Research tells us that human identity plays a predominant role in shaping our individual motivations and responses. Identity is a continuously evolving product of a person’s own reflexive understanding of their “life history”. Others have said that the state plays a dominant role in “constructing” the identity of its citizens by way of governmental policies and legislations. These conceptual explanations concerning identity formation have a bearing on the state of Singapore’s Malay community. For instance, though society has generally taken precautions against making negative racial remarks on any community, many from within and outside of the ethnic group still unconsciously harbour the stereotype of “the lazy Malay”. These stereotypes can be traced back to colonial times and early post-independent Singapore, where colonialists, politicians and community leaders have placed blame on “problematic Malays” when accounting for the socio-economic problems plaguing the community. The implications of this have been far-reaching. Stereotypes attached to the Malay identity have led to a sense of resignation for some members in the community, and resentment for others.
Given that Malay identity formation has had some roots in colonial history, one of the issues to be surfaced in this roundtable discussion are the implications of our historical narrative in shaping Malay identity. Other issues to be discussed include how Malay identity can be strengthened, especially among youths, and how stereotypes can be negated both within and beyond the ethnic group
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