The Malacca state government has moved to lend its support to the application by the Peranakan Chinese community – a mainstay of Malaccan culture – to be granted Bumiputera status by the Federal Government.
The Star reports that Malacca Chief Minister Idris Haron and his administration regards the Peranakan Chinese community as being an indigenous people of the state, as historically the Peranakan Chinese had settled in Malacca in the 14th Century, and had established close ties to the state’s native cultures.
“Based on historical facts, they arrived on this soil with noble intentions and they extended their friendship to the Malacca Sultanate,” Idris said, as quoted by The Malay Mail Online.
The Peranakan Chinese Association of Malaysia (PCAM) has launched a bid to have Malacca’s Peranakan Chinese community classified as Bumiputeras, bringing them on par with the state’s Malay and Portugese communities.
The application comes at a tense time in Malaysia’s race relations, where Malay-rights movements such as Perkasa, ISMA and the “red shirts” are calling for more respect for “Bumiputera” rights and privileges.
The Peranakan Chinese community is distinct in its identity, for as they retain their Chinese ethnic identity and traditional belief systems, culturally it has adopted many Malay forms of dress, cuisine and social norms, adapting them into a unique hybrid.
Malaysia’s Bumiputera classification extends itself not only to the majority Malay population, but also to indigenous cultures in the country, including the Orang Asli communities and the myriad ethnic and cultural groups in Sabah and Sarawak.
