Being a Malaysian, I take pride in the very fact that we Malaysians have something that the rest of the world does not have: ethnic diversity.
That’s about it I think, just diversity. For crying out loud.
The reason for writing this is to express my lack of understanding, or rather, failure to fully comprehend the meaning of racial unity (as we all see it) in the context of Malaysian racial pluralism. Before I continue, I would like to first express my stand on this issue: I do not condone racism. It is an evil that lurks in the dark corridors of Malaysian politics.
While the Malaysian education system is recognized as an important platform for fostering racial unity, the recent spate of racist outbursts and the spouting of provocative and slanderous statements by certain quarters have triggered a lot of commotion throughout the country prompting certain parties to call for the enforcement of stricter anti-sedition laws. I will be writing about this on account of some of my experiences as well as that of those who are close to me.
As I am an East Malaysian, I find it quite awkward that this spirit of racial unity and sense of mutual respect and tolerance is quite absent in West Malaysia, when one compares this to that of in East Malaysia. Those who grew up in places like Kuching would agree with me on this point. As I see it, the Chinese would mingle among the Chinese, the Malays among the Malays, and the Indians among the Indians. Socializing among the various ethnic groups do happen, but often on a ‘need’ basis, rather than a ‘want’ basis. I admit that part of this is human nature at work, but I think upbringing has a lot to do with it as well.
The purpose of writing this is not to tell of what I have read in the news, but rather, to express my utter disgust at how race relations have developed so far in Malaysia, from my own personal experiences.
Are you Chinese?
It was a long and tiring day after classes in the morning and I decided to spend a little bit of time catching up with friends online when a fellow course mate approached me for some help with her USB flash drive. This young lady, whom I believe to be my junior, timidly asked, “Are you Chinese? I need some help with my work here…”. Her words hit me like a strong jab in the ribs. Of course I’m Chinese, I thought to myself, but what if I’m not? This is definitely not the first time that I have heard this, and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last. My question to her is, if I was a Malay, or Indian, or Iban, would you still approach me for help? As I could not ascertain if this had anything to do with her upbringing, I decided to withhold my judgment towards her and put this matter to rest. No point swatting a small fly when you have bigger fish to catch.
On a separate occasion, I was walking back to my hostel during the evening, after an exhaustive day at the faculty when a lady pulled up by the roadside to ask for directions. She began like this (translated from Chinese): “Hi! Are you Chinese? Could you please…”. My friend, who was with me at the time could not contain his discomfort over her statement, despite the fact that he is Chinese.
In a Nutshell…
To place the blame on the other ethnic groups for being ‘clannish’ is totally out of the question. It is the prerogative of the Chinese Malaysian community to be more proactive in promoting racial unity instead of playing the blame game.
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