None like Malaysia in Asia today

By J. Di’ Lovrenciear

Ironically we had a national tourism tagline flying the globe. We claimed to be an experience that is “Truly Asian”. Strangely none of our Asian neighbors thought of even coming anywhere near such superlatives. And we know today that they were the wiser for doing so.

Today, going by the race and religious dichotomies that threatens to split and tatter the social framework of a nation that has hardly flown to a developed plateau, Malaysians are being watched with great concern by our neighbors.

Today, travelers will tell you that Malaysia is even being regarded with a tinge of suspicious worry considering how the country is increasingly being bludgeoned with Islam verses Christianity attacks.

Today, while our neighbors are well on the highway of calling themselves after their national band, i.e. Indonesians, Thais, Singaporeans, Kampucheans, Vietnamese and Filipinos, we on the other extreme are after the Malay, Chinese and Indian throats as we are even into debating vehemently whether we are Malaysians first or race first.

While political parties in Asia – especially within our close neighborhood nations, are progressing along the bandwidth of championing humanitarian and democratic values, we are screaming full throttle for race preservation fueled by race annihilation battle-cries.

While our neighboring countries – Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Philippines are forging ahead, courting with religious harmony and co-existence, we are sharpening our axes for the resurrection and crucifying of one religion at the expense of another.

Now for how long more can we continue to deceive ourselves by claiming that Malaysia is a unique country and therefore its race and religion wars have to be fought by the hair and throat?

For how long more will Malaysians be able to endure these vexatious moments that have been dragging for over three decades and seem set to go overdrive anytime soon?

Lest we also forget, whatever comes out on the main stream media is also being filtered by our neighbors. Their citizens are also riding the numerous forums on the cyber loop. Hence is it any surprise if Malaysians are being watched with immense concern and suspicion by the neighboring and global community?

It is not going to serve us all any better if we deny all of these tips of the icebergs while preaching that the going is great in the country. We do not have to use the yardstick of the first-world. Just by humbly comparing us with our third-world brothers and sisters, we will know the harsh and frightening truth.

In none of these countries do we hear their citizens being shouted at within the august House of Parliament ‘Balik Cina-lah; balik-India lah!”

Nowhere do you hear of their citizens wanting to run away from their homeland for good. They only leave short-term and temporarily merely to bring back greater wealth to their loving and inseparable home nations.

But we have to set up engines at great cost to go out into the diasporas to woo and entice ex-Malaysians to return. Why? What does it tell us?

We need not even philosophize. Just take the case of flying the national flag. How many times each year do we have to issue advisories, appeals, and even stern directives to fly the symbol of hope – the Malaysian flag, only to be met with cold response. But this is never the case with other nations. Thailand is a classic example.

Truly, Malaysia despite all the blessings of rubber, tin, palm, oil, good soil and climate, and seas all around – is a spoilt and wasting child, politically. We have squadered our blessings simply because the powers that be propagated, nurtured and fueled race and religious divisiveness.

And so today painfully the awakened and weary cry despite still having millions living in self denial – that infamous ‘semuanya ok’ mentality in Malaysia.

Indeed Malaysia risks being turned from a rising tiger to an injured tiger; meanwhile the rest of the region will be well poised to ride the next wave of the Long Tail given the countries’ loyal and united citizenry with zero race and religious blinkers.

Unless we wake up, face the truth in the eye and say enough is enough there is going to be none to heal this nation. But to do that we have to ask ourselves honestly, “are we capable and do we have what it takes to save this nation for a future in history?”

And who shall be our leaders to march us onward before all else is too late?