I have lived being a minority ethnic all my life, and I will always be one in Malaysia. I am not bitter and I am not sad. It is something I accept as part of me.
I grew up in a Chinese medium primary school and had the privilege to to be in an environment dominated by Malays and Bumiputeras in high school. After high school, I was attached to private institutions, and this is where these thoughts came to me.
The reason I used the phrase "had the privilege" is because I have lived 6 years of my life trying to learn a language, a culture and other traditions I am not familiar with. I am glad I had that 6 years.
It is sad to admit that the perception of Malays being stupid, lazy, slow, laid back and corrupt still lingers among the Chinese community, I find that this has to stop as soon as possible.
To these Chinese, I must stress that this presumption and general perception does not make the Chinese smarter, more hardworking, aggressive or not corrupt. See, race does not define your character. You think there are no stupid lazy laid back or corrupt Chinese? You are hell wrong. The biggest foreign joker in English football now is a Malaysian Chinese. Get my point?
I cant blame these Chinese though, because all their lives, they have lived with the same race. I pray that the barriers will be broken and these friends will have a chance to engage with people "not their kind".
All my life, the friendliest and most loyal friends I have ever known are the Malays. Yes, the Malays I repeat. The problem with many Chinese is they think they are richer, and thus a more superior race despite being a minority. While on one note they speak of equality and demand justice as a minority, they forgot that the Malays too, want the same. Who does not want to be treated equally?
In view of the recent wicked and politically motivated bible raid at the Bible Society of Malaysia, I would first clarify that I am in no position to speak of authority, but I of course, as usual, have my very own opinions.
The Christians make up less than 10% of the country's 30 million population, and the Muslims, about 60%. See, the authorities should know that these 10% is a very minority group, but this does not mean you can bully them!
Following this incident, I was once again reminded how my Malay friends have touched my heart.
We see many politicians and NGOs speak up against this tyranny. We were even reported on BBC and NYE! What disheartens me at first, is the fact that what I see and read on the news, are statements by non-Muslim spokepersons demanding JAIS to issue an apology.
It was only last night and this morning, when i decided to scroll through Facebook and Twitter, did I realise that actually many of my Muslim friends were condemning this raid.
Before I continue, I would like to express my deepest and sincerest appreciation to these friends. It is very tough I admit, because you might be shunned by certain quarters of your own community for speaking up. But really, it warms my heart. I salute you and thank you for standing up for us. In fact, this reminds me of what Pas and Pkr did for the Chinese when a malicious headline on a tainted newspaper decided to run the headline "Apa Lagi Cina Mahu?".
In BERSIH as well, when I first learned of Unit Amal Pas. These volunteers have really touched the hearts of many. During the rally, they formed a human barricade to protect the participants, they asked the Chinese participants to stand behind them in case there were provocations from the police of FRU.
To my Malay friends once again, I would like to say thank you. Our minority voices might be heard, but it is definitely louder when combined with yours. The testimony given by you is what touches the hearts of other non-Muslims. When you stand up to protect their friends from persecution, and condemn what is wrong, this is what Islam teaches, right?(Forgive me if I am wrong)
In condemning persecution and injustice, it shows nothing other than being a right minded person. If you ask me who is a defender of Islam, I would say these are the ones. Definitely not JAIS, Perkasa or UMNO who claims to be one, because their actions show otherwise.
As appeared on FreeMalaysiaToday: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2014/01/04/lets-storm-the-racial-barricades/
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