the origins of malay nationalism by w.r. roff

this is the last book i read in 2015. it's not everyday that i find books written by western scholars who can suspend his or her western biases - and focused instead on the systematic oppression done by both the colonial british government as well as the traditional malay elites, commonly know as the sultans and the pembesar. 

colonialism obviously benefited the british in economic terms, while stripping the sultans and the pembesars of their means of riches (collecting taxes from the commoners, using them as slaves..they are bastards if you ask me) and replacing that with regular allowance from the government, they are instead empowered in areas of malay customs and islam - the fuckery that continues to make our lives miserable till today. 

i am angry when i read this book because as a malay person i am all too familiar with what malays as people are like, and reading this book makes me aware why malays are the way they are - why they are loyal to sultans (or any other leaders purportedly fighting for malay causes) to a fault, why they are so passive with those above their ranks - and that's because of their living under authoritarian structures for far too long - that a slave will behave like a slave because they can't forget their slave past. and the oppressive environment continues till today - people are afraid to speak up or do something against any wrongs because we are prevented from doing so (in 2015 - 3 bills concentrating more powers in the hands of the PM and to punish those who go against him or the government. hold on, what's the difference?)

the book talks about the different kind of nationalist movements that comes out of malaya before world war 2 - it is predictable that the people will only lend their support to the traditional elite who stood to lose the most - because they identify the elites as their only saviors and could only put their trust in them, while being constantly sabotaged by in economic, educational and other kinds of opportunities. 

it only gets worse after that, when you realized it's the same exact things that happens today. we are a people who are afraid to change because we are have been conditioned to stay the same for far too long. 

question is - how much time can we still afford to do so? and when do we realized that malay leaders have been fucking with us since time immemorial?