National Sikhs Movement (Geraksikh) president Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill said the move would put an end to the community’s problem in having to choose between putting themselves as Indian or “others” in official forms, saying it promoted the 1Malaysia concept.
___________________________________________________________
PETALING JAYA: The proposal to drop the requirement to state one’s race in official forms has received wholehearted support.
United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) secretary-general and former MP Datuk Wilfred Tangau said that currently, the ethnic communities in Sabah and Sarawak felt they were just an “afterthought”.
“I’m happy this whole ‘lain-lain’ (others) category for race is done away with,” he said.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjum said such a move was long overdue, adding that the “lain-lain” category should not have been in official forms in the first place.
MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said the party had been championing this for a long time and that it was time for the Government to do away with it.
“We support such a move because it is dear to our heart,” he said, adding that this was in line with the 1Malaysia concept.
In Malacca, the Portuguese Settlement’s Regedor panel’s vice-president Michael Benerji said the 1,200-member community had long felt alienated whenever filling in official forms because they had to place themselves under the “others” column.
“Previously, our youths were not given an identification code in entry forms when applying to local universities. We had to write to the universities to point this out and they finally agreed to give us the numeral 0000 as our code,” said Benerji, whose sentiments were also echoed by the Portuguese-Eurasian Association president Michael Singho.
MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the move would make everybody feel “more Malaysian”. Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Datuk K.K. Eswaran said the proposal should be welcomed by all Malaysians and that it would help in enhancing cooperation between the various races.
In Johor, Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the column for religion must also be removed from official forms.
“It will ensure there is no bias when people deal with government staff as in the past, I received complaints that Malay civil servants tended to put documents from non-Malays last,” he said.
National Sikhs Movement (Geraksikh) president Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill said the move would put an end to the community’s problem in having to choose between putting themselves as Indian or “others” in official forms, saying it promoted the 1Malaysia concept.
Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin also said it was a step towards realising 1Malaysia and would “put away whatever racial barriers there may be”.
However, Deputy Education Minister Dr Fuad Zarkashi said race and religion columns should be maintained in official forms for identification purposes, adding that nobody should have a problem with stating his or her own race - Star 19/8/2009
