Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia in Australia (SABMOZ) or loosely translated ‘My race is Malaysian’ is a pro-people, culturally diverse movement based in Melbourne, Australia born out of the desire for everyday Malaysians, in Malaysia and abroad to engage in the discussion and advocate remedies to social, economic and political issues plaguing Malaysians. Interestingly, the concept of ‘Bangsa Malaysia’ w
as the brainchild of the Barisan Nasional government under the stewardship of former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamad to signal that Malaysians should first and foremost perceive themselves as ‘Malaysians’ and refrain from ethnic, religious or regional bias. However the lack of clear supporting policies has not only stifled the attainment of integration but has led to further erosion of race relations. Our initiatives are premised on the belief that structured racial and religious segregation is aimed at maintaining political and economic power in the hands of the morally corrupt, resulting in the inevitable erosion of basic civil rights in the process. To this end we seek to advocate reform initiatives, support for the civil society in Malaysia and encourage discussions of issues plaguing Malaysians, both in Malaysia and abroad, whilst maintaining diversity in our views in advocating for the rule of law and civil liberties for all Malaysians. We strive to achieve this primarily through three streams – by engaging with Malaysians living abroad, collaborating with like-minded civil society organisations in Malaysia and lobbying Australian governments, trade unions and civil society organisations for their support on issues plaguing Malaysians
