Malaysia celebrated 50 years of independence on Friday, a colonial creation by the British that's become a success story.

There were bloody race riots in 1969, but the country moved on. There have been no coups, elections have been held every five years, and it's well on the way to eradicating extreme poverty.

From a post-colonial backwater, Malaysia now aspires to become a fully developed country by 2020. The slogan for this celebration is 'One legacy, one destiny'.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad was at the helm for 22 years of the past five decades, and he is credited with much of Malaysia's economic and political stability. But he also elevated the Sharia or Islamic courts, giving them equal status to civil courts in the 80s to keep radical Islam at bay. Instead, it's had the opposite effect.

As Malaysia celebrates turning 50, there are disquieting racial tensions with the non-Malay community feeling like second-class citizens.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: Well someone who's had an insider's view of Malaysia's development is Dr Mahathir's daughter, Marina Mahathir. A regular commentator on Malaysian affairs in the national media, she's also President of the Malaysian Aids Council. I spoke to Marina Mahathir from Kuala Lumpur.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: Marina Mahathir, welcome to the program.

Marina Mahathir: Yes, thank you.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: Now it was Malaysia's long-time Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed, your father, who elevated the Sharia courts to the same status as civil courts, and in 2001, declared Malaysian an Islamic state. Now, by those actions, didn't he sow the seeds for the current religious disquiet?

Marina Mahathir: The courts were certainly elevated to give them equal status as the civil courts, but that doesn't make them the same. So, they're different, and they're meant for only certain things, and only for certain people. So it doesn't mean that they have jurisdiction over exactly the same things as the civil court. That's one.
The other thing that when Dr Mahathir said that this was an Islamic state, I think what he meant was that an Islamic state is one that puts progress for its people, development, et cetera, as the main focal point of its politics.

“…what people are talking about now in terms of an Islamic state, I think it's very different from what Dr Mahathir meant at the time.”

But yes, I think it has set the tone for the current issues that we are having. But what people are talking about now in terms of an Islamic state, I think it's very different from what Dr Mahathir meant at the time.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: But the religious divide is widening. There are non-Malays who say they feel like second-class citizens in their own country because they are defined by their ethnicity and religion.

Marina Mahathir: That's true, that started in 1957. You know, so it's hardly new. But yeah, in trying to build Malaysia, or a Malaysian race, so to speak, which is envisaged 2020, which is what Dr Mahathir put forward, we are supposed to move towards a lessening or an ending of this sort of racial division, but I think politicians nowadays of all races think it is advantageous of them to keep this division going.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: But the ruling UMNO Party is accused of stirring racial hatred. At the last general meeting, there were responsible politicians brandishing knives, threatening to spill Malay blood. What is going on?

“I would dispute calling them 'responsible' ministers, I think they are irresponsible ministers.”

Marina Mahathir: I'm looking at it quite appalled as well. I would dispute calling them 'responsible' ministers, I think they are irresponsible ministers, and you know, ordinary people, we sort of feel like, "Why do we have to listen to these people?". We get on fine, as it is, why should we allow these people, for their own interest, to divide us?

Helen Vatsikopoulos: Isn't it up to Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to put a stop to this? Is he being too soft?

“The trouble is we are getting all sorts of mixed messages.”

Marina Mahathir: I think he should slap these guys down, because it is obviously wrong. You know, the trouble is we are getting all sorts of mixed messages. On the one hand, he will say that, "You know, we respect all faiths, I am the Prime Minister of Malaysia", and on the other hand, there are all these people who are allowed to say these things. So there has to be consistency.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: Can the Constitution withstand the current pressures? Article 11 may guarantee religious freedom, but there have been decisions of the courts that seem to contradict this. So do you feel that there is a clash looming?

Marina Mahathir: I think the Constitution has withstood 50 years, and it should be able to withstand it as long as there are people willing to defend it at the highest levels.

I think, unfortunately, what we are seeing now is everyone at the top - the Attorney General, the Chief Justice - somehow countering to some, I don't know what, ideas. And to me that's really bad. That's dangerous.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: The economy, of course, has been a success story, but what about affirmative action? Hasn't it failed to elevate a more than a small section of the Malay elite?

“You can't have people who simply think they'll get everything, just because of what race they are.”

Marina Mahathir: I would not call it a success, but I would not call it a total failure. Perhaps what it has failed to do is address gaps, between rich and poor, and gaps have increased, perhaps, and so you need to address that gap. But it has I think unforeseen side effects, or whatever, in creating a sense of entitlement among some people. So I think that you need to look at that squarely in the face and see if that's the type of people we want to face the future, in the face of globalisation and all that. You can't have people who simply think they'll get everything, just because of what race they are.

Helen Vatsikopoulos: Marina Mahathir, thank you.

Marina Mahathir: You are very welcome.