Malaysian institutional racism

Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy and Malay dominance in Malay) is the claim that the muslim Malay people are the tuan (masters) of Malaysia. The Malaysian Chinese and Indian-Malaysians — who are significant ethnic minorities in Malaysia — are considered beholden to the Malays for granting them citizenship in return for their special privileges.

In Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia, the special "position" (not privileges) of the Malay was mentioned. This quid pro quo arrangement is claimed to be the Malaysian social contract by certain Malay Politacians. The ketuanan Melayu concept usually is used by politicians of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the most influential Malaysian political party.

Although the ketuanan Melayu idea pre-dates Malaysian independence, the phrase ketuanan Melayu did not come into vogue until the early 2000s. The idea of Malay supremacy gained political weight in the 1940s, when the Malays organized to protest the Malayan Union's establishment, from which they later fought for independence.

During the 1960s, there was a substantial political effort challenging ketuanan Melayu led by the People's Action Party (PAP) of Singapore — which was a Malaysian state from 1963 to 1965 — and the DAP, after Singapore's secession, however, the Constitutional articles related to ketuanan Melayu were “entrenched" after the racial riots of 13 May 1969, consequent to an election campaign focused on the rights of non-Malay people and the ketuanan Melayu matter.

From that arose the "ultras", advocating a one-party government led by UMNO, and increased racist emphasis that the Malays are the "definitive people" of Malaysia — i.e. only a Malay could be a true Malaysian. Non muslim Malaysian are being discriminated in the form of government employments, government licence and contracts, universities entry etc.