- Written by
Bernie
- Posted September 10, 2008 at 11:45 pm
The past few weeks has been a real roller-coaster ride in Malaysian politics (again). This time around, it was because as certain political character decided his race is above all the others. For me, I really do not see the issue. Whether or not we Chinese can be classified as immigrants in Malaysia or not, I’ll leave it to the history purists. From vague memories during my schooling days, I remember that our fore-fathers worked together to negotiate with the colonial rulers. Without that cooperation, Malaysia might not have achieved its independence. Like-wise, without the people of East Malaysia, we would not have achieved the political stability needed. True that the Malays and other bumiputeras were given special privileges but the other races were granted citizenship. It seems like a fair-trade at the time. Perhaps in the future, this will change but it has to happen when the bumiputeras willingly give up the right. So at least to a common mind like me, it would seem pointless to argue about Chinese being immigrants. After 1957, we are not. Only someone with very little understanding of the nation’s history can utter statements like what Ahmad did. Or perhaps someone with a hidden agenda that stands to benefit from the instability caused would. I would not know.
I do know this. I spent my youngest years in school with a group of really racially diverse friends. And we all know childhood memories are golden. Mine is filled with multi-colored skins, not just among friends, but teachers as well. I ate nasi lemak long before I had my first pork noodle. That saying a lot. I think my parents understood the importance of studying in a culturaly diversed school. I was sent to a smaller, seemingly worse school even when a prominent Chinese school was a mere few hundred meters away. I never understood why this was so (though I never really cared) until I started mixing around with other Chinese friends. Not that I want to belittle them, but I do feel sorry for them that they cannot speak Malay well, has distrust of other colored folks and really do not know much about other races’ cultures. But what is worse is that there’s a deep-rooted distrust. There’s a void when it comes to other races. A void too easily filled with feelings of hate when fires are stroked to instigate racial animosity. It is no accident that one of my best buddies in my university was an Indian. And my study group consisted of a mix of Chinese, Indian and Malays. There was trust and a feeling of togetherness. Perhaps deep down, I longed for such an environment again. My secondary school years were rather monotonoues when it came to friends (all being yellow-skinned, but I guess those years allowed me to rediscover my own race).
I found some of my childhood friends again courtesy of Facebook recently. Now I have all their phone numbers (mobile phones didn’t exist back then). We will probably be meeting for Hari Raya. I seldom meet my Indian friends anymore due to distance, but I still send Deepavali wishes via SMS. So to people like Ahmad, say what you want to say lah. I will only pity you, the same way I pity people who are blind or deaf. You would never see or hear Malaysia as I do. But if you are doing this to gain political mileage, our fore-fathers and future generation alike will be cursing you. I believe in Karma so I really hope you are just ignorant, for your sake.
Here’s a picture of me with my friends from the yesteryears (I’m in the last row, third from the left).
