Mariam Mokhtar | Sep 20, 10
Malaysiakini
During the Raya celebrations at his home in Pekan, the Prime Minister, Najib Abdul Razak, encouraged us to hold open houses and receive guests irrespective of race and religion to foster national unity based on ‘1Malaysia’. He said that an open house would be more meaningful if “we also open our hearts to our guests”.
The PM should also include an open mind. A willingness to listen to other people’s opinions should promote greater understanding and harmony.
If only Najib was aware of the level of intolerance some Malays have for non-Malays and non-Muslims. I don’t expect him to know what happens at the ground level and I doubt if his advisers and close associates tell him the truth.
Fewer Malays visit non-Malay open houses for the various festivals. The issue is not just with food. Some object to visiting places where there is a shrine. A few refuse to eat off crockery and cutlery that has ‘touched’ pork. Others worry about the content of the soap with which to wash their hands. Many Malays are oblivious to how their non-Malay colleagues go out of their way to accommodate Malay sensitivities. Sometimes, even the best efforts are in vain.
When it comes to pot-luck or giving food as presents, non-Malays express frustration that their contributions are refused, even if the non-Malay took great pains to ensure the use of halal ingredients. Rejection of their unappreciated and wasted efforts, is hard to accept.
Official functions are also dominated by Malay intolerance. Recently, the Malay organisers of a parent-teacher association dinner at a school in Malacca arranged for a restaurant which had the ‘Halal’ accreditation, to cater the function. It would have been a halal Chinese dinner. Unfortunately, the arrangement was cancelled as a few of the Malay parents and teachers objected, because the restaurant owner and his staff were Chinese.
Earlier in the week, Najib told us to fight extremism. By his definition, I am probably an extremist. We can’t deny that each one of us harbours some extremist or radical beliefs, even racist views. The difference is that we do not use these to subjugate others.
When Najib says that extremist groups or individuals reject the ‘1Malaysia’ concept, he is wrong. Many of us embraced what he calls ‘1Malaysia’, at school, home and work, long before this slogan was engineered. True Malaysians don’t require a soundbite to live in a multicultural society.
I am appalled by the aggression of some Malays who show a shocking intolerance towards non-Malays and non-Muslims just so they can retain their 30% bumiputera quota, university admission quotas and other perceived ‘special rights’. Some individuals have even accused the Chinese of being ‘too greedy’ and ‘controlling the Malaysian economy’.
Increasing slurs go unchecked
The increasing racial slurs from the Malays go unchecked. It has little to do with maintaining racial interest but more to do with safeguarding personal interests.
Najib may defend his ‘1Malaysia’ concept, claiming that it had not failed but was merely “work in progress”. He said it needed the help of all segments of society before it could be realised.
Is he aware that in our schools, racial interaction is limited? Malay teachers actively discourage Malays from mixing with or even sharing their food with the ‘kafirs’ – the non-Malays. Parents are reluctant to report racist teachers because children will be victimised.
If ‘1Malaysia’ exists, then why are West Malaysians subject to immigration controls in East Malaysia?
How can Najib excuse the terrible religious intolerance of the holier-than-thou Muslims who have no qualms about disrespecting people of other faiths? When they fall short of rational arguments, Malays tend to fall back on religion and then claim that they cannot compromise on their beliefs.
Thus, it is extremists like Ibrahim Ali (right) and Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who succeed in making Malays indolent and lose their competitive edge.
If ‘1Malaysia’ is working; why has Najib failed to entice overseas Malaysians home? The non-Malays are worried about the future of their children. They lament the lack of equal educational opportunities. Overseas Malays resent the patronising extremists’ tone. They prefer to be acknowledged for their hard work and not through being sycophants or because they are entitled to grab.
If the collective cabinet responsibility is to adopt Najib’s ‘1Malaysia’, then why are some members of his cabinet excluded? Why are the extremists, who force their feelings onto others, not silenced?
BN’s policies have only stifled growth, stunted creativity and slowed productivity. Malays who are swayed by the voices of extremism do not attempt to make a better life for themselves or their kids. Why should they take personal responsibility when they can depend on the state?
