UTUSAN MALAYSIA – CEASE THIS NAME CALLING!

I am appalled at a recent writing in Utusan Malaysia over their use of the word 'keling' in reference to the Malaysian Indians, and truly appreciates a note of rebuke to the use of such a word by my colleague Lt Col Mohd Idris Hassan (Retired) published in Malaysiakini dated December 11, 2009. Like my colleague, I too take serious offence at Utusan Malaysia for using the word 'keling' in reference to Indians, who like we Malays would be offended if we were called 'belacans'.

It is quite apparent that Utusan Malaysia is nothing more than trying to stroke the Malay sentiment against other non Malay Malaysians, and this is trading in dangerous waters. I believe the writer of the article is suffering from some serious deficiency syndrome of the brain; hence he cannot think nor write logically and sensibly. He need to immerse his head in mud so that he can have a better understanding of the Malaysian society, and if he still fails to understand, he ought to be thrown to the lions.

While PM Najib is trying hard to propagate to Malaysians the '1 Malaysia' concept, this UMNO owned paper tries to undo what all PM Najib is trying to do. It is now clear to my mind that Utusan Malaysia writers are simply ignorant, insensitive and have a muddled understanding of what a Malaysian society is all about. It is people like them who are the instigators and trouble makers, and it will also be them who will flee out of this country first, when there is disquiet in this country.

As a retired soldier and similarly that of my colleague Lt Col Mohd Idris, we have had many Indian soldiers who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the country. Have you heard of Capt Chandran who was posthumously awarded the nation's second highest gallantry award for his exploits during the Malaysian Insurgency. I have had many Malaysian Indian officers and soldiers serving me in Cambodia during the troubled period in 1992/93, and they never once showed signs of being disloyal to me. Besides the Indian soldiers, I had many other Malaysians of different ethnicity (Ibans, Kadazans, Muruts, Kelabits, Dusuns), but I can tell you all Utusan Malaysia writers that we were one.........Malaysians. There were no name calling. We ate, lived, worked and played together like one big family. We soldiers can show you that we practiced 1 Malaysia long before PM Najib ever thought of it.

I am indeed disgusted at what Utusan Malaysia has written, and to prove my anger at them, I have ceased buying Utusan since I retired from the Armed Forces in 1998.


CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WHO AM I

My grandparents came to colonial Malaya in the early 1900 from Bukit Tinggi, Sumatra and settled in Petaling, Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan. My father was born in 1912 in Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, and he is therefore a first generation Malayan born from a Sumatran immigrant. My grandparents together with his first family later moved from Jelebu crossing the main range into Ulu Langat, Selangor, at a time when my father was still a child, leaving his second family in Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan.

I was born in Ulu Langat, Selangor in 1943 and that makes me a second generation Malayan from a Sumatran immigrant grandparents, and from a first generation Malayan parents. In short, I am therefore a descendant of a Sumatran immigrant, and I believe that goes for all others who claimed themselves to be Malays, Chinese, Indians and Ceylonese etc.

I therefore have no qualms about people calling me a descendant of an immigrant, for that is what I am really. I cannot claim that my forefathers have settled in this country for the last 1000 years. And even if my forefathers had been here for that period of time, they too must have been immigrant from somewhere.

Since having been born in Malaya and now Malaysia, I would therefore liked myself to be called a Malaysian; not a Sumatran, Indonesian or any other name, although I am still proud to have been the grandson of a Sumatran immigrant. Had my grandparents not settled in Malaya, I would not have been a Malaysian; rather I would have been a Sumatran.

So why this fuss about we the grandchildren, great grandchildren or great great grandchildren of immigrants want ourselves to be called Bumiputras, Straits Chinese, Anglo Indians, Ceylonese, Eurasians etc., etc. Why not just call us MALAYSIANS……….FULL-STOP.

PM Najib has now propagated the 1 Malaysia concept which most Malaysians are confused, simply because we still want to relate ourselves with our racial identity. And for as long as we refer ourselves to our racial identities, we can never attain a 1 Malaysia.

And one only need to heed the remarks made by MB Kelantan Ustaz Nik Abd Aziz when he said that in the eyes of Allah swt, there is no racial divisions, and he (Allah swt) created the human race to be one. And are Muslims (regardless of race) ignorant of this?


CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

1 MALAYSIA CONCEPT – A REALITY OR RHETORIC!

The 1 Malaysia that PM Najib is propagating to Malaysians is not an alien concept, but one that was a ‘common life style’ among our multiracial society in the years prior to independence, and up to the period of the 60’s.

