Cupid takes aim at Malaysian Chinese

Empty streets - the Chinese quarter in Penang

By Jeremy Hilman in Kuala Lumpur

Ethnic Chinese people in Malaysia, worried about their dwindling birth rate and decreasing economic clout, are appealing to Cupid to boost their standing in the country.

The Chinese make up only a quarter of Malaysia's 23 million population and recent studies show that their population is rising slower than the Malay Muslim majority.

I'm not desperate yet!

Reluctant participant

Hoping love and marriage can redress the balance, the Malaysian Chinese Association, which is the country's second largest political party, has launched the Cupid Club.

A mass matchmaking ceremony marked the launch of the club.

Invitations to the event had drawn hundreds of responses from ethnic Chinese across the country.

Free, but not happy

Chinese community leaders say that the problem has been caused by the modern trend of marrying late or not at all, and that many Chinese devote themselves to their careers, over marriage and children.

So the Chinese party came up with a motto to put the matter in perspective: Being single means freedom, but being married is happier.

Not everyone met the criteria for the inaugural matchmaking event though.

Two ethnic groups - two demographic trends

Potential Romeos and Juliets had to line up in front of a government commissioner and swear that they were still single.

And the participants also filled in registration forms, requiring them to identify their favourite political party, their blood type and to confess any history of gambling, smoking or drinking problems.

One participant who stood back during the ice-breaking games, said she'd been forced to come by her parents, who'd registered her and paid her admission fee.

"I'm not desperate yet", she said.

Many ethnic Chinese have felt increasingly isolated within Malaysia, and some majority Malays resent them for having a disproportionate influence over the economic life of the country.

Malaysia's government gives official preferment for its Malay majority. They are given preferential access to university places and guaranteed thirty per cent ownership of local companies.