'Race' column in government forms: Should it be maintained?

Much has been said about the controversy pertaining to losing the 'race' column in all government official forms.

On Wednesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun had created a stir when he said the Cabinet had decided that the 'race' column in official government forms will be dropped as it did not serve any purpose.

But Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak clarified the issue on Thursday that the government did not decide on such a thing, leading to Entulu issuing an apology later that same day.

Prior to this, Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) president, Datuk Ibrahim Ali threatened to take legal action if the government decides to drop the column from official forms while Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang had yesterday said the insertion of the column in all official forms was not stipulated in the Federal Constitution but instead done at the discretion of the government.

In light of this hot issue, Astro AWANI took the issue to the streets and interviewed some members of the public to find out their stand on the matter. Some were all for letting go of the column while others believed the column did serve a purpose. Here's what they had to say.

• Amri Anuar, 34, from Kuala Lumpur: "I agree for the race column to be done with because it can create better unity, there's no need to differentiate between Malaysians, particularly if we're serious in promoting the spirit of 1Malaysia. In fact, we should also do away with vernacular schools while we're at it if we truly want our children and the younger generation to interact better with one another."

• Ng May Yee, 29, from Kuala Lumpur: "I'm all for losing the 'race' column because I personally feel discriminated against whenever I have to fill up that part in any form. Even from young I have felt discriminated against sometimes, just for being a Chinese. If the prime minister is serious in advocating 1Malaysia, then a 'race' column is definitely unnecessary."

• P. Gayatri, 44, from Taiping, Perak: "Yes, we don't need the 'race' column. I do feel uneasy whenever I need to tick that column in a form. I want my children to grow up not being racist and to be more included in society, not divided in any way."

• Abdul Yahaya, 27, from Selangor: "I think the column should be maintained mainly for demographic purposes. I believe it's important to know how many people are of which race because we do not want 'outsiders' to monopolise the country, its politics or economy. I am one of those who believe in the term 'Tanah Melayu' and I feel that the term should stand for something."

• Zaki Ahmad, 40, from Kuala Lumpur: "If we do away with the 'race' column, I feel that the Malay identity would then be lost. I am a firm believer of Hang Tuah's quote 'takkan Melayu hilang di dunia' and if it weren't up to us to protect our identity, who else will?"

• Rokiah Ismail, 48, from Kota Tinggi, Johor: "All these controversies about losing the 'race' column are just a ploy of the Opposition to create chaos in the country and divide the people. If we're not careful, the Malays could lose their rights such as Malay students losing their spots in government educational institutions to those of other races or obtaining scholarships, for example."