Sunday 4th July, my birthday weekend. It’s a gloomy day outside. As I sit now relaxing and reflecting on my day, my mood is as gloomy as the weather outside.
I feel gloomy despite that fact that by 2pm this afternoon, I had already attended two church services, one cultural event and two weddings. I should be happy as all these events are indeed happy occasions. However, I am sad because of these very same programmes.
The cultural programme was an Indian Youth Cultural Carnival. It was organized by an Indian Youth NGO and rightfully so, it showcased Indian culture such as traditional dances, kolam drawings etc. What’s sad about this event is that the audience and people who attended this event was almost 100% Indians.
Our society has been brought up to segregate ourselves based on race and religion. Right from our beginning, at the birth of our nation, the political parties were already race based; UMNO, MCA, MIC. Our founding fathers each stood for and “protected” the rights of the own race. It was from this beginning that our society than evolved.
After over 50 years, even our NGOs are race based; each protecting its own race. Even economically, we are race based with each race having their own Chamber of Commerce.
Back to the wedding reception that I attended; again it was very much a race based occasion. Both receptions were Malay weddings and thus the family obviously were Malays. It was the same with the relatives but friends, colleagues, neighbours? At the first reception, 100% Malays except for myself and my MP and my two colleagues were non Malays. The second wedding had a non Malay couple that I spotted.
I commented on this matter and my MP agreed that it is indeed a big problem that we have in our society today. This is a result of over 50 years of going in the wrong direction. Can we change this – what does it take to tear down this barrier?
My MP agrees that this is a difficult task and reckons that we may not be able to undo this race based mentality that easily. That remark brought and instant gloom to my mind; because I agree it is not an easy task.
Where do we go from here – what lies ahead?
I see a silver lining behind those dark clouds – where is that silver lining for ANAK BANGSA MALAYSIA?
1 comment:
Hmph! Will the Malaysians' ever be color blind? Even the so called most human right practice country like Australia who do not have a columns of races to fill in any of their form. Yet there is a small degree of racist in them. However, thats does not mean we can't live in harmony together. I can travel any part of Malaysia, may it be a Malays kampung, Chinese pekan or Indians estate coffee shop. I still can enjoy peaceful my cup of tea or even a plate of nasi goreng without any disturbance.
We Malaysians' has been living in this situation as far as I can remember since the day I can remember thing.It only pure UMNO dire hard supporters who is all out to break this harmony. As they know very well only by disunity the race, UMNO will breathe through another days. And the most important thing is corruption practice can still flourish in this country. They do not care about the development of the country or all the Malaysians out there. All they can think of is how to fatten their piggy bank and spend recklessly away from their ill gotten fortune.
It has been a long overdue for Malaysians to wake up and to realize that, their voice and freedom has been rob. We are all Anak Bangsa Malaysia. The only different in us is just the color of our skin. If a malaysian is to rush into hospital, would the injuries question the race of the donor of the packet of blood? So why only then they understand there is no different between us. Anyway, as i said earlier is just a small fraction of dire hard UMNO people practice that today.
I personally feel that the harmony that we share does not necessary need to cover the part where you will see multi racial in an Malay or Chinese or Indian wedding. Is the understanding, tolerance and respect in customary, culturally and religion by all Malaysians.
However, I must hail Peter for his fighting spirit for a better Malaysia. May he able to contribute the building of the silver lining behind the dark cloud for us all Malaysians'.
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