I received an e-mail from a lady teacher. She attached the two-paged document that I have reproduced below.
This is what she said in her mail :
“After all the talk of 1Malaysia, we are still asked to mark ourselves as Malay or non-Malay, bumi or non-bumi, Muslim or non-Muslim.
Does my race or religion have any relevance whether I am a good teacher?
Are we not all Malaysians?
I hate this, Haris.
Can I just ignore those irritating questions?
What should I do?”
I replied her :
“Take a red pen and a ruler. Draw a line right through ‘Status Bumiputra’, ‘Bangsa’, ‘Etnik’ and ‘Agama’ and then write over that line you have just drawn, “TIDAK RELEVAN. SAYA ANAK BANGSA MALAYSIA”.
If you do not agree with this sort of profiling, condemn it by refusing to go along with it.
The reason this sort of profiling still goes on is because even as we recognise how wrong it is, we take the easy way out and comply.
In reality, it is we who give life to this profiling.
If we collectively refuse to legitimise thiss policy of profiling by refusing to comply, it will one day surely go away.”
__________________________
I’m going to reproduce below parts of an earlier posting.
___________________________
RPK, almost tongue-in-cheek, offered a simple definition of ‘civil disobedience’ in a POST at MT sometime back :
“It’s actually quite simple. You defy the powers-that-be, but you do it in a passive, not active, manner. You do not resist. You just do nothing. And is this not what Malaysians are good at, doing nothing?”
Of late, notwithstanding the PM’s talk about 1Malaysia, we still see a lot of racist, divide-and-rule crap coming out from Utusan, which is an UMNO mouthpiece, from the DPM, from other ministers and a whole array of NGOs which, if you bothered to check, again lead back to UMNO.
UMNO continues to play the race card because this is the only politics they understand.
The other BN component parties, most times, don’t have the courage to stand up to UMNO and say ‘Cut out this race crap. We are all Malaysians, so stop this divide-and-rule game’.
In response to UMNO’s ketuanan Melayu, Pakatan Rakyat has been heard to espouse ketuanan rakyat but, sadly, sometimes even the PR politicians appear afraid to walk the full distance needed to truly see this nation on the way to being that of a single people.
For some time now, I’ve believed that if we are to see the aspiration of ‘One People, One Nation’ become a reality, it has to be people-driven.
What say we start a little civil disobedience now to send out our own little message, in our own little way, to the government , that we are no longer going to countenance their divide-and-rule tactics?
We could simply call this initiative Project Irrelevant.
Project Irrelevant is not new.
It was launched at the first Bangsa Malaysia Merdeka forum and get-together on 25th August, 2007 at the then Blog House. You can read about that HERE.
I’ve also written about Project Irrelevant HERE.
Let me just reproduce my closing lines in the Project Irrelevant post :
“If you are one of those who has written with comments to this blog supportive of the many initiatives to one day see this as a nation of one people, I ask you to now support this initiative.
Please walk your talk.
If you proclaim yourself as anak Bangsa Malaysia in cyberspace, have the courage and conviction to do the same on paper.
SEX : IRRELEVANT
RELIGION : IRRELEVANT
RACE : BANGSA MALAYSIA”
artchan
January 30, 2010
Yes..will do that! Salam Haris. We will make Malaysia a beeter place..not the BN dogs
ong
January 30, 2010
I agree with Haris’ suggestion that those who do not agree with such profiling, then “condemn it by refusing to go along with it”. Unfortunately such a strategy is not likely to work because those of us capable of being self-employed constitutes a minority. The large majority of the population still need to be an employee. They may be able to condemn the practice but unfortunately still need to go along with it.
ong,
You’ll forgive me for saying, but that’s the very attitude that has gotten this country in the mess it’s in.
The rice bowl mentality.
Until we shake that attitude off, UMNO and their cronies are going to rule the day
ong
January 30, 2010
I not only agree with you but have always refused to go along with authority when my conscience does not allow me. Because of my “stubbornness” and my being an “upstart” (words used by others to describe me) I have lost promotions as an employee and later on lost “additional income” as a self-employed. However I fully understand that not everyone is able to display “stubbornness” and behave like an “upstart” without losing their livelihood. I therefore will not judge such people too harshly.
ong,
No, we must not judge them.
We must first try to understand what holds them back from being “stubborn” and an “upstart” like you and I.
Having understood, we must try to help and encourage them to overcome.
It is about helping people empower themselves
Sumo Piar
January 30, 2010
Ya! Our mother earth is cursed with the presence of multi-race multi-religion with its multi-problems.
Malaysia is an unfortunate inheritor of this curse.
