Today is our country's 49th birthday, a year short of its bicentennial anniversary; but nonetheless a day worthy of proud homogenousness, though frankly I think this year's celebrations aren't as great as last year's as the media was preoccupied with
somebody's wedding.
However, such a
an annoying media obsession big event did not stop the airing of Petronas' traditional advertisement (or a short movie if you look at it in terms of length and drama) for Merdeka, and the special newspaper supplements for the day.
As I get older I tend to realise the deeper and somewhat smaller details in how much we've grown, not just as individuals but as a society. All Malaysians are defiantly proud of our cuisine, our melange of languages and the laid-back warm culture which we constantly exhibit in our Malaysia Truly Asia advertisements. Though, the factor that we are all most proud of is indeed our multicultural society.
I will not bore you with things you already know. How incredibly fantastic it is that people of different races have a consensus with each other, one that goes beyond the limits of language and colour, of common interest and religion. How our understanding and empathy towards each other has influenced the cuisine of others, our spoken language and daily lives.
On the more deeper side, how it is possible for us to intergrate into a homogenuous society, being able to look at another man or woman and look at another as equal and not based on their colour of skin or their denominational faith. I know this may not seem so new, you can argue with me that other countries such as America and Australia also have multi-ethnic groups, that they too have equal citizenship and they too have no prejudice amongst each other.
But dig this, those ethnic groups only came to their land after said country reached independence. Malaysia and it's ethnic groups grew up together, fought together as much as we did amongst ourselves, learnt and understood.
To say that there is no friction amongst ourselves is to deny reality fully. Despite growing up together, it is undeniable that we do have ingrown prejudices amongst ourselves.
Some of us have had the unfortunate event of getting to know the wrong side of another race, or some had merely insulated themselves with their own people to have such a prejudice grow from them inside.
It is something that we do not admit, that some of us try hard to purge out from ourselves, and that some are not ashamed of either. Whether it is inherant from others who have suffered, or of yourself, prejudices still exist; and we've not got the other person but ourselves to blame.
Eventhough Malaysia has aged, it is still young, only a mere forty-nine, and in need of so much more time to grow. One only has to admit that with age and "growing up", it is obvious that we will question. Which many a politically enlightened person who has looked beyond the Sejarah Form 3 textbook does.
What causes all these social tiffs? Why is it that forty-nine years on, a fight between two gangs in a street in Petaling Street where they serve the national, non-denominational dish, the Nasi Lemak; one guy looks at the other guy and still uses the shape of their eyes or the colour of their skin as reason to be against the other?
Why? We all know why. Ali, Ah Leong and Subramaniam in the mamak stall know why, kids lining up for scholarships know why, people on Wikipedia definitely know why, and we all hush-hush whisper and nudge each other in full consensus when Yasmin Ahmad embeds metaphorical lines in her movies.
I am not one to say anything. In the end, I myself have benefited from it directly or indirectly and would probably not be here writing this post to you, but probably reading URTV's Siti's Wedding Special in a rural village named something vile, like Buntut Durian or Batu Lumpur or something.
But I too cannot say that I totally agree with it. There is a reason to why it was enforced, as without it, we would have an imbalanced social body and have only certain racial groups dominating the arena.
Maybe there was a reason to why the British allowed the Bumiputera rights. In my opinion they merely wanted the economic and political differences to
Converge. But I don't know how to articulate what I mean. I am not saying that it is right for it to still be going on, but I feel indebted to it and would be dissing my blessings too.
In my honest opinion, there is strong enough of a reason to why it was enforced, but not enough reason for it to carry on for
far too long. I say this because I believe
the social gap has not converged as much as we all would like to believe.
History and the effect of the economic stereotyping of races to different fields of economy during colonisation is what is causing this social gap. So if you look at it at this angle; it truly does make sense.
My growing up in a household privileged and sheltered; I fail to fully understand the sentiments of those who really feel the benefit and need of it. Especially those who live in rural areas, whether in Sabah or Sarawak and even the Peninsula where they bend double just to have decent meals or an education.
However, my being Malay; I am sometimes oblivious to what my fellow friends of other races go through. I sometimes forget that they have to work twice as hard to obtain a scholarship, and that they sometimes feel like second-rate citizens.
So you see fellow reader, before you post a comment or mock me, tell me I'm a pengkhianat bangsa or that I am a ignoramous tyrant, that I am unthankful or weak, I have laid the cards both way for you to look at it. I myself am forever studying it from both ways.
Warren: You know, I kinda understand how it feels, it's like someone comes over to your house and wants to be treated more than like a guest.
Ainaa: Yeah, but after a while, after some time that the guy lives in your house, he's not a guest anymore is he? He's family.Maybe one day, that guy in the street can look in the other's eyes and have only the fact that the other guy is having sex with his sister to bash him into pieces. One day, a political party no longer represents people with the same physical characteristics but for other reasons of interest. Maybe one day, there will be no more a social gap. Maybe one day, we all can get scholarhips and put behind our kiasu attitudes. One day, I will pick up a paper and categorise it by Left-Wing, Right-Wing or Centre, rather than MIC, MCA, or UMNO.
Happy Birthday Malaysia, we are so young and so great. And soon we will fully mature.
