Thursday, June 01, 2006
Cemerlang, Gemilang dan Terbilang!
While chatting to my housemate recently, I told her that I'm proud to be a Malaysian and think that being on home land is the best. She's from Mauritius, and currently studying to be a nutritionist at a private collge here.We shared the same sentiments.
Prior to going abroad to further my studies, I have always thought that the grass is definitely greener on the other side. I bitched incessantly about how this country stinks, how screwed up and corrupt our system is. However, upon returning to Malaysia after spending a couple of years in Australia, I came home with a different perception.
I am proud to be a Malaysian. I am proud that people of all races can live peacefully under a committed and responsible government. I am proud that all of us speak more than one language, two at the very least. I am proud that I am lucky to have friends from different races and yet, we all share a common muhibbah spirit. I am fortunate to be living in a country which is free from civil unrest. I am thankful that eventhough the country is governed by Muslims, the rakyat is given freedom of religion and cultural practices.
At the very secluded corner in the very back of my mind, hidden and concealed, is however, thoughts about how unfair things can sometimes get - for the Chinese, Indians and lain lain. But I try to not think about it too much. Why harp on all these bad and negative things when I can channel my energy to focus on the good of the country and the goodness of being a Malaysian? It will definitely do me more good. Right?
Then, I read something like this.
Dearest Deputy, I sure hope you're fucking with us. Discrimination I hear you say?
Wait, I'm Chinese. I speak Mandarin and other Chinese dialects, but cannot read and write. And I don't find that recruitment ads indicating that those who are proficient in Chinese have an advantange is discrimination to me. I just regret not giving my all during those Mandarin classes my mom sent me to.
But really, how many of these "Knowledge of Mandarin preffered" type of ads do we see? A handful? And these companies probably require their employees to liaise with Chinese customers, or that they are required to process Chinese documents, or maybe it's a Chinese radio/tv station, or a Chinese recording label?
Heck, don't come talk to me about discrimination.
Discrimination is when we have to tick a race on forms when applying for loans. Discrimination is when we hear of Chinese / Indian / lain lain scoring 13 A1s and having their university application rejected to do a desired course, but ended up being allocated for programmes like Fishery. Discrimination is when one can be born abroad, live most of his life abroad, and yet return to Malaysia and have access to Bumiputera privileges, compared to some who are born and bred here, and served Malaysia all their lives.
Please let me stress at the fact that I'm not anti any particular race. I'm just puzzled that's all. How can you not when you read an article like the above? Where our leaders speak before they process their thoughts?
I am 25, and damn proud to be a Malaysian. I've got a good 30 years to contribute to the country, and I hope to do just that.
Don't take that away from me? Please?
Posted by Doreen at 9:30 am