Naturally we curse each other till kingdom comes?
That’s our best contribution because we are the best.
LKO
January 30, 2010
Yah, I saw the similar nonsense when I wanted to apply for the PLUSMiles card. What has religion got to do with me using the Highways?
Time to fill in “TIDAK RELEVAN” or “IRRELAVANT”
JUST DO IT
wandererAUS
January 30, 2010
JUST DO WHAT IS RIGHT…MAN CAN LIVE WITHOUT MALAYSIA BUT, HE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT HIS PRINCIPLE!
malaysianparent
January 30, 2010
Hear Hear Haris. How the hell can BN focus on nation building when they do not know what they are? 5 decades of not needing to look at such matters tend to keep one out of touch with reality la. Do they know any other way of doing things? I really wonder how they will govern the nation with such discriminatory policies and divide and rule mindset.
yong
January 30, 2010
Civil servants have to do so at their own peril, but the general public should emulate this practice.
Civil servants r worried about their rice bowl and
future !!
They can make life difficult very difficult for Civil servants.
During a promotion exercise, some years ago a candidate
was asked what he knew about Islamic Values – like honour your parents, work ethics etc.
The candidates replied these were the same priciples that
his Chinese parents taught him as these are the same values expounded by Confucius a few thousand years ago and was the normal practise of most Chinese.
The members of the board upon hearing the answer dismissed him unceremoniously and soon enough he was transfered , and never promoted .
esse
January 30, 2010
erm, how do you say “irrelevant” in BM?
Tak releven
baronvonchesto
January 30, 2010
“erm, how do you say “irrelevant” in BM?”
“Tak releven”
i uualy use tidak berkaitan or tiada kaitan
Billy
January 30, 2010
I had this heated session one day at the Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital. I was there for my regular eye check up but was told by the receptionist that they have misplaced my file and I need to refill a form. In the box “Bangsa”, I wrote down “Malaysian”. The girl (sorry if I have to profile her, Indian) was livid and insisted that I was Chinese and should write down “Chinese”. I said “No.” And then I told her, “If you continue to insist that I am a Chinese, you write it for me. Having done that I want you to initial it beside the word.” She was taken aback by my remarks and told me to wait while she sought clarification from her superior. She came back and and told me again I must write down “Chinese”. I told her “I am not going to do it, so in order not waste anyone’s time since there is a long queue, you might as well write it and don’t forget to put your initials on the form as well.” You know what she did, she left the box blank and proceeded to administer a new file for me. Some of the patients who were standing behind even gave me the thumbs up. Boy, did I feel good that morning.
Billy,
Salute.
Don’t stop.
JUST DO IT
a malaysian
January 31, 2010
Seriously that is one giant leap for Malaysians and Malaysia right there.
Well done brother!
telur dua
January 30, 2010
This @#$% country is full of crap.
Time for all of us to come together and clean up the crap that we allowed to accumulate, don’t you think?
Monica
January 30, 2010
Done, Haris, done. Project Irrelevant. Now it’s to talk to more ppl and get them to rise to the occasion and put their money where their is.
Ricebowl, ricebowl. The fact of the matter is that if we really are just looking at “rice bowl” or cari makan or as the the Chinese say it “wan leong chan” (looking at earning two meals), then it really isn’t too difficult. But in truth, we want more. And it’s not wrong to want more. The question I thinbk is who is willing to sacrifice, and to sacrifice more. I am reminded of the many who have gone before us in various nations who have fought and sacrifice and afforded us now what we have. Closer home, I look at ppl like you and say that you too can tap in fully to your Bumi privileges and skills to make you millions – buat apa susah-susah spend time and lose money over this initiative to spearhead the SABM. I said to you at SABM KL Roadshow that you, Haris ought to take care and cut down your smoking, albeit jokingly, cause we need people like you to be around a long time. And you said, we need all of the people. And I agree. Every single one counts. Who will dare to go out on a limb? Who will make the necessary sacrifices?
Monica,
God bless
Sezhian
January 30, 2010
I hate to say this, whenever there is a form to fill in any government agency or even at private companies for that matter, it seems to me as though filling up that religion and race columns is a cardinal rule. I had on numerous occasions try to skip that columns but the response i received was “Eh, what’s you race, what’s your religion ?” It makes me sick, so sick i felt like tearing up the form. I know its a norm even in the western countries, but that’s a different case altogether. Imagine how beautiful life is back in 70s when all the races lived in total harmony, i missed that moments.
