I was in a specialist medical centre in Klang last Tuesday.
Whilst waiting to pay and collect my medication, a little Sikh boy came and set next to me.
He was curious about the gadget that I was messing about with.
“Uncle, can take photo, ah?”, he asked.
“Can”, I replied.
“Take my photo, uncle”, he asked.
I obliged.
Now his sister joined us and wanted her photo taken too.
Again, I obliged.
All this under the watchful eyes of their grandparents, who are in the background of the last photo.
The young boy wasn’t finished.
“Uncle, I take photo of you”, he pleaded.
I held the pad and he hit the button.
I have a question for you, Jibby.
Are these 2 kids Bumiputra?
If not, why not?
Why are the Siamese in Kedah Bumiputra and these kids not?
I am sick and tired of this bloody divide and bloody rule!
Who the hell are you, Jibby, to decide who is Bumiputra and who is not?
Damn all politicians on both sides of the divide who daren’t tackle this issue head on, who continue to pander to race because UMNO / BN make it the order of the day.
And damn all you Malaysians who continue to accept this bloody divisive categorisation.
The People's Parliament 
Lau Yong Chin
March 1, 2012
Dear Harris, it takes a lot of courage and determination to fight for the so called non bumiputra of Malaysia. You are 100% right in stating that no body in this world can categorized human being for bumiputra and non bumiputra. It is a divide and rule method used by the 1% people in this world to control the 99%. Thanks Harris. Sincerely from the bottom of my heart.
sc
March 1, 2012
How sweet! Reminds me of the song Whitney Houston sang:
“I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be”
We are all Bumiputera, as far as I am concerned, whatever they, them politicians, may say. We are all Anak Bangsa Malaysia, all of the human race.
So let us treat one another as you and the little boy and girl have done, as unique and precious people, all Malaysians.
Pak Teh
March 1, 2012
The Good Lord is surely with you… 🙂
linus chung
March 1, 2012
Thank you Haris….Hidup Rakyat!!!!!
Lance
March 1, 2012
Thank you Haris for this short quip. Very well said.
Rory Ong
March 1, 2012
Way to go, Haris!!!
bkho
March 1, 2012
The concept of Bumiputra is against the teachings of Islam.
So those who consider themselves Bumiputera is unIslamic!
Hear! Hear!
JAmY
March 1, 2012
Hi Haris, sorry but I no see no granma n granpa in background of last photo…only see you!!!…heh heh.
Paul Warren
March 1, 2012
There are Indonesians and there are Thais. Only very much later I realised Rudy Hartono migth be a Chinese. But did that matter? No!! My friend Suedy delivered the thank you address at his son’s wedding. After the English address, he excused himself to address his Indonesian family, relatives and friends who were present. In perfect Indonesian! He is Chinese. Knows Chinese. But he spoke in Indonesian. Will that ever happen at our own weddings? Can you imagine yam seng in Malay?
Why do I get angry when a young Indian chap replies to my question asked in either Tamil or English in Malay? He surely understood my question. My prejudice? Or anger that even if he only knew Malay he was still third or criminal class according to UMNO? Why should he completely abandon his mother tongue? But then again my kids don’t know either their mother tongue or their father tongue for that matter. So what is it that I find unacceptable? Is it the government’s attempt at thrusting on me a so called “National Language” and yet they call me and remind me that I am Indian, pendatang and what not and treat me like I was a criminal. And unlike the favoured citizens to whom they grant so many privileges, I am a taxpayer.
R Vijay Kumar Verma
March 1, 2012
Cheers to you Harris, another bearer to the voice of the rakyat. Cheers once again.
samo
March 1, 2012
There are a number of Chinese Thai along the border. So they can become Bumi whereas those Chinese Malaysians livive for years in melaka cannot become one?
Leithaisor
March 1, 2012
Well said, SIr!
Msian
March 1, 2012
Sdr Haris, you have my utmost respect. Keep up the good work.
william
March 1, 2012
Haris,you said it right.All have been told.-we salute you,brother.
Frankie
March 1, 2012
Try filling application form for loan/credit facilities from banks. Need to answer my racial tribe, bumi/non bumi status. Bank are racist in this country.
