Chan Xin Ying, who is attached to the Malaysia programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University, pointed out that the status of the ethnic Chinese community in Malaysia is “very sensitive” to begin with.
In a commentary carried by Singapore daily TODAYonline, she referred to incidents such as the pro-Malay “Red Shirts” rally at Petaling Street two years ago.
The incident, which took place in September 2015, saw protesters targeting mostly Chinese traders in the area which is known as Malaysia’s “Chinatown”.
Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Md Yunos, who led the Red Shirts movement, had also said that Chinese Malaysians could always return to their “homeland” in China if they were dissatisfied with their lives in Malaysia.
Chan also recalled the quote from Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar, “Cina balik Cina” (Chinese go back to China), and Prime Minister Najib Razak’s use of the term “Chinese tsunami” following the 2013 general election in which Barisan Nasional suffered a serious loss of support.
“Hence, it is not improbable that the interference of China would give opportunistic Malay politicians more ammunition to single out and isolate Chinese Malaysians further,” she said.
She added that with China’s increasing influence in the country, Chinese Malaysians are “as wary as they are welcoming”.
Despite China’s big investments in Malaysia’s schools and economy, she said such moves could be viewed both positively and negatively as Chinese Malaysians are treading a fine line in the political sphere.
This was not helped by comments such as those of China’s ambassador to Malaysia, Huang Huikang, who after the Petaling Street rally had warned that China “will not sit idly by as others infringe on the national interest of China”.
“Many ethnic Chinese in Malaysia would rather co-exist peacefully with the other ethnic communities than be shielded by a ‘protector’ in a society already divided along ethnic cleavages,” she said.
She also pointed to the ongoing South China Sea disputes, adding that if a geopolitical conflict occurs, the Chinese Malaysians will be further pushed into a difficult position.
“China should be aware of the ethnic Chinese’s sensitive position in Malaysian politics, given the complex and fragile nature of nation building in a multiethnic society.
“Hence big powers like China need to be careful to prevent the further fragmentation of Malaysian society,” she said.
China’s mega projects in Malaysia include the RM55 billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project and the KL-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project which is expected to cost over RM60 billion.
The ECRL will create a 250km land bridge which could undercut the Melaka Straits trade route by bypassing Singapore, while the 350km HSR will cut travel time between KL and Singapore to just 90 minutes.
China is also involved in the RM43 billion Melaka Gateway project which features a deep-sea port to be built by 2019 on Pulau Melaka off the coast of Melaka.
Seen as an attempt to compete with Singapore, the project includes a cruise terminal and a waterfront district with hotels and a giant observation wheel.
It is part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative which aims to expand China’s political, economic and military clout.