I don't know if you, the reader, would agree, but there seems to be a highly-discernable spectacle of three types of people in Malaysia: Malaysians, Nominal Malaysians and Malay-sians. Yes, Malaysian Malays. Malaysians, regardless of ethnicity, at the very least try to be as amicable as possible to every one of their fellow Malaysian brethren, and are always dreaming, even working towards, a better Malaysia for the future. Nominal ones just wouldn't give a fart in space even if another May 13 comes along, so long as their prized posterior isn't on the line.
But it is the Malay-sian leaders that can really throw a spanner in the integration efforts of the esteemed leaders of the past like the Tunku, Dato' Onn Jaafar and Tun Hussein Onn. I say specifically of the leaders, for I know for fact that there are a sizeable multitude of Malaysian Malays that have no qualms if the Never-Ending Policy... I mean New Economic Policy were revoked someday, or if there was pure power-sharing among the races of this country, leading to a realistic Bangsa Malaysia identity.
I'm sure that almost all of you would have stayed up to watch the Jalur Gemilang hoisted in the early minutes of August 31, 2007. Prior to the hoisting, Khairy Jamaluddin and an MCA Youth leader were at the foot of the flagpole, but only Khairy and a multitude of UMNO members soon crowded to raise OUR Jalur Gemilang. Our MCA man was nowhere to be seen, obviously shoved to make way for the 'masters of the land'. Khairy, with his trademark but undeserved arrogance, was given the unwarranted honour to raise our flag.
Which brings me to my point: that Malay-sian leaders seem to have a twisted idea that we, non-Malays, are just, in the words of former UMNO politician and staunch racist Syed Jaafar Albar in the 1960's, mere 'orang tumpangan' from China and India who are after the Malays wealth and position. May they get this: there may be a few Nominal ones who don't bother, and there may be some who are just plain disappointed and disillusioned with the way this country is run, but a majority of the 'orang tumpangan' actually call this place home; we identify with Malaysia. There are some of us who, in spite of the option of migrating, choose to remain faithful to our land of origin, yet this 'leaders' can dare to vow that they would bathe in our blood to see their race prevail, like Najib Tun Razak in the 80's prior to Operasi Lallang. Come to think of it, it's a classic analogy of 'like father, like son'. Many would point out that instigatory remarks were made by Jaafar Albar and Abdul Razak with the intention of inciting disharmony in the 60's to depose the race-blind Tunku. These remarks led on to May 13. Jaafar Albar also went as far as to criticise PAP Malay members in Singapore as traitors to their own race. Why don't they think of all of us prevailing together? Why have such a racist myopic viewpoint?
The perfect examples of Nominal Malaysians would be our own Ong Ka Ting and S. Samy Vellu, with their undeserved titles ignored and unrecognised. They are perfectly content with polishing the rotten apples in UMNO, and they live an easy life. Our 'voice' in the Parliament has been muted, and I say that with disdain. Their rivals in the DAP like Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh may have grandiose ideas and visions, but lack the execution needed for them.
Funny, indeed. I remember a friend of mine, a Malaysian Malay, asking me whether I see myself as more Indian or more Chinese. Or whether I felt Malaysian. Honestly, I never felt any strong racial tugging in my heart towards both my motherlands. What I do feel is that from the bottom of his heart, this Chindian loves, and constantly wishes a better future for his Malaysia. A cultural cocktail in a beautiful hotch-potch of multiculturalism. That is Aaron in Malaysia for you. In true but unrealised reality, we are all the masters of our great land, Malaysia. Might as well play our roles as sons and daughters of our homeland, shouldn't we?
Aaron Nair.
But it is the Malay-sian leaders that can really throw a spanner in the integration efforts of the esteemed leaders of the past like the Tunku, Dato' Onn Jaafar and Tun Hussein Onn. I say specifically of the leaders, for I know for fact that there are a sizeable multitude of Malaysian Malays that have no qualms if the Never-Ending Policy... I mean New Economic Policy were revoked someday, or if there was pure power-sharing among the races of this country, leading to a realistic Bangsa Malaysia identity.
I'm sure that almost all of you would have stayed up to watch the Jalur Gemilang hoisted in the early minutes of August 31, 2007. Prior to the hoisting, Khairy Jamaluddin and an MCA Youth leader were at the foot of the flagpole, but only Khairy and a multitude of UMNO members soon crowded to raise OUR Jalur Gemilang. Our MCA man was nowhere to be seen, obviously shoved to make way for the 'masters of the land'. Khairy, with his trademark but undeserved arrogance, was given the unwarranted honour to raise our flag.
Which brings me to my point: that Malay-sian leaders seem to have a twisted idea that we, non-Malays, are just, in the words of former UMNO politician and staunch racist Syed Jaafar Albar in the 1960's, mere 'orang tumpangan' from China and India who are after the Malays wealth and position. May they get this: there may be a few Nominal ones who don't bother, and there may be some who are just plain disappointed and disillusioned with the way this country is run, but a majority of the 'orang tumpangan' actually call this place home; we identify with Malaysia. There are some of us who, in spite of the option of migrating, choose to remain faithful to our land of origin, yet this 'leaders' can dare to vow that they would bathe in our blood to see their race prevail, like Najib Tun Razak in the 80's prior to Operasi Lallang. Come to think of it, it's a classic analogy of 'like father, like son'. Many would point out that instigatory remarks were made by Jaafar Albar and Abdul Razak with the intention of inciting disharmony in the 60's to depose the race-blind Tunku. These remarks led on to May 13. Jaafar Albar also went as far as to criticise PAP Malay members in Singapore as traitors to their own race. Why don't they think of all of us prevailing together? Why have such a racist myopic viewpoint?
The perfect examples of Nominal Malaysians would be our own Ong Ka Ting and S. Samy Vellu, with their undeserved titles ignored and unrecognised. They are perfectly content with polishing the rotten apples in UMNO, and they live an easy life. Our 'voice' in the Parliament has been muted, and I say that with disdain. Their rivals in the DAP like Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh may have grandiose ideas and visions, but lack the execution needed for them.
Funny, indeed. I remember a friend of mine, a Malaysian Malay, asking me whether I see myself as more Indian or more Chinese. Or whether I felt Malaysian. Honestly, I never felt any strong racial tugging in my heart towards both my motherlands. What I do feel is that from the bottom of his heart, this Chindian loves, and constantly wishes a better future for his Malaysia. A cultural cocktail in a beautiful hotch-potch of multiculturalism. That is Aaron in Malaysia for you. In true but unrealised reality, we are all the masters of our great land, Malaysia. Might as well play our roles as sons and daughters of our homeland, shouldn't we?
Aaron Nair.
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