Debilitating effect
It is like the RM15 million slush fund to help Muslim single mothers and divorced wives who fail to receive maintenance from their ex-husbands. It may help the women in the short term but its debilitating effect is to make the man irresponsible because he knows the state will pick up his responsibilities.
So why should right-minded Malaysians approve of a horde of people who contribute little to society yet believe it owes them a living? What kind of future does any child have whose parents believe that the world owes them a living, rather than working to earn a decent living?
Malays are entitled to substantial discounts for house purchases, university places, scholarships and public sector jobs. ‘1Malaysia’ means nothing if privileges are reserved only for the Malays.
The system the extremists espouse isn’t working. Why should good-for-nothing scroungers deserve anything which they did not work to achieve, never have to take responsibility for and don” have to live by the rules, the rest of us do?
Like many concerned Malaysians, I do not support a theory which compromises my values, integrity and conscience. Najib’s message to the Malays should be to embrace change, and open their minds.
Furthermore, why should we refrain from sensitive issues? A reasonable and intelligent dialogue helps create a bedrock of trust and understanding. Bottling things up is dangerous. Forget about the open heart, it is our minds that should be opened.
//the RM15 million slush fund to help Muslim single mothers and divorced wives who fail to receive maintenance from their ex-husbands//
No alimony from their ex-husbands who have the means to take new wives? What sort of courts of law are they having?
Mariam,
You are one person far ahead of ‘the times’ , vis-a-vis the Malay mindset.
Malaysia will be a heaven if all Malays think like you.
May God Bless you.
Yes, we open our hearts 2 our guests, then later we C4 or burn them, bones scattered
Correct, Mariam, nowadays in workplaces it is easier 4 nonMalays 2 boh chap mixing with n entertaining Malays, who r too sensitive, too suspicious, n hv holier than thou attitude
Really, pain in d a$$, pardon d expression
Dr mamak’s greatest fear: Chinese will take over the country. And he is damn well correct for the Chinese will indeed take over the country. It will be easy. That is my frank opinion. How is that possible? You might ask. Because umno put in five decades of concentrated effort to destroy the bodies, minds and will power of the malays and the malay society. And Dr mamak’s contribution towards this objective was by far the greatest amongst all those who served as pm. In other words Dr mamak is afraid of backlash from his own works. He is working hard to keep the lid on and the ugly content in place.
What do you think UMNO will do when the country goes bankrupt ? Yes, it will create diversionary tactics and even destabilise the harmony of the country for its own ends, but even these can’t mask the fact that the country has gone kaput. So what next ?
We’ll be just like the Philippines. The Chinese put their savings in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. The bumiputras will sit under their rambutan tree to smoke their home-made joints, while their 2nd, 3rd and 4th wives go to Hong Kong, Shanghai and other mainland cities to work as maids. The local police will have a good time cooperating with the underground folks.
It is a likely scenario, folks.
just 15 years ago I see professionals Malays ,CEO’s , lawyers & judges attend Chinese open house. Now we find Malays “afraid” of eating and drinking at a non muslim house.
Why? This is all the wrong doing by UMNO. Racial polarisation played by the political parties brought us nowhere.
Recently Ronnie Liu was wearing a baju Melayu and a songkok. DAP made noises.
Come on DAP. Baju Melayu and songkok is not a religious attire. OK !
Even CM Lim Guan Eng wore a songkok.
What about wearing a cowboy hat? Will that make you a ‘mat Salleh’ ?
So Malaysians , please think rationally.
Mariam, you have hit the nail on the head. Very incisive, very encompassing ….. piece of article. It is a wake up call to UMNO Malays. Work hard and you may control 90% of the country’s economy. Many in UMNO eg DPM, Melaka CM will be fuming. Perkosa’s katak king will start to croak again. If all Malays think like you, then our country will be one of the best places in the world to do business and to reside in.
//’1Malaysia’ means nothing if privileges are reserved only for the Malays.//
Every child knows that. The only #&^%@ who doesn’t know, or more appropriately pretends not to know, is jibbi the hutt.
