THE perennial punching bag of Malay politicians who blame the Chinese for all the country’s ills, which has been deprived of a fair share of the economic pie, has now been accused of having lost its moral compass.  

The Chinese came out in droves to meet the former prime minister Najib Razak, whose 1MDB exploits the country in world headlines, during his visit to a vernacular school and a walkabout in Johor recently. 

It has always been said that the people of Chinese descent in Malaysia are pragmatic.

They understand the complexity of socio-economic reality in its many forms in this country. A great part of what goes on in the minds of the Chinese is influenced by their life philosophies. 

The Chinese talk more than they act, especially in politics. The Chinese avoid entering a course of action which may be irrevocable and instead find substitutes for positive action. 

Their tendency for inaction appears to suggest a sort of passive attitude that they rather wait for the unfolding of the events than to enter a course of action. 

Others would condemned this attitude as one of callous indifference but the shadow that has loomed over the Chinese since May 13, 1969 remains. Since that bloody day, the Chinese have feared to rock the boat, believing that the safe thing to do is to leave things alone rather than run the risk of making them worse by interference.  Time and again in the last 50 years, opportunistic Malay politicians have not failed to remind the Chinese of the event to boost their standing among their supporters.

The problem for the Chinese is not simply to exist but to preserve their very existence against political interference. 

The rakyat of Chinese descent are expected to behave and support politicians from their own ethnic background – at least that’s how politicians on both sides of the divide want it.

With Malays making up 70% of the total population now, the Chinese vote will become less relevant over time because Chinese-majority seats will become mixed seats and eventually, Malay-majority seats.  

Thus, the Chinese do not believe they hold any sway in politics. The conservatism of the Chinese is an apt response to the political situation they atr confronted with in Malaysia ib the last 50 years or so. They prefer to wait for the fruition of natural processes, to give nature and feng shui time to do their work.

The Chinese’s perennial, almost obsessive, concern with economic and education relevance guides or frames their pragmatism in this country. In fact this is the commonlyt practised by Chinese all over the world, regardless of where they are.

It was the change of conditions, an alteration of environment that changed how the Chinese thought and acted as in what was witnessed in Johor. It was genuinely pragmatic. 

Chinese parents view academic achievement as a great source of pride which is held in high regard in Chinese culture. In Chinese culture, success is not the result of intelligence, but the result of diligence, self-discipline, and self-regulation over the long haul. 

The goal of every Chinese parent is for the next generation to achieve for a good position in society. They want everyone who knows them, such as their parents, teachers, and friends, to be proud of them. 

Chinese students are driven by this sense of cultural and familial obligation.

They voted in huge numbers to support the coalition that promised them recognition of the UEC examination certificate in 2018. The failure of the Pakatan Harapan government to make good on that promise was sorely noted by the entire Chinese community. 

The politicians can protest that they did not have a chance to fulfil the promise as they were ejected before the full term.

Have those who complained about the Chinese losing their moral compass checked their own?

Have the politicians, who exhorted the Chinese to come out in the 2018 GE while sharing a platform with the man they had previously condemned as responsible for all of the country’s ills, checked theirs?

As mentioned, the Chinese are pragmatic people. The Chinese know that regardless of whoever helms the government, they will remain the most convenient target and will always be used as a punching bag for any Malay politician for political mileage.

Looting the country’s coffers? The Chinese believe that every of them loots, regardless of whoever is helming the country, including the opposition coalition. The Penang tunnel deal and Lim Guan Eng’s house purchase below the market price are just two clear examples. It is only the extent of the looting that differs. 

It is sad that politicians of Chinese descent are now joining the act of scapegoating the Chinese when the grain goes against them. Do not blame the Chinese voters for your own failure to win non-Chinese majority seats.

Based on current projections, this is expected to be continued post the election in Johor where the Chinese will be singled out again with the winning coalition praising them while the loser will scapegoat them for abandoning them and supporting a return to a regime that will destroy the country.

The Chinese are not at a crossroads. It is just that a moral compass is at times at odds with the Chinese philosophy of survival in Malaysia.

* FLK reads The Malaysian Insight.