Its up to you to refuse to be ethnically categorised.
roberta wong
March 1, 2012
Harris, if only there were many more moderate and fair minded Malays like you, then this country is truly blessed and we may see some light at the end of the tunnel. I grew up with good ideals, I was color blind, but all this racial poison has eaten and affected many of the Chinese and other non Malays and made them racist too. Sooner or later this poison will boil over and there will be chaos unless it is stopped. For an oppressed society, no matter if they are a minority can only tolerate that much.For the Malays, not all are privileged either, but they too have been poisoned constantly and there is this wall which divides the races, making them suspicious, envious, angry with each other, some even viciously and violently. I have seen even a 4 year old girl, influenced by her parents to yell, gesture and spit at an adult of another race! What is our society turning into? What is UMNO doing!!!! Continuing with Mahathir’s twisted ideology which started all this.To me UMNO is evil as only an evil regime( I can only call them that! ) will engineer their rakyat to such a deplorable state.But then, it is up to the people to do something about it! Instead of pitting one against another, we should rise as one and say ‘We reject racism!’ We are all Malaysians. Any help or privilege should be extended to the poor and deprived irrespective of race.
jose manuel
March 1, 2012
You better recommend that Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka be closed. Ah Jib Kor can defined siamese living in malaysia as bumiputra, and DBP just keep quiet. Ah Jib Kor is molesting the whole meaning of bumiputra.
Bumiputra should be defined in our dictionaries as ‘mekanisme UMNO/BN untuk memecahkan perpaduan rakyat dan kekalkan kuasanya
Li Li Fa
March 1, 2012
It is clear that Najid looks at the people of this country through his political lens.
However, you have just looked at 2 little Malaysians into their innocent eyes, without pretense.
Thank you for your observation.
Adam Adli II
March 1, 2012
Salam Mr Harris and pray for the Revolution!
alitstar
March 1, 2012
Yes chief, you are right. After so many years you just realized it today? Damn, I feel it all the time yet I admit to have no balls to do a darn thing about it. What about you?
alitstar,
I have long rejected any attempt to clothe me with the status of bumiputra
Gurmukh Singh
March 1, 2012
Parents – Dad – Malaysian Indian and Mother – Malaysian Chinese
Their children – ? -Who meh? B.C . Bangsa – ?
A child – one of the indochin or chindian marries a Melayu
THeir offspring – indochinmelayu = Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia !!!
Pening kepala – ???? – Where got 1 Malaysia – no recognition
Billy
March 1, 2012
You are right, Haris, that our politicians, even those in the Opposition, dare not address issues head on. What I am referring to is the current issue of Mahathir’s letter to Ehud Barak. We know that there exists a letter that Mahathir wrote to Ehud Barak requesting for financial aid to fund his 1999 GE campaign, and I am sure the Opposition have such a letter. It is already there in blogosphere. So, why aren’t the Opposition take this opportunity to “hantam” Najib and his gang, but prefer to allow Anwar be crucified for an offence much less in severity. I knew right from the beginning that Najib is not going to show that letter because it would mean the death knell for UMNO, but isn’t this the objective of the Opposition? The so called three letters that were highlighted were copytyped. All of us would rather see the scanned copy with the relevant reference numbers. The one is a scanned copy of the letter, mast head, reference number, date and all. One question begs answering. If these letters are okay to be seen and read by the public, then why arrest that 70-year old man for circulating the letter via emails, as reported in the Malaysiakini two days ago. Unless he was circulating the letter that Najib and gang don’t want us to see. I am just perplexed at the behaviour of the Opposition, and yet they want to take over PutraJaya when they can’t even seize a simple opportunity like this. *sigh*
Sam Chye
March 1, 2012
My mother, second generation, Tamil from Ceylon, born and bred in Msia, passed on, some years back, after a long life in Malaysia. She died with a red IC after repeated and unsuccessful attempts at applying for rakyat status. Even some foreign migrant workers contracted to doing some reno work at our house were getting rakyat status after a few years of stay in msia. They are lucky and I bode them no ill. But my mother was that type of christian who believed that we must support the government of the day. If she could have voted, she would have voted for BN at every election. How ironic, how ridiculous and how sad. But, unlike my mum (God rest her soul), many Anak bangsa Malaysia today are smarter, more angry, extremely frustrated at the government of the day for their racist and divisive and discriminatory policies and practices, and are going to vote for change
My2cen
March 1, 2012
The Siamese community have already been recognized as Bumiputras since Mahathir’s time. They were eligible to buy Amanah Saham since it’s launch. They are eligible for discounts meant for Malays. It’s just that there’re so few of them nobody knows about it unless u know one of them. Najib did not make them Bumis, he is merely repeating what is already practised by Mahathir. So, to be correct, it’s damn Mahathir!!
Alan P
March 2, 2012
The other day I was filling up the online registration form for the KL Stand-Chart Marathon, and when I reached the “Race” field, it was only a drop down box with 4 options “Malay” “Chinese” “Indian” “Others”……and I was stumped on what to select. How? I supposed Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia is under “Others”…..pathetic, don’t you think, what the government have made us into?
Alan P,
We let it happen
Alan P
March 2, 2012
And we should break out from this mindset…fully agree with you…am trying to get my friends and family to change too, but generally people are reluctant to change…
Btw, planning to attend your ABU ceramah next Fri, may I know which part in Taman Melati?