Other hutts are —
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutt_(Star_Wars)#Notable_Hutts
///Many of us embraced what he calls ’1Malaysia’, at school, home and work, long before this slogan was engineered.///
I worked for a computer company after graduation. Being a staff of that company, I had to attend certain functions in the evening, occasionally. I remember in one of the functions participants were invited to a meal after meeting. A brother told the participants (comprising Malays, Chinese and Indians), “Come on, folks, WE ARE ALL MALAYSIANS, let us sit at the table and eat.” There were chatting and laughing at the table while the “makan” was going on. I really felt the joy and pride of being Malaysian that evening!
Although the event took place in 1990, yet it remains a cherished moment in my life.
/It is like the RM15 million slush fund to help Muslim single mothers and divorced wives who fail to receive maintenance from their ex-husbands. It may help the women in the short term but its debilitating effect is to make the man irresponsible because he knows the state will pick up his responsibilities.//
Remove my comment, if you like, though this is my conviction: Likewise to that earlier person from Melaka who advocated ‘early’ marriage; even ‘helping’ the pregnant schoolchildren; there is a lot of hidden agenda in here: Marriage at childhood will see a large number of irresponsible pregnancies; followed by a flood of kids. Also, knowing that the state will follow up on all your alimony obligations, will ‘simplify’ and encourage irresponsible, short-term marriages for short-term sexual gratification.
All in all, though, these will serve a very much higher purpose: increase the percentage of the Malay population rather quickly, and help at producing the sheer numbers that will naturally outdo all other ethnicities; effectively annihilate the need to even bring up the topic of the ‘non’s.
Yes, I am sure that one or another think exactly like this. Forget about the welfare of the kids from broken homes; we will thank them for their mere existence, for propping up ‘our’ numbers.
I am a pork eating man. Yeah sometimes with my hand. But why do all has no qualms receiving cash from my pork-handling hand. ya. Money blinds.
///During the Raya celebrations at his home in Pekan, the Prime Minister, Najib Abdul Razak, encouraged us to hold open houses and receive guests irrespective of race and religion to foster national unity based on ’1Malaysia’. He said that an open house would be more meaningful if “we also open our hearts to our guests”.
The PM should also include an open mind. A willingness to listen to other people’s opinions should promote greater understanding and harmony.///–Mariam Moktar
It is all a matter of the mind. If one does not take another person as equal human being, he or she will not be accepted, so too are what the other person does.
It is an excuse in the pretext of religion for not accepting food offered by non-Muslims by Muslims claiming that the utensils touch non halal food. If the persons who refused such food had not stepped out of Malaysia, he could still utilize that excuse out of ignorance. But if he had been out of the country how sure is he that the food he consumed outside Malaysia was prepared with utensil as clean as that in his home. If he wasn’t sure about the utensil used outside Malaysia why can’t he do it in Malaysia too? After all those who knew the Islamic requirement in food standard bear the sin for serving non-halal food to Muslims. That is what non-Muslims have been told, and Muslims outside Malaysia never ever question the ”halality’of food served to them. Why should some Muslims in Malaysia manja about food served by non-Muslims.
The need to preserve the distinction between Malays and non-Malays lies in the provision in the constitution placing Malays in the special position where they have to be looked after. Were they shy for extracting and enjoying unfair advantages as if they are needy when they were not?
Yes, it is all in the mind how they do not want non-Malays to be equal Malaysians.
There are some Muslims who are making money out of their motherland; Malaysia that is, and making homes in Western countries. Shame on them ! So it is not just the pendatangs who migrate but also the princes of the earth. Don’t use the word “marry”. Use the word “take care”. Each takes care of four. If one does not want to take care, let another one takes over to take care. Multiply that. It is not sinful. If you have the time to talk, talk, talk and entertain, imagine all the money you can save by keeping quiet and work and make your country rich. Outward appearance means nothing to God who is more interested in the heart. The gomen of Malaysia should stop issueing passports to all Muslims because each time they travel, each time they cannot be trusted to keep themselves away from the sins of the business of eating, utensils and what not. Did you say free the mind, open mindedness or something like that ?