Far from perfect but still great
My first political entry. I am by no means a political expert but I need to say this.
Malaysia is not a perfect country. We have our share of ethnic tensions, corruption, crime, etc. but the more of the world I see, the more I appreciate that Malaysia is a pretty good place and that things could be worse.
True, there's a lot that frustrates me about how the country is run. But after living in the US, UK, Africa and the Middle East, I've come to appreciate what we have in Malaysia. Compared to the current state of other African countries that gained independence around the same time as we did, we did pretty well despite racial tensions and economic disparity etc...and now serve as a role model for many developing nations. A lot of people that I've met seem to respect Malaysians.
Just the fact that it's very green and with lots of water is something most Malaysians take for granted but is in itself a really big thing for many people living in arid places. We have great food (as a result of our ethnic diversity), a diverse economy, good infrastructure, culture, beaches, mountains, rainforests, it's relatively safe, etc.
And even though Malaysia's majority are Muslims, we practice a moderate, progressive, less misogynistic and (although some might disagree) more tolerant form of Islam. Granted, there could be more tolerance of other cultures and religions, I think politicians in Malaysia's race-based parties purposely fan ethnic tensions to justify their existence and to win votes.
I think it's great to have diversity - it makes a country richer and broadens our minds. I feel it's such a loss when one group of people drives out others because they are different (e.g. Yemeni Muslims vs Yemeni Jews). We can learn so much from other cultures and take the best from ours and theirs.
I know that to get where we are today, a lot of non-Malays tolerated Malay affirmative action policies over the last 30 years...but most Malays don't appreciate their sacrifice, which helped keep the peace. It's crazy to still regard non-Malay Malaysians as lesser immigrant citizens because countries like Canada, the UK, the US grant citizenships after something like 5 years if not sooner. The irony is, a lot of Malaysia's ethnic Chinese and Indians arrived in Malaya long before some so-called Malays. I know that some of the "Malay" ministers in Malaysia are actually from Yemen and have brothers and family there...Ex-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is not 100% Malay - his father was half-Keralan and I believe Mahathir's mother's side still has relatives in Yemen.
True, I've benefitted from the "bumi bandwagon" - I got a scholarship without which I wouldn't be here today. Scholarships have almost stopped now - my younger siblings all have student loans to pay back. For the average Malay, apart from getting a 5% discount when buying a house and getting a little bit more interest from ASB (which is capped at RM 200,000 anyway), that's about all the special bumi benefits that we ordinary Malays get. There are other "perks" as well but the regular Mat doesn't know about these (e.g. Malay reserve land is mostly owned by the ministers' families and their cronies)! So little generates so much resentment that it's not worth it! I mean, if you can afford to buy an RM 300,000 house - surely you can afford to pay the RM 15k bumi discount???
S recently told me something that moved me: that we're both Malaysian but that my parents are Malay and his are Ceylonese Malaysian. I wonder how many people of my generation feel that way.
It's time to treat all Malaysians equal, and to improve the quality of life for all poor Malaysians. We need to develop the rest of Malaysia in a sustainable way and not just focus on the Klang Valley. And we're not united - why do Peninsular Malaysians still need a passport to travel to Borneo Malaysia??? Ask any Brit or other nationality, and they'll tell you that's weird.
Malaysia is not a perfect country. We have our share of ethnic tensions, corruption, crime, etc. but the more of the world I see, the more I appreciate that Malaysia is a pretty good place and that things could be worse.
True, there's a lot that frustrates me about how the country is run. But after living in the US, UK, Africa and the Middle East, I've come to appreciate what we have in Malaysia. Compared to the current state of other African countries that gained independence around the same time as we did, we did pretty well despite racial tensions and economic disparity etc...and now serve as a role model for many developing nations. A lot of people that I've met seem to respect Malaysians.
Just the fact that it's very green and with lots of water is something most Malaysians take for granted but is in itself a really big thing for many people living in arid places. We have great food (as a result of our ethnic diversity), a diverse economy, good infrastructure, culture, beaches, mountains, rainforests, it's relatively safe, etc.
And even though Malaysia's majority are Muslims, we practice a moderate, progressive, less misogynistic and (although some might disagree) more tolerant form of Islam. Granted, there could be more tolerance of other cultures and religions, I think politicians in Malaysia's race-based parties purposely fan ethnic tensions to justify their existence and to win votes.
I think it's great to have diversity - it makes a country richer and broadens our minds. I feel it's such a loss when one group of people drives out others because they are different (e.g. Yemeni Muslims vs Yemeni Jews). We can learn so much from other cultures and take the best from ours and theirs.
I know that to get where we are today, a lot of non-Malays tolerated Malay affirmative action policies over the last 30 years...but most Malays don't appreciate their sacrifice, which helped keep the peace. It's crazy to still regard non-Malay Malaysians as lesser immigrant citizens because countries like Canada, the UK, the US grant citizenships after something like 5 years if not sooner. The irony is, a lot of Malaysia's ethnic Chinese and Indians arrived in Malaya long before some so-called Malays. I know that some of the "Malay" ministers in Malaysia are actually from Yemen and have brothers and family there...Ex-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is not 100% Malay - his father was half-Keralan and I believe Mahathir's mother's side still has relatives in Yemen.
True, I've benefitted from the "bumi bandwagon" - I got a scholarship without which I wouldn't be here today. Scholarships have almost stopped now - my younger siblings all have student loans to pay back. For the average Malay, apart from getting a 5% discount when buying a house and getting a little bit more interest from ASB (which is capped at RM 200,000 anyway), that's about all the special bumi benefits that we ordinary Malays get. There are other "perks" as well but the regular Mat doesn't know about these (e.g. Malay reserve land is mostly owned by the ministers' families and their cronies)! So little generates so much resentment that it's not worth it! I mean, if you can afford to buy an RM 300,000 house - surely you can afford to pay the RM 15k bumi discount???
S recently told me something that moved me: that we're both Malaysian but that my parents are Malay and his are Ceylonese Malaysian. I wonder how many people of my generation feel that way.
It's time to treat all Malaysians equal, and to improve the quality of life for all poor Malaysians. We need to develop the rest of Malaysia in a sustainable way and not just focus on the Klang Valley. And we're not united - why do Peninsular Malaysians still need a passport to travel to Borneo Malaysia??? Ask any Brit or other nationality, and they'll tell you that's weird.
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