unfair by many, especially as they are also much worse off than the Malays. As such, various groups including SUHAKAM, the Malaysian Commission of Human Rights have called for the government to recognise Orang Asli as Bumiputra.
Nota kaki:
Pada tahun 1963, terdapat pertelingkahan sengit antara Jaafar Albar dan Lee Kuan Yew di Parlimen. Kuan Yew telah menuduh Jaafar Albar sebagai bukan seorang Melayu mengikut definasi Perlembagaan Malaysia. Mungkin Kuan Yew mempunyai asas yang kukuh. Jaafar Albar berasal dari Indonesia dan hanya berhijrah ke Malaysia sewaktu beliau berumur +/- 30 tahun. Artikel di atas diceduk dari beberapa penerbitan. Saya mengaku tidak menulis artikel di atas dan tidak mengplagirisasikannya (apa-apalah) untuk tujuan ekonomi.