Pendatang asing

"Pendatang asing" or "orang pendatang" is a common Malay phrase used to refer to foreigners or immigrants; "pendatang asing" literally means "foreign comer" or "foreign immigrant". Although most frequently used to refer to foreign immigrants, especially illegal immigrants, pendatang asing has been used by some politicians in Malaysia as pejorative way of addressing non-Bumiputera Malaysians.

Offensive usage
In a Malaysian political context, it is commonly used as a pejorative way of addressing the ethnic Chinese and Indians, who are not Bumiputera of Malaysia.

Pre-independence


During the pre-Independence period, some Straits Chinese began taking an active interest in local politics, especially in Penang, where there was an active Chinese secessionist movement. They identified themselves more with the British than the Malays and were especially angered by references to them as pendatang asing ("aliens"). They avoided both the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), believing that while UMNO and the Malay extremists were intent on extending Malay privileges and restricting Chinese rights, the MCA was too "selfish", and could not be relied on to protect their interests.

They had already raised their ire in the late 1940s, when the government proposed to amend the Banishment Ordinance &mdash; which allowed for the exile of Malayans "implicated in acts of violence" &mdash; to permit those born in the Straits Settlements to be banished to their ancestral homeland. This was a revolting idea for most of the Straits Chinese.

They were also uncomfortable about the merger of the Straits Settlements with Malaya, as they did not feel a sense of belonging to what they considered a "Malaya for the Malays", where they were not considered bumiputra ("sons of the soil"). One Straits Chinese leader indignantly declared, "I can claim to be more anak Pulau Pinang [a son of Penang] than 99 per cent of the Malays living here today." The secessionist movement eventually petered out, however, because of the government's stout refusal to entertain the idea of Penang seceding from the Federation.

Post Independence
The phrase pendatang asing has strong connotations, and is often used in heated political situations. One such example was the May 13 Incident, where racial rioting in 1969 was triggered by a trading of political insults.

Another example is the prelude to the 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis and Ops Lallang. During this period, UMNO and pro-Chinese organisations frequently traded insults, with current Prime Minister, who was then UMNO Youth Chief Najib Razak threatening to bathe a keris (dagger) with Chinese blood. At the same rally, banners were hoisted carrying phrases such as "revoke the citizenship of those who oppose the Malay rulers", "May 13 has begun" (referring to the May 13 racial riots in 1969), and "soak it (the keris) with Chinese blood". The tensions eased after Ops Lallang, when several political dissidents &mdash; most of them Chinese &mdash; were detained without trial under the Internal Security Act.

Tensions flared in 2004 when it was proposed to open the currently Bumiputra-only Universiti Teknologi MARA to all Malaysians. Malay media made comments about the "pendatang" making a "daring challenge to Malay rights".

Debate over its appropriateness
Non-Malay members of the opposition media have contended that the common use of phrases like "pendatang asing" validates their belief that non-Malay Malaysians are treated as second-class citizens. It has also been argued that the derogatory use of "pendatang asing" is inappropriate, as almost all of Malaysia's Prime Ministers have had foreign blood.

Illegal immigrants
Since the 1980s when Malaysia first experienced economic boom, the country has seen massive influx of immigrants and foreigners from many neighboring countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar. Recently, Malaysia has been the destination for many Bangladeshis, Indians and Pakistanis that are looking for employment. While many entered Malaysia legally, labor shortage in Malaysia has encouraged many employers to employ illegal immigrants. Of late, the Malaysian government has tried to repatriate many of these illegal immigrants back to their countries of origin. Such effort however has annoyed several governments such as Indonesia and India.