Last year, through this blog, I got to know a lovely person .
Jayanath Appadurai.
He sent in something he had written bearing the title of this post, for my consideration whether it was worthy of being posted in this blog.
Without any hesitation, it was posted up on 26th July last year.
I think there is so much truth and wisdom in Jaya’s message that it warrants a re-reading today, particularly given the crossroads that we seemingly face today as a nation.
I am reproducing Jaya’s message below.
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For a long time, I have agonised over writing this piece to challenge my fellow Malaysians. Finally I said to myself – “what the heck? If I don’t do it now, I may not live long enough to see if they really care about the future of this beloved land”.
What better time to challenge my fellow citizens if not the approaching 50th year of nationhood. So here goes.
For too long, we have allowed to our own detriment a “cartel” of self-serving politicians and their coterie of entrepreneur buddies to set the agenda for this nation. They have moulded our thinking and controlled our thoughts, behaviour, responses and actions using the time-tested symbols of manipulation – race and religion!
We readily succumb to their clarion call to defend the race and religion and have fallen victims to our own comfort zone of categorising and stereotyping our fellow Malaysians along these lines. We, without a thought, consciously and sublimely succumb to grand generalisations and condemn our fellow beings based on these categories.
“All Malays are stupid, lazy and dependent on government handouts!”
“All Chinese are greedy, uncouth and are prone to using any means to accumulate wealth!”
“All Indians are dirty, untrustworthy and are prone to alcoholism and criminal activities!”
Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your worldview very little is heard by way of generalisations on Kadazans, Ibans, Dayaks, Melanaus and other minority Malaysians because we ,especially in Peninsular Malaysia, have rarely taken the trouble to know about, let alone understand our East Malaysian brethren.
God forbid, if and when we do so, I am sure some equally ridiculous generalisations will spew forth from our warped minds! And we will spew it with relative impunity with nary a thought!
Just for a moment reflect on these generalisations…..better still say it out aloud!
Can you honestly with a clear conscience say that you have no family member, relation, friend or associate of your so called “racial-religious tribe” that is not stupid, lazy, greedy, uncouth, dirty or untrustworthy? If you can I would really like to meet you and your pure tribe! You really must be specially selected by the Creator.
Have you not ever come across Malays that are intelligent and industrious and self-reliant; Chinese that are generous, civilised and not wealthy; or Indians that are clean, trustworthy and “teetotallers”?
What about the Malay cardiac surgeon who did a triple by-pass on your father and saved his life? What about the Chinese hawker who donated his day’s entire earnings for the tsunami disaster victims? What about the Indian who donated his kidney to save your cousin?
Have you not ever come across, heard of, or befriended a fellow citizen of the “other” tribe who was kind, considerate, generous, moderate, rational and objective etc.
Surely you have but you would in all probability have rationalised it as he or she is “different” because….. You would have subconsciously enumerated a host of reasons not to “upset” your comfortable worldview.
So why do you do it? Because it is so easy when you stereotype and rationalise your way through life using tribal categories. You don’t have to think and waste your precious brain cells. It makes you feel secure. It gives you a warm feeling of oneness, ownership and identity with the ilk of your tribe.
You reinforce your ignorance with equally ignoramus tribe members and everything is honky-dory! The bonding feels good! You feel great wallowing in your misplaced tribal pride.
And of course the cartel has ensured that you continue to muddle along this way because they will always benefit from this tribal mindset. Ah! But have you for a moment reflected on what the cartel does to control and reinforce your thoughts and actions.
Consider these “symbols” of thought control and manipulation so creatively used by the cartel:-
“Bangsa Malaysia versus Ketuanan Melayu”
“Perpaduan Negara versus Perpaduan Ummah”
“Malaysian Malaysia versus NEP”
“Secular State versus Islamic State”
“Bahasa Malaysia versus Bahasa Melayu”
“Bumiputra versus Non-Bumiputra”
“Constitutional Liberties versus Social Contract”
Think! How many times have you fallen for these Machiavellian machinations?
Worse still how many times have you used them to achieve your own ends?
Did you really feel good about yourself?
Did not an “inner voice” say something to prick you?
Of course it did, but you rationalised it anyway!
So my fellow citizens the buck stops with you!
You and only you, can do something about breaking the shackles of tribal group think!
And this 50th Merdeka will be truly meaningful if you take the first step to liberate your mind from the insidious control of the cartel and your respective tribes.
I challenge you not to meekly accept your tribe’s group think and let the cartel’s agenda hijack your mind! Pledge that from this day on – to rephrase Martin Luther King – “I will not judge my fellow Malaysians by the colour of their skin or their religious affiliation but by the strength of their character and the courage of their conviction”.
This Merdeka Day commit to beginning the process to really take charge of your thought processes. Once you have sorted out the obvious “inequities” in your mind, move out of your comfort zone and go forth to “liberate” your family, relatives, friends and tribal members.
And Oh Yes! – don’t forget your fellow Malaysians. They are waiting to bond with you and discover the true meaning of nationhood!
The People's Parliament 
su
August 20, 2008
I don’t think enough of us stop to think it the way Jaya has put it. In fact, I myself have been guilty of this mindset, I’m sad to say.
But no more!
Let’s think Malaysian from now on.
the other view
August 20, 2008
“Tribal Thin” only became a promoinent feature of Malaysian lifestyle since the days of TDM. It was a creature from the Barisan days of the 1980s’. Not during the early days of Merdeka. NEP, APs, quotas and all these set rules are imposed on the rakyat. Right up to the days before their introduction, I was a Malaysian. Now I can only identify myself as a Malay, Chinese, Indian or whatever. For that matter, who has ever heard the natives of Sabah and Sarawak? And where does the term ‘bumiputra’ comes from?
cekka
August 20, 2008
Racial issues just like HIV virus to Malaysians..
We all same, but our egoistic deny it.
barry
August 20, 2008
The funny thing is that we Malaysians are actually a very friendly and caring lot, and are generally not racists. Of course the years of indoctrination by the monkeys that we are Chinese, Indians, etc first, then Malaysians…..
I like chopin
August 20, 2008
Dear Haris
A timely reminder as race and religion is boiling again,thanks to Umno and Pas.
I think there is a place where people of all races and faith will really come together – at the hospital,of all places!Here,not so much from the doctors or nurses themselves,but from the patients and their kins that you can find warm words of comfort or an outstretched hand in hours of anguish and need.Perhaps it is only when we are in great pain and suffering that we can truly forget our differences and embrace each other as fella human beings?
It was March 17 2007,around 11.30 pm,at the bus stop opposite Hospital Besar Ipoh.I was all alone,tired and hungry after the whole day taking care of my dad who was warded at the hospital for pneumonia.It rained heavily and the street lamp broke down.The last bus was gone and no taxi pass by.My siblings were all outstation.So depressed and helpless.Along came a car and it stopped infront of me.A middle age Malay lady got down,holding an umbrella and beckoned me to her.She offered me a lift home although we are total strangers and despite having her whole family squeezing in the small Kancil.And she is actually staying very far from my dad’s place!When I hesitated,she insisted vehemently,finally I gave in and was so grateful that I met her that night.I pray that God will bless her and her family.
The next morning I rushed to the hospital again as I had overslept and I saw two fellow patients(a Malay and an Indian men)feeding my dad with Milo and bread.I am so gratedul to these fellow Malaysiana too and may God blessed them as well.
So,there Haris,the problem is not so much with us,the ordinary citizens.It is the people with powers and desperately clinging to it that created all this divide…
I like chopin,
Beautiful.
And yes, I agree with you, the problem is not the ordinary citizens. It is the people in or who crave power that have created this divide.
I Love My Malaysia
August 21, 2008
dear haris,
i love the meaning brought forward by this man’s writing.
i have not seen a fellow malaysian who has said it better.
i have been an avid reader of your blog since early 2007 but i probably misses the initial post.
i glanced through the comments this article recieved and once again i saw people mention TDM and also certain political parties.
i also spoke to my father about the ‘race-less malaysia’ and he was very negative about it.
i guess the prejudice is built in the minds of the malaysians and this is because of our political concept where we trust certain entities to ‘uphold’ and ‘protect’ our so called race.
we dont need that system.
i am very young and i was brought up in a real multi racial environment.
my father worked for a chinese company, we lived in a, predominantly, malay housing estate, my family is of the indian ‘tribe’. i was always educated in mixed comunity schools where again i saw a fair share of every colour. os i was close to every race and i never knew the difference. my parents were open minded that they let me learn jawi in school but refused to allow me to learn tamil. today i speak cantonese, mandarin, perfect english and also malay (well enough that if you speak to me over the phone u might mistaken me for a malay myself) but i do not speak tamil because my parents never found the need to teach me the language. (imagine the tough time i have justifying myself to the neighbourhood roti canai shop).
