Harmony in Penang has no basis in religion
Re: “Peace is a reality in Penang”, Letters, February 3.
Eric Bahrt is correct in lauding Malaysia as one of the few tolerant Muslim countries. Indonesia can also be included. However, Penang doesn’t fit. The island is the only state in Malaysia without a Muslim-majority population, being mainly Chinese (47 per cent), Malay (41 per cent) and Indian (11 per cent). Penang has always enjoyed harmony because of the balance of races, even though it is economically subject to Chinese domination.
The May 13, 1969, racial rioting in Kuala Lumpur – which had an official death toll of 196 (unofficially 600) mostly ethnic Chinese – left 6,000 Chinese homeless. The policy known as Bumiputra was then introduced, favouring Malays economically as sons of the land, at the expense of the ethnic minorities.
The tolerance in Malaysia can be attributed to that policy of unequal footing economically and socially, and is not related to religion.
Songdej Praditsmanont
