ARE you Malaysian? How come?

If I were born in Johor in 1964, my nationality would be Malaysian. But had my parents decided to give up their pineapple plantation in Johor and taken me to Singapore, where they would sell chicken rice, my nationality would have been Singaporean.

Why? Because the following year, on August 9, Singapore was severed from the Federation and forced to declare a second Independence.

Had it not been for family decision or the separation due to national politics, I would still be a part of the Federation of Malaysia, obeying Malaysian laws under the governance of the Malaysian government.

The nationality by birth is not what I could decide. But this identity would have a profound effect on my life until I could migrate.

The first and foremost characteristic of a state is the territory. A territory is a border formed during a particular historical period because of interacting factors which could be accidental.

A border could be formed by war, agreement, or even negotiation. A territory is usually governed by an authority.

A state authority has the power to proclaim law and order and execute them within its territory. People who live on the land would be punished if they do not obey them.

Therefore, a state has a monopoly on violence. What’s legitimate for the state to do could be forbidden to an ordinary person.

In Malaysia, it would be unlawful to walk on the street carrying a gun without licence. But if you were a police officer then it is considered as law enforcement because the state authorises you to do so.

You can’t simply lock someone up, it’s illegal imprisonment. But the state could legally imprison someone.

A state could even proclaim specific measures during extraordinary times. For example, there is nothing wrong with a family going for a leisurely drive but during the pandemic, this family would be punished under the movement control order.

Since a state is not eternal, how can the people be persuaded to accept its legitimacy that bears such overarching power?

The most common reason is the state would guarantee personal safety and property security and basic living necessities. The classic assumption is that under the “state of nature” where a governing body does not exist, people would kill and harm each other to survive.

Therefore, people would have to agree to some sort of “contract” and hand over their personal liberty to the authorities to eliminate war and savagery. Laws are thus created to maintain social order.

In fact, we have no idea when such a “contract” was agreed upon and who had represented us. But to avoid punishment and potential harm against us, we simply obey the rule of the state authority.

Therefore, we believe in the necessity of state authority even if we dislike the laws and regulations imposed on us. Citizens do enjoy some rights conferred by the state.

However, people also feel that the state often coerces rather than sweet-talk them, especially when it comes to taxation.

Few would remind themselves about their national identity in daily life, except for those who are deprived of it.

It’s unlike other role identities like parent, partner, or teacher, which are as natural as they come.

A person’s nationality only becomes apparent when an external situation demands it. When Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik won the World Badminton Championships, many were proud to be Malaysian.

But when refugees risk their lives coming ashore or migrant workers move into our neighbourhood, it’s “us versus them”. They are unjustly accused of causing harm and disorder.

To maintain state authority and nationhood, we cannot simply rely on people’s fear of being punished and the “state of nature”, and certainly not a sense of nationality created by pitching outsiders against us.

To cultivate a sense of belonging, perhaps some sort of positive affinity is required.

Therefore, the concept of “nation” might come in handy. Nationality recognises a person’s membership and legal rights in a particular country, and yet it also binds to an ethnic group (bangsa).

The concept of a nation-state is full of paradoxes. – September 19, 2022.

* Veronica Lim Yi Hui is the Agora Society chairman. She holds a degree in biochemistry and is a PhD candidate in Philosophy. She has great interest in human creative endeavours like films and music. At the same time, she is concerned over the destructive impact of humans on the planet.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.