Elite Minorities
Why are all the Indians in Sabah doctors?
I am having lunch with my friend who is on call starting from 3pm. I pick her up from Harrington Suites—one of of the poshest residencies in the capital. We see each other so rarely these days. She has her doctor's hours and I have my field trips. But today we manage to steal a couple of hours for a brief lunch near the university.
She's just come back from a trip in West Malaysia, and before that, a holiday in Australia. She tells me how strange it is to be with her extended family in West Malaysia. "Macam culture shock gila," she laments.
It's true. It is a culture shock for an East Malaysian Indian to experience West Malaysian Indians. The Indians in West Malaysia view themselves differently. Wary of the common perceptions of the Indian, there's a double consciousness about what to do with this stereotype. Coupled with a commitment to anti-racism, one cannot concede the existence of the stereotype without inviting allegations of internalized racism. But at the same time, everyone knows not to hang around a karat, a kudikaran, a samseng, a ruffian, a gangster.
"You know how, like, here in Sabah, we have the Filipinos who are looked down on. In Semenanjung, it's the Indians who are like that."
In Sabah, she's never experienced any such poor stereotype of the Indians. There are other stereotypes instead. Like the haughty Indian or the tembirang Indian.
"Do you know why we in Sabah lack the stereotypes they in the West have?" She thinks about it for a second and nods. “It's because the typical Sabahan interaction with Indians is with them as doctors.”
"Do you know what the percentage of Indians are in the state?" She thinks about it while she takes another mouthful of food.
"Well, I know in Malaysia, Indians are about 6%, so maybe in Sabah it's slightly higher, so maybe like 10%?"
I smirk before giving her the answer. "The percentage of Indians in Sabah is only 0.2%. Less than one percent of the state is Indian. And yet, every Sabahan would have encountered an Indian at some point in their life despite their small numbers. Do you know why that is?"
"It's because of the hospitals, isn't it?"
"Not just the hospitals but the private clinics and the rural clinics as well. You work in a hospital, don't you. So you know what percentage of the doctors are Indian. Roughly 50%, no?"
"Yeah, at least 50%. Usually higher if it's a specialist hospital."
"That's why even with only 5,000 Indians in a state of 3 million, where 25% are stateless and without citizenship rights, the Indians are able to secure such dominance. Why do you think Sabah state recognizes Deepavali as an official holiday when even Sarawak doesn't? Or why Regata Lepa is so relatively unheard of even though Bajaus are the second most numerous group in the state. The Indians in Sabah punch above their weight because of the highly selective immigration of Indians into Sabah. No poor Indians. All of them are either doctors, engineers, or lawyers. Elite minority. You know how they say the Hakka are the Jews of the Orient. Well, the Indians are the Jews of Sabah. Except for the actual Jews in Sabah who are even more elite than the Indians. But that's for another day."
"That's very interesting. You should write about this. Or make videos about it."
"Maybe I might. But first we need to get you back to hospital before your shift starts. Don't want your patients dying on you!"