I believe, what had segregated our society into racially based entities, was the creation of national schools with Bahasa Malaysia being the medium of instruction, rather than maintaining a education system and schooling environment that encourages integration of the three main races i.e. Malays, Chinese and Indians. By having national schools, this had somewhat discouraged parochial Chinese and Indian parents from sending their children to such schools, resulting in national schools being patronized mainly by Malay students. This has been the state of affairs up till the present day.

Having said the above, I am not advocating that Bahasa Malaysia should not be the medium of instruction, but rather a strong retention of the English language in schools.

I would like to highlight my schooling experience, and how the 1 Malaysia concept can be evolved and inculcated among the present day multiracial Malaysian society.

I started schooling in 1949 at the age of six, where the medium of instruction then was English. The school I attended was known merely as a government school. I knew not a word of English upon entering school, but since everyone in school spoke the language, I had to strive hard to learn the language quickly; otherwise I will be asked to stand on the chair, or to be beaten on the palm of my hand with a ruler by the English teacher for being poor in the language. This early punishment had instilled fear in me, and I dread at having to fail my English test.

I remembered the classes that I attended in primary school were dominated by Chinese students, with very few Indian and Malay students. The reason for this was simply because the school was in urban Kuala Lumpur, where the population were predominantly Chinese.

During my formative age, I never thought myself as being from a different race, and neither was I made to think, or discuss my racial background with my classmates. We ate and played together, and I remembered having to go to some of the homes of my Chinese friends after school, and being welcomed by their parents. They live in large bungalow homes around present day Jalan Bukit Bintang. Of course, these homes no longer exist.

Likewise, I had several Indian friends who were my neighbours, and until today, we keep in close touch with one another, despite our ages, and despite having become distinguished grandfathers and grandmothers.

The same environment prevailed when I attended secondary school. The majority of students were still Chinese, and by this time both our spoken and written English had improved. There has never been an occasion where we quarreled over the issue of race, and if there was a fight among students, it was for some other reason. I too almost got involved in a fight with a Indian boy, because he was a bully. He was much larger than me, but having stood my ground, he ceded without needing to throw a punch at me.

When I joined the cadet wing of the Federation Military College in 1965, out of an intake of 78 (excluding Singapore cadets), 31 were non Malays. This was a substantial number of non Malays joining the Armed Forces, as compared to the present. I believe, the reluctance of the non Malays to join the Armed Forces today is because of their lack of social integration with the Malays during their formative age, and it has nothing to do with them being disloyal to their country of birth, as some would have perceived. I know for sure that the non Malays that had joined the Armed Forces with me, had gone through a similar schooling environment. And throughout our training, there was no inhibitions and the sense of being different, just because of the differences in our racial and religious background.

When we were commissioned as military officers, we maintained our togetherness, having to live, eat, work and play together. It is because of this close association, that military officers of my generation, and the generation before me are well bounded in lasting friendship, regardless of our religious belief and race.

Having being schooled in a multi-racial environment since I started schooling, I am today still very much a Malay and a Muslim. I have not lost the culture and traditions that is associated with my race, and the same goes for my Chinese and Indian friends. But what is common among us is the lasting friendship that we hold dear, that had been nurtured throughout our formative and adult life.

I have no qualms regarding the 1 Malaysia concept that Najib has propagated, because I believe it is a good concept that is aimed at uniting Malaysians of all races. But to evolve a truly 1 Malaysian society, it has to begin with our children and grandchildren at their formative age; but not when they are already in their adult life. Relationships has to be nurtured, and this takes time to blossomed.

I personally think that the Progam Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN) introduced by the government for SPM leavers, can be a programme to nurture the spirit of the 1 Malaysia, but it only has a short term impact. I do not think the participants can develop a long term relationship by just being together for 3 months. And after all these years, and with the millions spend, I have yet to read any official reports detailing the extend the PLKN programme had achieved. Or are the reports merely for the eyes of a limited few only?

Since the 1 Malaysia idea was mooted, I have only heard leaders voicing their support for the idea, but not how the idea is to be implemented, strategies, priorities and plans for implementation, the participants and target groups, and the time line by which one can monitor and gauge the extend of achievement. As of now, I can only say that the 1 Malaysia is merely a political rhetoric.

And if the government thinks that the 1 Malaysia idea can be achieved within a year or two, I would dare say that they are absolutely wrong in the very first instant. And even if the government does have a well defined strategy for implementation, I would say too that it will take no less than two decades to fully realized the concept.

An idea of the 1 Malaysia has been mooted out, and it is now left for the government to see its full implementation. However, are our politicians that had all along been propagating and harping on racially bias policies that seemingly suits their personal political interest, willing to discard such interest, and to work towards the successful implementation of the 1 Malaysia concept?

And certainly no more ‘kris wielding’ and ‘ketuanan melayu’ rhetoric from now on please, but rather a language and action that pacifies all races.


CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION