Malaysian Chinese dissatisfied over national policies: survey - AFP

Malaysia's ethnic Chinese are dissatisfied with the country's national and economic policies while youngsters are becoming racially polarised, a survey released on Friday said.

Racial and religious tensions, alarm over "Islamisation" and alienation of the country's minorities were reflected in the ruling coalition government's worst ever results in March 8 polls.

Voters swung in support of the opposition, depriving the ruling coalition of a two-thirds majority in parliament and handing over control of five states to the opposition, in protest against the Muslim Malay-majority government.

The Centre for Public Policy Studies said Malaysia's Chinese, who dominate the economy, feel that they have been unfairly treated by government policies favouring the Malays.

"The Chinese do feel the most dissatisfied and most unfairly treated. This is something that the government needs to look at urgently," the centre's managing director, Tricia Yeoh, said.

The survey found 75 percent of Malays say they have never been treated unfairly due to their race, compared to 45 percent of Chinese and 49 percent of Indians.

[More at http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1349651]