Crash Racism on Malaysia Day

by Azrul Mohd Khalib

http://www.themalaymailonline.com

As we have seen this past Malaysia Day, the disease of racism is very much alive and well in this country.

The Red Shirts Hooligans

Ahmad Maslan–The Politician from Johor

The Ikan Bakar Racist

The Mute Najib and his Boss Rosmah

Obama’s Parody

We have seen how bad the malignancy has been and how it continues to be kept alive and spread over generations despite more than 50 years of nationhood.

What was promised during the formation of Malaysia and encapsulated in both the Federal Constitution and Rukun Negara, was that as a people, we would be free to be what we could be. We would live together in harmony and in fair partnership. Together we would succeed as opposed to being separate states. That we would be unified as one people with a shared future, as Malaysians.

Tunku Abdul Rahman laid out this promise: “We are all Malaysians. This is the bond that unites us. Let us always remember that unity is our fundamental strength as a people and a nation.” He would have cried if he had seen what we all saw during the rally of the red T-shirts.

In different parts of the world, both in developed and developing countries, people struggle to throw off the yoke of racism. In Malaysia, as we have seen, there are some among us who not only embrace it but also seek to celebrate and justify the unjustifiable, doing all that they can, including misusing religion, to do so.

Not too long ago, Malaysia stood proudly among the coalition of nations which boycotted and sanctioned South Africa in opposition to legalised racial discrimination or apartheid. This country was in fact at the forefront and played a significant role in the anti-apatheid campaign. In 1990, Nelson Mandela came to Malaysia and thanked the Malaysian people for their support to end racial segregation in South Africa. Have we forgotten that part of our proud history?

The freedom of speech guaranteed under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia does not include hate speech designed to incite racial hatred. Hate speech is speech which offends, threatens, or insults individuals or groups, based on race, ethnicity, colour, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits. Hate speech is not free speech.

Much of what was said in speeches by speakers at Jalan Conlay, Padang Merbok and Petaling Street, screamed out by demonstrators and written on banners and placards shown throughout the Himpunan Maruah Melayu/ Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu/ #Merah169 was hate speech. Hate speech clothed in the words of racial supremacy, dominance, violence and discrimination.

How much longer should we be slaves to racism? Because that is what racism is: slavery. Chains which the penjajah or our former colonial masters saw fit to fashion around the different peoples of this country with the intent to divide and rule. It has been 58 years since independence and rather than casting aside the yoke of bondage, those in power have renewed and sought to cast more shackles aimed to widen the racial divide and exploit social and economic disparity.

Decades of economic practices based on race has bred an irrational sense of entitlement. Enough of this attitude of entitlement from people who would seek to benefit or expect preferential treatment simply due to their race or religion rather than through merit and hard work. The insolent demands that the profits from Petaling Street be shared with Malays for no other reason than that was “Tanah Melayu” exposed one of real motives behind #Merah169 which was greed. Let’s be clear about that.

We have serious problems to solve in this country, and we need serious people to solve them.Those who stood on that stage and incited and hurled abuses on the KL streets that day are not the least bit interested in solving them. They are interested in only two things, namely making you afraid of those problems, both real and imagined, and telling you who’s to blame for it.

UMNO Racists

To date, we have heard nothing from the leadership of this country condemning the blatant racism, bigotry and naked hatred on display during the #Merah169 demonstration. Why?

If UMNO continues to justify the existence and practice of race-based politics in this manner, through threats, fear mongering and intimidation, then I would argue that this is a party that has ceased to be relevant for the future of this country.

For the future of this nation cannot and must not continue to be shaped and determined by race and the struggle for racial superiority and dominance. It must be based on a common vision and purpose of how we see ourselves as Malaysians.

But honestly, it is too easy to shift blame onto our elected leaders when most of the responsibility really lies with us. After all, our leaders are representative of our respective communities.

Building a better society and nation begins with us. For too long we have allowed and tolerated slurs and arrogant statements such as “ini Tanah Melayu, bumi Melayu”, “we allow them to live and work here, they should be thankful to us”, “kamu kaum pendatang/ penumpang”, “Cina babi” to be directed to fellow Malaysians. We have also allowed racial discrimination to be a way of life. For example, the requirement for applicants to be “Chinese only” is a common line in job advertisements.

Meanwhile those who would take advantage of such tensions are continuously inventing and playing out non-existent racial issues, and instilling fear, hatred and anger against others of different ethnicity.

This must stop. After all, we reap what we sow. If this vicious cycle is to stop, we must play our part.

It does no one any good for us to keep our heads down and hope that the racists and bigots do not notice or disturb us. On Malaysia Day and the days before that, too many saw the gathering of racists and bigots and were intimidated, frightened or terrorised into silence and inaction. They kept their heads down and stayed home.

But not all did so. In Shah Alam, more than one thousand Malaysians from different ethnicities and religions walked together in a show of unity. In the KLCC park, a small group of people braved the red tide and had a picnic to celebrate the country’s birthday. In Bangsar, a few hundred people came together to rediscover Malaysian cultural traditions, ethnic food and dances in a festival of colours and music. Across the country, people defied the racists in their own way.

If we are to build a better society and a country for all, we must stand up and speak out for each other and contribute to a new narrative. A narrative shaped by our voices and not those that are shrill with hatred, bigotry and prejudice. We must deny the cynics who tell us to settle for what we have and not aspire for anything more. That nothing can change.

Last Wednesday, we saw how ugly racism can look like. But we have also seen some of the best of the Malaysian people. Stand up and speak out against racism.