Taking a bullet for 1Malaysia

Malaysians, regardless of colour and creed, love Malaysia. This is home and on its walls, are etched the memories of our lives and that of our loved ones.

The soldiers huddled in the trenches as the mortar shells exploded all around them, uprooting trees and sending chunks of earth into the air, which fell back to the ground like droplets of rain.

In one trench, three frightened men embraced each other, wondering if this heralded the end. Then came the order to advance, the three were stunned. It was suicidal.

Seconds later, an argument erupted. Wong and Muthu wanted Abu to make the first dash, hoping that it would distract the enemy troops, giving them a better chance of making it to the next trench alive.

When Abu insisted that all three move together, Wong and Muthu argued that since he was a Bumiputera, he was entitled to the lion’s share of the action compared to the other two.

Macabre humour aside. What transpired in Lahad Datu is not an item for burlesque. The bloodbath has claimed the lives of numerous brave men who heeded the call to defend the nation against armed intruders. Husbands and fathers perished, their valour must be honoured.

But amid the lethal exchange, several questions arose as to whether the confrontation is part of a script and if so, who authored it? Were lives pawned in a political chess game? With the election so close and with the stakes so high, some felt that certain quarters with vested interests would consider all to be fair in love and war.

Conspiracy theories aside. What is also disheartening is that even during the height of conflict, the national disease, to quote the description of a learned friend, poured forth from the pen of a seasoned newsman.

He lamented about how the Malays and Bumiputeras had sacrificed their lives to protect Malaysia and suggested that more Chinese and Indians be recruited to die for 1Malaysia as well.

Unsound wisdom

His unsound wisdom once again proved that the greater threat to this country is not external but internal. It is not bullets but bigots that threaten to riddle this nation with holes.

Before putting forth this question, the seasoned newsman should have also pondered on the reason behind these ingrates’ reluctance to make a beeline to join the police and armed forces to defend their motherland.

It is after all a promising career, where promotions are based on merit and not race or religion.

And which other profession provides the satisfaction of clobbering and gassing fellow citizens who make absurd demands like clean and fair elections, beating detainees to death for investigation purposes and conducting summary executions of suspected criminals.

Upon retirement, these ex-servicemen could also join the exclusive club which specialises in posterior warfare outside the residences of “pendatang” women.

Just because we are not treated as equals when alive, it does not mean that we should miss the chance of being treated as equals in death. There are no quotas when it comes to bullets.

Malaysians, regardless of colour and creed, love Malaysia. This is home and on its walls, are etched the memories of our lives and that of our loved ones.

But some are adamant on driving home the message that the non-Malays are tenants, to whom the landlord has been gracious enough to rent rooms. Their economic, sporting, social and political contributions are immaterial.

To some, these people are mere squatters and in the event of the slightest transgression, must be reminded of their precarious position with the calls of “Balik India” and “Balik Cina”.

Even the prime minister, whose clarion call is 1Malaysia, remains silent when movements like Perkasa and those suffering from an identity crisis like Ridhuan Tee Abdullah bombard his citizens with racist salvos and threats to torch bibles.

Incendiary song

And it is this same prime minister who choked on emotion listening to the rendition of “Anak kecil main api” during the last Umno annual meet.

The incendiary song, which moved Umno delegates to shed rivers of tears, bemoans the fate of the Malays being sidelined in their own land. A video of the song is also posted on the Perkasa website, calling on Malays to join the movement’s ranks.

With the nation under threat, one would have expected the warriors in Perkasa and their chief Ibrahim Ali to charter an AirAsia plane to Lahad Datu to lend their support.

Then there is the former premier who suggested that a royal commission of inquiry be set up to probe the citizenship granted to the Chinese and Indians. Never mind that his father came from India and that he is implicated in the issuing of documents to illegal immigrants in return for votes.

The patron of Perkasa also suggested that Bersih chairperson S Ambiga’s citizenship could be revoked if the ruling coalition scored a landslide win in the coming general election.

With their citizenship hanging in the balance, perhaps the non-Malays could join the Malaysian Foreign Legion or the Regimen Askar Pendatang Tanah Melayu?

As the verbal diarrhoea of such characters is allowed to flow free, the feeling of patriotism is at risk of drowning in the cesspool.

The greed for power and wealth have blinded the vision of politicians who exploit racial and religious issues for votes, which could prove detrimental when faced with external threats.

Then again, an honest introspection would reveal the hideous truth that racism exists in all the communities here and the race that wields political power, translates it into policies.

This nation is in need of both a political and a mental revolution. God, keep Malaysia safe from all her enemies both within and without.