Quora Answer: Will There be a Chinese Prime Minister of Malaysia?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Will there be a Chinese Prime Minister of Malaysia?”

Some Malaysians would ague that there is no specific prohibition against a non-Malay becoming prime minister of Malaysia.  However, we have to consider Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia:

Reservation of quotas in respect of services, permits, etc., for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak

153. (1) It shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

This article was originally a temporary provision, but it has become a bedrock of a Malay-exceptionalist Malaysia.  It is illegal to eve discuss the repeal of it in Parliament.

This is the specific article that will always preclude any head of government who is not a Malay, of the Shafi’i madzhab of Islam.  There will never be a Chinese head of government unless there are changes to the Constitution.  There will not be a Chinese prime minister, even if he was a Muslim, unless he abandons everything of his heritage, and adopts Malay culture and language.  This is the problem with Malaysia.