SAY “NO MORE”. JUST DO IT
fizli
February 11, 2010
But most chinese run companies required “Chinese /Mandarin Speaking” as essential qualification….why ahhh?
dsiobey
January 30, 2010
Dear all,
If someone come to apply a job from me,I will always write the word “MALAYSIAN” big , bold and clearly infront to those who applying the job,under the “RACE(Bangsa): MALAYSIAN”.
So far no issue at all regardless any race,no one ever asked me why.Cos most of the RAKYAT know we are all not only MALAYSIAN but an equal MALAYSIAN indeed.
ONLY those “Pak Pandir racist politicians” try to “divide and rule”
Slam it now and make those “Pak Pandir racist politicians” disappear from the MALAYSIAN soil forever !
SAYA RAKYAT MALAYSIA
&
SAYA ANAK BANGSA MALAYSIA
Samuel Goh Kim Eng
January 30, 2010
BE STABLE WITHOUT WRONG LABELS
For a nation to be stable
We don’t need too many labels
Written all over the table
To cause people to be rebels
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng – 300110
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Sat. 30th Jan. 2010.
Samuel Goh Kim Eng
January 30, 2010
BIG FIGHT OVER SLIGHT FRIGHT?
When certain insecured people take fanatic fright
They’ll want some publications to be out of sight
Worried that some truths will put them into flight
Even though this will be to the peope’s great delight
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng – 300110
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Sat. 30th Jan. 2010.
Samuel Goh Kim Eng
January 30, 2010
WHAT KIND OF LOTS DO WE WANT?
Let’s expose all worldwide evil plots
that cause human miseries quite alot
Let’s help to to remove all dark blots
To allow free blood flow without clots
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng – 300110
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Sat. 30th Jan. 2010.
chua
January 30, 2010
let’s all be one malaysian race. dissolve all. become something new like the seychelles people. a mix of all people all over the world.
fizli
February 7, 2010
Moved to indian ocean or nearest is S’pore. dream on
ktteokt
January 30, 2010
All these propaganda by the BN government, 1 MALAYSIA, is nothing but garbage! As long as the words Bumiputra/Non-bumiputra is still printed on forms issued by government departments, Najis can forget about what he intends to promote! Or does it mean bumiputras need not comply with certains rules while non-bumiputras have to do so? What is the stupid purpose of putting this column in the forms?
fizli
February 11, 2010
So stupid the Govt that allows most Chinese-run companies to hv essential qualification such as “Mandarin/Chinese Speaking applicants are desirable” ……what ever excuses forthcoming i think its a crap!
resident.wangsamaju@gmail.com
January 30, 2010
I’m very tired of those stupid forms too. Tired of the word ‘race’. Right now, ‘race’ means % discount, special rights, eligibility and at least ’30 percent’.
Pat
January 30, 2010
Yes, you can count me in, Haris.
And I’ve pinjam-ed a slice of your prose, and put it in my post today (plus a backlink to you) – to convince the few friends who read me to do the same.
Bless you, Pat
fairview
January 30, 2010
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. – Edmund Burke
Ida Bakar
January 31, 2010
Haris, I tried to do so in 2004 for MyKad registration. It was found that my blue IC somehow, doesn’t have bangsa and agama in it. So the (Malay) girl behind the counter said that she would put ‘Melayu’ and ‘Islam’ in the blanks. I said don’t do that as it is all ‘tidak relevent’ and that “saya bangsa Malaysia dan agama saya perkara saya sahaja-lah”. She completely ignored me and put those particulars down. I did not have any choice then.
In 2006, I was filling in a form for a Toys R Us prize draw in 1-Utama. I did not put a tick on the bangsa bit. On passing back the form to the (Chinese) lady at the counter, she said, “Haiyah! You left out bangsa” I replied that. “I am bangsa Malaysia”. She said, “Here, I tick Malay one for you”
In 2008, I was in a taxi speaking rather loudly on the hand phone. After that the (Chinese) taxi driver asked, “You Malay aar?” I replied, “Malaysian”. To which he replied, “I know la you Yew-ray-shen!”
The more people join this ‘tidak relevent’ and SABM project, the less likely I have to face the situations above.
Ida,
In 2000, when applying for a new I.C. owing to loss of my previous, I blacked out the boxes provided for ‘Ugama’. They nonetheless stuck in ‘Islam’ in my new card.
We just have to keep at it.
And you’re right. The more who refuse to entertain those damn irrelevant questions, the sooner the authorities will realise we’re not having anymore of this rubbish.
Good on you, Ida.
Dharm
January 31, 2010
Bro Haris,
Agreed! This nonsense appears in the maklumat peribadi (personal Information) for school children too. I wrote N/A Tidak Berkenaan for RAce, Religion, Income and many other columns in my son’s form – much to the chagrin of my wife. But you are right, we need to start making a stand and stop taking the easy way out…
Good on you, bro.
