The
Malays - (15% of Singaporeans)
The fact remains that the Malay
immigrants were the foremost settlers among the three prior to
the Chinese and the Indians.
A myth narrated the story of
the first Malay settler who was a prince named "Sang Nila
Utama", residing in the court of Palembang (modern
Indonesia). He was a joyful prince, who was fond of an
adventurous life. As time elapsed, he got bored of his daily
activities and tried to hunt for new things. When he saw a
distant island at the end of the horizon, an idea came into his
mind and that is to sail across the sea just to get there.
During the voyage, he faced a terrible storm that could overturn
his ship. In order to stay alive, the prince had to throw away
all of his cargo, gold and even his bejeweled crown that he was
wearing. Finally, he survived and reached the island.
The beach was beautiful and
white. Besides, there were many birds and colorful flowers. The
prince was very pleased at his sight. Suddenly, he saw a weird
creature, hidden in the jungle; it was bigger than the male
dear, had a black head, a reddish body and a white chest. When
told that he had just seen the lion, Sang Nila Utama named the
island "The Lion City" and declared himself the ruler.
If the myth were true, the
incidence could be dated back historically to the 13th or 14th
century and was the origin of the alias "The Lion
City" for the present-day Singapore.
Though the Malays are the first
known inhabitants of Singapore, they are not the largest ethnic
group in modern society due to the influx of the Chinese and
Indian immigrants in later centuries. The latter two, especially
the Chinese, dominate the cultures, customs, politics as well as
the economy and the Malays became sublimely alienated in their
own country.
During the colonial day, the
British brought the Malays into the Singapore's armed forces
because of their high loyalty and great respect. After Singapore
gained an independence from Britain, the People's Action Party
(PAP) won the election and soon replaced the Malay armed forces
with the Chinese in significant proportion. Obviously, it is an
attempt of the authority to divert the power for stability
concern.
The Malays had contributed a
major sound to call for independence from the British, but today
they hear no thanks from the other races in Singapore. The
Malays have also blamed some of the
"Speaking-Mandarin" government's social campaign as
racially divisive.
Nowadays, the Malay community
in Singapore possesses a poorer academic record in school, a
prominent chart of higher drug addiction rate, a lowest class of
Singaporean society, and less economic strength than any other
community. These problems can be routed to their lack of
proficiency in English and Chinese which are the two prominent
languages used in Singapore's politics, businesses and
industries.
Most of the Malays in Singapore
are Muslims. Islam is the major influence in everyday life and
is the medicine of the Malay society.
The Articles about
Singaporean People & Population:
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