1Malaysia?

Thursday 28 October 2010
I would like to think that we live in a fairly peaceful country.
For me on a personal basis, I get along with friends from other races well enough and do not face any racism. At least any display of racism. If it is latent, then it is their own business and theirs alone.

The only form of racism I come across, is however, displayed from friends or rather acquaintances of the same race as I am. They can be very quick to judge and stereotype other races. Even racist jokes told that generate laughter are just that. Racist and completely immature.
Such behaviour should never be condoned but heck, I believe it is a result of how they are brought up by their parents or the schooling environment in which they were placed in.
When you make fun of other races in your own dialect or language, what makes you think they don't understand you? I always have a feeling that they do. But they're just polite enough not to take offence directly to your face by becoming the bigger person in the scenario.

But I'm not really gonna comment much on them. Too ashamed, I guess.

What I am going to talk about though..is the bubble of racism that seems like it's going to pop any moment now. There has been so much circulation of politicians or just random people being racist. You can watch all these on youtube or on facebook.
And based on the comment section, you can see how opinions are divided.

First are the people who are angered by what they have watched on the video. Usually they are the race that is targeted in the video, or they simply come from the same race and is deeply ashamed by what is displayed by their own counterparts of the same race.
Then there are those who make a great show of their support of the racism in the video by adding their own racist views. This would, of course, spark a cyber quarrel, where you see each race jabbing at the other while defending their own.
Full of foul language and name callings, all disguised under the animosity of the internet.
I really believe people get the balls to say stuff just because they can't be identified through the internet.

I am not saying that there hasn't been outward racism displayed by people of power or pure assholes. There is. But the point is that, all this is fueling much anger, hatred and sentiment in the hearts of each race. That definitely can't be a good thing, right?

We all know that we have really useless politicians in the country who talk as if they have stones in their brains, but what they say really can cause an uproar and make people upset.
Particularly by the UMNO politicians, man..they really know how to stir shit up.
Fine example here:


Even the whole Namewee fiasco caused a huge divide between the Chinese and the Malay.
And of course you see the future generation that speak without using their brains. But you really cannot deny that what is said is very worrisome. The whole 'Ketuanan Melayu' (Malay Supremacy) thing is really getting out of hand and being taken too far to the extent where other races are really made to feel second class, or even not welcomed at all.

The other races are constantly on their toes, afraid that there will be a repetition of May 13. There has been rumors floating around of how it will happen soon, and people are certain of that. There has been threats made of it, and the attitudes displayed by even those of the highest position in the government do not ensure our security.



With all these going on, and sentiments riding at an all time high, it is very sad and disappointing when you read such things as Malaysians refusing to return to Malaysia due to the inequality and corruption. Similarly for Malaysians who can't wait to leave their own country and never look back.
There is the fear that one day we will be driven away from this country we call home and asked to return to our ancestral countries.

But how can that be so? A thought that echoes the mind of most of the so-called 'pendatang', such as myself is that we are born Malaysian-Chinese yet we are not welcomed by the country of our birth. On the other hand, we cannot return to China, as we do not feel any affinity towards that country. Their culture and language is something that is foreign and unusual to us. We have been immersed in Malaysian culture since birth. So where shall we go?
Personally, I would never leave Malaysia. It is a country that I have come to love and truly is my home, despite all the problems, crisis and difficulty that arises.
So.
What is the future of Malaysia?
What is the use of empty slogans such as 1Malaysia?

All I can say is, I hope that at the end of the day, I will still be able to enjoy the friendship that I share with friends of different races.
It's something I wish for my own children as well and the future generations that they will live in a Malaysia that is not divided.

The corruption, racism, supremacy, brutality, inequality, race politics; everything.
It has to end for there to be a new beginning.

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