Keep at it and spread the word.
We will collectively bring an end to this evil racial profiling
Anonymous
January 31, 2010
Only in KL, Malaysia are there “humans” with blood group C+ or C-.
Silencers
January 31, 2010
Bro, my gender can’t be irrelevant! I love women too much to let go of my masculine definition 😀
huajern
January 31, 2010
Count me in.
Shakuntala
February 1, 2010
It is apparent from just this blog, that the Administration is hell bent on the promotion of RACE, when a good number of Malaysians are already realizing its absolute out-datedness.
And are journeying together.
When I personally filled in HUMAN RACE once, I was laughed at nervously, by the counter girl. When I asked for an explanation as to why , she ran back in (the usual defence, conferring with the boss!)and later returned to say, that I HAVE TO follow the race of my late father. Poor thing, she continued to laugh.
It was irrelevant to her and whoever, what I, as a human being thought or felt about myself. Or that the Administration was wasting form space, time by printing irrelevancies.
Or that the Administration was propagating divide and rule
You say, no way, no chance….?
Who said so….we will journey together, yes collectively, to put an end to this absurd branding.
We Malaysians, will become troublesome cattle to deal with!
Singapore did it reasonably …. no chatter, clatter,no big deal about who or what a person is.
They are ALL plain Singaporean.
LZH
February 1, 2010
When I applied for a privilege card at a prominent retailer, there were only a few choices in the application form for “race”. I didn’t tick any of those boxes. To my surprise I didn’t get any weird looks from the staff, because they didn’t even look at my form. A Malaysian thing? 😛
Lynn
February 1, 2010
I am going to renew my international passport soon and I will just do it – write down Malaysian for bangsa and irrelevant for religion. But I think I would need to describe my sex as a passport is an identification paper. I expect the immigration officers do put in the details on my behalf even if I resist their request to do so. But at the very least, this is the case of another Malaysian questioning the government for the relevancy of all these discriminatory details.
Lynn,
Yes, just do it.
siew eng
February 2, 2010
Feeling low about the state of affairs? Re-energise and get inspired anew here:
HOWARD ZINN: YOU CAN’T BE NEUTRAL ON A MOVING TRAIN
Film Screening
Fri 5 Feb, 8pm
Presented by The Annexe Gallery & Friends
Wiith the support of Central Market
Admission by RM2 donation
“The lesson of that history is that you must not despair, that if you are right, and you persist, things will change. The government will try
to deceive the people, and the newspapers and television may do the same, but the truth has a way of coming out. The truth has a power greater than a hundred lies. My hope is that you will not be content to be successful in the way our society measures success; that you will not obey the rules, when the rules are unjust; that you will act out
the courage that I know is in you.” – part of the late Howard Zinn’s commencement address for Spelman College, Atlanta, US, in 2005. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/1/28/122031/954
mamanview
February 2, 2010
hahahha.. Haris haris.. tak abis2 lagi!!
kalau tak ada macam mana nak tangkap orang Islam yang masuk dalam rumah urut, kasino dan beli nombor ekor.. cuba ko bayangkan kalau agama dan bangsa tak relevan!
semua undang2 syariah tak leh nak enforce!!
so ko ingat dorang nak ikut ke?
Ko ni angan2 lebih lah.. bangsa malaysia!?
fizli
February 11, 2010
Dia kaki tunggang kot…..tak da bangsa dgn ugama lagi senang, tak posa tak le kena tangkap.
Many other ways but refrain touching Bangsa & Agama to the Malays. Other races may choose what ever Bangsa they want to choose…they hv no sense of belonging in their “bangsa” for they hv left their Country of Origin & found Malaysia their newhome..let them be.
Bee Nah
February 2, 2010
Ever since Dec 2007, I’ve taught my family to put down Malaysian, we refuse to fill in anything else.
anna brella
February 3, 2010
Yes, just do it.
The more N/As or ?!s or IRRELEVANTs you put on such pointless bureaucratic trashy questions – the only function of which trash is to be a direct waste of your state resources to help keep those paper-shuffling and pen-pushing public servants employed in doing mostly useless, unproductive work in a fully fat-padded public sector – the faster you will get to that SABM destination you seek to reach and so be free from such irritations and bureaucratic trash.
Although I can understand the public sector still wanting to engage in such bureaucratic irrelevances based on the self-preservation societal rules it operates under, I fail to see why any commercial organisation would even bother thinking about asking any of its customers to deal with such pointless time-wasting and questionable irrelevances.
