Malaysia: promotion of a Chinese-ethnic military officer fuels ethnic tensions
The controversy was triggered by the appointment of Johnny Lim Eng Seng as a three-star officer, the first in the history of the country's armed forces. On social media, a member of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party has launched an attack, fearfully hypothesising a ‘Palestinian scenario’. In the background is the low level of participation of minorities in the army, which is largely made up of ethnic Malays.
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) - A Facebook post has reignited inter-ethnic and religious tensions in Malaysia after the historic promotion of a Chinese officer in the army, traditionally dominated by ethnic Malays and Muslims.
Zaharudin Muhammad, a prominent local figure in the PAS (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party) and son-in-law of party president Abdul Hadi Awang, shared a provocative post speculating about the election of a prime minister of Chinese origin.
The post was accompanied by a photo of Lieutenant General Johnny Lim Eng Seng, the first Malaysian of Chinese ethnicity to attain the rank of three-star general in the country's armed forces.
The post was later removed, but Zaharudin reiterated his point, arguing that his was a hypothetical - and provocative - argument linked to the “Malaysia My Second Home” programme, which facilitates the entry of foreign citizens.
He maintains that a scenario similar to that of Palestine – a highly debated issue in Muslim-majority countries in Southeast Asia – could lead to a prime minister born of these “new arrivals” by 2058. The photo of Lim, he added, was “only illustrative” and unrelated to the content.
His words actually sparked a wave of criticism: Syahredzan Johan, a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), accused Zaharudin of wanting to ‘fuel racial controversy’ and urged him to apologise to the army and General Lim.
The PAS also distanced itself, calling the post ‘racist’ and contrary to the principles of unity and diversity on which it claims to be founded. ‘Racism, in any form, has no place in our party,’ said Secretary-General Takiyuddin Hassan.
Johnny Lim Eng Seng is originally from the state of Melaka and joined the army in 1984, during the final phase of the communist insurgency.
A graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (in the United Kingdom), he served in the Royal Ranger Regiment and now heads the Malaysian Armed Forces Defence College.
"To say that I am proud of this achievement is an understatement. All the sacrifices made have been worth it," he commented.
His promotion comes at a delicate time for the armed forces, which have long struggled to attract members from ethnic minorities. According to official data from 2022, only 0.13% of the more than 113,000 army personnel are of Chinese ethnicity; 86% come from the Malay and Muslim majority.
Indians account for 1.4%, while 12% come from the states of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo. Before Lim, the highest rank ever achieved by a member of a minority was major general, while many left the army in lower ranks.
"We hope that his example will encourage other citizens, of all ethnicities, to follow this path. The armed forces are the best representation of the principle of “unity in diversity”," senior military leaders said during the promotion ceremony earlier this week.
The Malaysian context remains marked by inter-ethnic tensions that have never been completely resolved. The 1969 clashes between Malaysian and Chinese communities, for example, are still alive in the collective memory.
In recent years, “culture wars” have reignited, especially on social media following the 2022 general elections. On that occasion, PAS won 49 seats, becoming the party with the most elected members in the Malaysian parliament out of a total of 222 seats.
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12/02/2016 15:14
26/08/2021 16:43
