The minorities are always blamed for everything. It seems that we challenge Malay special rights by simply existing, we challenge Islam by simply practising our own religion, we challenge Malay political dominance simply by being politically active, we challenge the bumiputera’s right to wealth by simply working to make a living, we challenge national unity by simply sending our children to vernacular schools. We are blamed for non-halal chocolates, water bottles, animals, housing, clothing, and basically anything under the Malaysian sun. And now we are also blamed for Najib’s failure to fulfil his promise to repeal the Sedition Act. Every time I draw that long sigh and ask “what are we to do?”, my mind sketches the sad picture of how my poorer non-Malay relatives and friends go through their lives. They live on thin wages enough only for porridge and sweet potatoes, enough only to travel from their homes to the nearby coffee shops, enough only for a few articles of clothing, enough only to stay alive. No one cares for them like the poor Malays are taken care of. The government never gives a damn about them. Education is their only way out of the vicious cycle of poverty. And yet, the government actively finds ways to take even that away from them. In spite of all this, the response of the minorities, particularly the young ones, is still non-combative. Why? I can think of two reasons. The first explanation has to do with the changing times. Young people no longer believe in artificial racial and religious rhetoric, and genuinely see an inclusive and tolerant Malaysia as the only acceptable future. And Malays who have moved up the social ladder no longer see Umno as the guardian to their identity. The Malays can take care of themselves. Naturally, more and more of them are starting to speak up for the unfairly ostracised minorities, and this arms-around-the-shoulder gesture makes the minorities feel better. Umno does not represent how Malays think, and even if Umno or one of its NGO offshoots becomes aggressive, the minorities can rest assured that they have the friendship of the true Malays. “Umno” and “Malays” are not synonymous. Malays are your friends. The Malaysian heart The second explanation is that, in the hearts of true Malaysians, there is a genuine belief that we are a better nation than Umno would have us believe. It is in the character of the true Malaysian to be optimistic. No matter how long ago that we last won the Thomas Cup, we still believe that it is ours to win the next time. No matter how far down the Malaysian football team has plummeted, we still wear our Harimau Malaya shirt with pride. No matter how atrocious it has been in the past, we still have faith in our judiciary. No matter how often politicians and NGO activists spew racist and bigoted comments, we still have faith in our people. And, above all, no matter what you say, Malaysians still believe that Malaysians do love each other and will not discriminate against one another on the basis of skin colour, strength of faith, or independence of mind. Many Malays probably don’t know how moving it is to the minorities when Malays stand up in their defence against the bigots and racists. It is a gesture that the minorities will just not be able to thank them enough for. It could be because we all use “lah” in all our different languages, or it could be that the teh tarik sessions do help to relax us, but we Malaysians are unique in that in spite of the poisonous political rhetoric that we hear every day, we can still go on as friends in our daily life. But most of all, I believe here’s the reason the minorities can remain calm and strong in spite of the storms lashing around us: Umno does not represent the true Malays.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 05:45:53 +0000
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