To stop the first irritating pointless irrelevance in the public sector, I would use (a) my democratic rights and freedoms of considered thought, free speech and expression and (b) target my powerful democratic elective vote.
To stop the second even worse pointlessness, I would vote with my pocket and my feet. Shopping time is too short IMO to be allowed to go to such waste!
Every considered action of active civil disobedience, no matter how small you think it is, does count and does matter in the end to get to that SABM safe harbour.
So just do it as wise Haris recommends here.
“Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.
My2cen
February 3, 2010
Cannot do that lah, Don agree with you this time! My suggestion:
SEX: as much as possible / sekerap yang boleh 😉
RELIGION: between me and God / antara saya dengan Tuhan (too much trouble defining Allah!)
RACE: MALAYSIAN
Cheers!
fizli
February 4, 2010
No way josey! NOT IN M’SIA FOR ANAK BANGSA BANGSAT..move down 2 S’pore
Yuvarajah
February 11, 2010
Dear People,
Why confine the discussion on forms?. You mean you can’t discern if someone is Chinese, Indian or Malay from their very name?. Ok, I can go along with the symbolic gesture of removing a “visible” component to the racism phenomenon.
Allow me to take you to another level, which is far more subtly hidden and more difficult to remove.
Why do we ONLY pick on racist “identity” at the government workplace?. It also happens in the private/commercial sectors, a place that is suppose to be more exposed to globalisation challenges and diversity workforce environment. And, you would expect this to be where we could set the impactful and conscience example against all forms of racial discrimination.
In fact, it happens before you even fill the employment form, at the advertisement level.
I am speaking of – Bumiputra (meaning Malay) prefered or encouraged to apply. Another one, which MAY very subtly hide the reason is – Must be able to speak Chinese (this is for a position in Malaysia and not connected with working for a chinese daily or anything to deal with the CHINA market or suppliers!). This phenomenon may be an exception rather than a norm, but nevertheless, it does lend support to the issue, just like the “race” item on forms.
And, so the “racist card’ in employment prevails in perpetual, “pot calling the kettle black”.
So, what’s the answer?. The HR Ministry, Cuepecs National Unions and Malaysian Employers Federation are not bothered or interested to address this subtle yet discrimintative component that undermines the integrity of professionalism in employment.
Are we ready and willing to introduce stringent legislations such as EEO (Equal Employment Opportunities) to our employment laws, regulations and practices?.
Do we have, in the first place, the political maturity to cast aside our ‘birds of the same feather” mentality in embracing the “Malaysian” race?. You can take the race out of us, but can you take us out of the race?.
Wishing all Malaysians, a prosperous “Kong Xi Fatt Choi”
anna brella
February 12, 2010
…er….Bumiputra does not in essence mean “Malay” because it also includes those people in Malaysia who are not Malays by ethnicity. In esssence the arbitrary word “Bumiputra*” covers the group of people in Malaysia who are known as “Muslims”.
So in effect, it is religion that defines who is or is not a “Bumiputra” in Malaysia. This is why when a non-Malay marries a Malay, they automatically become a “Bumiputra” because they have to mandatorily “convert” to the one religion that is (now) normally associated with and/or perhaps forcibly imposed upon, the Malays in Malaysia.
* Bumiputra originates from the ancient Sanskrit language.
Bhumi/Bumi = earth/soil and putra =prince/son/child.
So the word literally means “prince of the earth/soil”.
“Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.
anna brella
February 13, 2010
An oppressive system survives because those humans under it allow that system to be created and to be perpetuated by affirming and conforming their behaviours in line with what the system requires them to do.
When you stop doing that, the system will automatically fail and will have to be repaired i.e. changed or replaced
All forms of discrimination exist only because humans/YOU allow it to exist. Whether you have discrimination in your environment or not is really up to you and entirely within your control.
You need to overcome your fear or deference of useless AUTHORITY, of both institutions and figureheads, and see that they (the Establishment) are mere human beings without those fancy titles/cloaks to give them an apparent appearance of a power of AUTHORITY and thus they are fallible in what they do and so are not always right. Nor do they (always) know what is best for you or what is best in the long-term interest of your nation unless they have really consulted YOU.
So get rid of hateful racism, manipulative bumiputra-ism, degrading sexism and all other such forms of pointless, but harmful and hurtful, prejudice-based discrimination that make no national, emotional or economic business sense to human beings there or anywhere else on this beautiful free planet endowed to all of God’s creatures by the One Almighty Universal Creator whom, those of us who believe, worship using our personally chosen religious words/names/prayers and spiritual guidance pathways.
Good luck in breaking down arbitrary human barriers!
“Imagine Power To he People” John Lennon.