A new Prime Minister Ketuanan Melayu

prior abdullah s ascension in 2003, although ketuanan melayu had been enunciated several prominent malay leaders, had not been given proper name. around time, term ketuanan melayu — tuan being malay word lord or master — came common usage, entering government-approved secondary school curriculum. universiti kebangsaan malaysia professor of sociology norani othman has said term evocative of notions of enslavement, since in malay classical terms, word ketuanan implies lordship on captives, pre-feudal concept out of sync in 1957, 1963 , today.

a government-approved secondary school history textbook published in 2004 dewan bahasa dan pustaka, government-owned publishing company, defined ketuanan melayu as:

semangat cinta akan apa saja yang berkaitan dengan bangsa melayu seperti hak politik, bahasa, kebudayaan, warisan, adat istiadat dan tanah air. semenanjung tanah melayu dianggap sebagai tanah pusaka orang melayu.

its english translation follows:

a passion related malay race, such political rights, language, culture, heritage, tradition , homeland. malay peninsula regarded malays land birthright.

in 2003, united malays national organisation (umno) political party youth information chief azimi daim stated: in malaysia, knows malays masters of land. rule country provided in federal constitution. 1 touches upon malay affairs or criticizes malays [offending] our sensitivities.

although proponents claimed ketuanan melayu directly derived article 153 of constitution, reid commission drafted framework constitution had stated provisions malay privileges temporary in nature, , abolished, citing reason existence tradition , economic necessity form of affirmative action malays. despite this, challenge ketuanan melayu or malay rights still berated, politicians umno. many umno politicians continued referring non-malays orang pendatang or pendatang asing (foreign immigrants).