Billy
March 2, 2012
To earn the privilege, this is what I will do. Give up my Malaysian citizenship. Apply to become a Thai citizen (if there is not much of a hassle), stay at the Malaysian Thai border, and voila, I am now a bumiputra! Honestly, Najib must have taken leave of his senses by recognising the Thais as such.
picktotell
March 2, 2012
These 2 kids look so cute and innocent, they are not aware of their 2nd class citizen status that inherited from their parents and the curse of “pendatang” will pass it on to generation after generation.
I hope someone or ABU can make a touching short movie with many kids sending a strong message to our people and world leaders that non-Malay kids do not deserve to be a second class citizen in Malaysia. I think many Malaysians will be willing to fund the movie.
tk
March 2, 2012
giving the Siamese Bumi status is the same as giving the buses load of immigrants blue IC so they can be registered as voters.
Imagine if a war should break out between Malaysia n Thailand , which country would these Siamese fight for? The security of Malaysia will be compromised.This is High TREASON !
On the other hand ,
these two lovely anak Bangsa Malaysia will surely defend their own homeland,
what ILL logic it is to discriminate against our own citizens .
bn is SICKENING ! DN BN !
ABU ! ABU ! ABU !
shakuntala
March 2, 2012
Why can’t all Malaysians be called Malay, to cut a long story and make it short and sweet.
These children are beautiful……they are from the Malaysian bumi, so they are bumiputras.
mauriyaII
March 2, 2012
First the Portuguese were given bumiputra status. Earlier the British by virtue of the fact they were the Tuans in the country, they enjoyed more rights and privileges than the Malays themselves. Now the Thais have been accorded the bumiputra status. Is it because we were at one time or other subjugated by these foreigners? So the Malays, read UMNOputras, only respect and kowtow to people who whack them good and proper. No wonder the UMNO goons, thugs and the lapdogs in PDRM demand respect with their violence.What sort of twisted logic? People born and bred in the country are not sons of the soil but foreigners are. Such is the rationale perpetuated by the Mamak Kutty.
malchindian
March 2, 2012
When did he become King?
What does our DYMM have to say about it?
What has the most revered Thai Monarch have to say about this??
Disrespectful and seditious.
BTW, never,never,never take a picture bottom-up! Cheers!
Johan
March 3, 2012
So touching… Harris for the next PM!
segregated malaysian
March 3, 2012
I totally agree with you. I am a 6th generation peranakan . We have served the government being in the public service fro 3 generations. My grandfathers belong to the uniform forces . My maternal grandfather fought the communist and my paternal grandfather a police personnel was killed while on duty yet we are still considered PENDATANG! How does that make us feel?
Malaysianatheart
March 4, 2012
You say WE let it happen?? Actually it is the Malays that condoned it and supported it for a good 40+ years. Because it suited them. And whatever you might think or hope for, the majority of Malays are still too insecure so as to reject the offending notion. In fact they want to perpetuate it because UMNO keeps telling them that they are NOT good enough and that without it they will be marginalized. But hang on – what about the rest of us??
I do not think that anyone can deny that before 1969, the Chinese community in this country ruled supreme and had a less than healthy respect for the non-chinese. UMNO capitalized on this bigoted attitude. It was the right thing to do then. I will go so far as to say that in this country, the majority of Malaysians of chinese ethnicity still conduct every facet of their lives along racial lines. Just try renting a house or a condo or a shop lot in town – if the landlord is Malaysian chinese – the first inevitable question is always “what race are you?” Many of them even openly advertise “Chinese Only”!! Rarely will you find a Malay or Malaysian Indian landlord even thinking along these lines. Or try getting a job in a predominantly Malaysian chinese company – you will be lucky to even be called for an interview! Ironically, it is the Malaysian chinese who now complain the most about racist policies. Double standards!
In a way, If racism must exist, then I prefer the open racism of UMNO (because I know where I stand) than the “cloak and dagger” Malaysian chinese version. The reason that our politicians ON BOTH SIDES OF THE DIVIDE cannot tackle this issue head on is that racism is not confined to UMNOPUTRAS. The Malaysian Chinese try (often unsuccessfully) to be less vulgar about it but are undoubtedly very racist themselves. Lim Kit Siang and Guan Eng are both very aware of this as is Anwar. For obvious reasons therefore, they must tread very delicately. Get it bro??!!
apen
March 5, 2012
Agree!
apen
March 5, 2012
One education = One nation…..BerJenis2 Education = no one nation…..Let’s fight for one education system that only use national language…Let’s be sincere
Freddie Cheong
March 5, 2012
We really, really need more Haris Ibrahims. You are our man. We respect you from the bottom of our hearts. Continue the good fight.
2 Tim 4: 7-8 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them that also love his appearing”.
Ting
April 24, 2013
Keep up with your good work Haris. I am Siamese from Kedah and I am not proud with that “bumiputera” term. I prefer to be Malaysian.