Merdeka???

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

The spirit and feeling of this years Merdeka celebration is not quite the same as the celebrations before this. This year we celebrate Merdeka with some tension rising. We cannot hide or sweep under the carpet what is actually brewing in the hearts and minds of the younger generation no matter the race.

The racial tension is worsening by the day. People cursing at each other, making fun of their own national anthem, questioning their rights and rights of others etc. I can only imagine what it will look like ten years down the road if something is not done now and I am not just talking about the muhibah spirit and rhetoric speeches. Thanks to the wise management of our leaders today (sweep everything under the carpet policy) we will have an uphill task in managing racial problems in the years to come.

I grew up in Penang and studied at a National Primary and Secondary School. There I mixed and befriended everyone and anyone no matter the race. It was great and I had a lot of fun. Even when I was working in Penang, I did not feel like a social outcast even though majority of my colleagues were non Malays. Hanging out at coffee bean and mamak stalls with my friends no matter the race on a weekly basis was a norm for me back then.

Things however changed in 2002 when I moved to work in KL. It was as if I moved to another country. I suddenly felt that everyone was cold and I could feel the racial tension in the air. I resented that feeling. Call me naive but I then finally realized that many if not majority of the people in KL are racist and are only interested in protecting their own neck and race.

The racial tension in KL and most parts of the country is bad. I have received direct feedback from my non Malay friends that the reason they do not hire Malays is because they are slow and inefficient. My Malay friends on the other hand say that the Chinese are greedy and everything just boils down to money. After speaking to my Malay, Chinese and Indian friends I have come up with the following conclusion about their views, opinions and frustrations.

1. The Malays are upset with the non Malays for questioning their special rights.

2. The Chinese and Indians resent the Malays for treating them like second class citizens and not allowing equal opportunities.

Rightly or wrongly, there is clearly a mismatch of expectation. To be continued……