to make matters worst i was so ‘confused’ that when i was 10 years old i had myself circumsized just because all my friends were doing it and i was bored during that school holidays. so i totally understand the meaning of peer pressure i guess. ( a light moment for us all)
i was always proud of the fact that my parents never restricted me and always allowed me to make the decision. their support and guidance is my most appreciated asset.
probabaly due to my age and my upbringing i have never been able to understand this need that my fellow malaysians have to classify every single individual by a category. to make matters worst my own father has that tendency and i cannot understand it since he raised me very differently than the way he thinks and behaves.
i argue with him on this ever so often and it has even turned ugly at times but i believe if i can change the way my old man feels about race and gender, the country will be a beautiful place. this is because ultimately one spends real quality time with family and if the mentality within the family is pure of prejudice, the country would just follow suit.
i hope my fellow malaysians rea this and start at home. start with your loved ones. we are all working towards the growth of the country. race does not have to play a role in the greatness we can all build together.
su
August 21, 2008
To I Love My Malaysia,
I couldn’t help but smile while reading your comment, because it seems to reflect so much on my own experiences. I too grew up in a multi-ethnic environment. During my younger days, I even studied in an International School, so I was exposed to friends from overseas as well.
Sometimes I would ponteng Pend Moral lessons just so I could attend one or to Pend Islam classes with my Muslim friends. I learnt how to write my name in Jawi from them. I read books on the prophets (I treated them more like stories than anything else really.) I grew up watching Hindi movies on TV with my mum, who’s a GREAT fan of Bollywood. She can differentiate Hindi from Tamil in a millisecond! I have a Christian piano teacher who gave me a Bible once because I asked so many questions.
My parents too never stopped me from being so inquisitive, or mixing with “different” people. They weren’t THAT worried when I said “I’m going to convert to Islam” when I was in Primary 6.
But like you, I get into heated discussions with my dad when it comes to Bangsa Malaysia. He says to form a true Bangsa Malaysia, there would need to be massive inter-marriages to mix everyone up so there is simply no telling what race a person is.
I keep on telling him that he’s wrong. He’s starting to see where I’m coming from. And I never stop having these discussions with my dad. He’s a good role model, albeit a rather stubborn one.
But the overall essence is that we simply have to stop this mindset of thinking in terms of “race” or “ethnicity”, and simply think of each other as fellow Malaysians, as how you, Jaya, Haris, and so many others have said.
We’re all Malaysians, through and through. Where our ancestors came from don’t make a difference.
I Love My Malaysia
August 22, 2008
to Su
thanks for your kind reply.
i believe haris’ blog, or shall i call it our people’s parliament, has a great impact on our current society.
people have changed.
the essence of that statement relies solely on the internet. now, as i type, i am sure my father is bound to stumlbe upon these comments as i can see him browsing the people’s parliament.
due to my handle used here, he would not know that it is me who wrote this merely because he knows my usual handle and i have not only commented but also written a few hard hitting articles myself.
but the fact is even a 60 year old man is watching all sources of information closely.
this is the beauty of the society today.
haris has always carried the efforts of bangsa malaysia. he truly understands its meaning.
i may not be proud to say that i come from the same country as abdullah ahmad badawi, i may not be proud to say i am of the same nationality as anwar ibrahim. BUT I AM SURE AS HELL PROUD TO SAY I AND HARIS IBRAHIM SHARE THE SAME MOTHERLAND. kudos man. please keep it up. we need more like you. i couldnt be less bothered who ran the state or what law is introduced next but i am very concerned when my fellow malaysians are strayed away from the beauty of this country.
I LOVE MY MALAYSIA. I hope you love yours.
Prof Hamid Ibrahim
August 22, 2008
Actually the People (Rakyat) are united; it is the
political rascals who mess up things; Anyway they will be taught a lesson.
Where is demo-cracy in Malaysia. Nowhere it is to be found; you turnaround you see all tudongs everywhere – it reflects that we are one of the Arab countries. It did not happen during Tengku’s time;
everythng was peaceful – now the putras have become demo- crazy and they are running wild. they should be stopped. I hope change will take place; otherwise
non-bumis must run into the jungles looking for livelihoo. You see how the Indians were brought to Malaya by the Whites guys to toil in Malay land to what it is today.
But in a few years time 90 percent of the Indians will become beggars where they spilled – their forefathers –
spilled blood blood blood – to bring Malaya to this stage.
We pray to Allah that the Muslims follow the true religion of Islam – they have now become addiced
to wealth which they cannot take when they leave this
world. They depart only with white cloth – be he a king or pauper.
Pray.