‘Malay Muslim first’: the politics of Bumiputeraism in East Malaysia

This chapter traces the political marginalisation of the main Bumiputera (indigenous) political grouping in the East Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah. Often ignored by scholars working on Malaysia, their political plight and marginalisation by the Muslim powerbrokers in both states in the past two decades are symbolic of the making of a ‘Malay Muslim’ state, rather than the promise of multi-ethnic and multi-religious Malaysian federation. In theory, the Bumiputera were favoured in all political, economic and social spheres under the infamous New Economic Policy (NEP). They are supposed to get easy access to government jobs, scholarships and places in public universities, special licences and easy credit. In reality, it would appear that these benefits are only available to Muslim Bumiputera (MB) while the majority Bumiputera, being non-Malay and non-Muslim, are marginalised or get very little benefit from the NEP and other affirmative action policies.