LIKE it or not, it is a truism that Malaysians tend to view everything through the distorting lens of race.
Take the 33rd edition of the SEA Games taking place in Thailand from Dec 9-20 for instance. Naturally, the primary focus should be on the medal haul and whether Malaysian athletes can compete with their regional brethren.
The latest count (Dec 15) has Malaysia on fifth in the medal tally table with 27 gold, 28 silver and 79 bronze.
This is far behind regional sporting powerhouses Thailand and Indonesia which is understandable given those nations’ larger populations but to be lagging behind tiny Singapore is unforgivable.
But instead of harping on the poor showing (thus far), Malaysians’ fixation on racial identity will always come to the fore as exemplified by this Facebook query.
Claiming NOT to be a racist post, self-proclaimed No.1 critic of PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang, Mohd Shah Rim, enquired why it appears that there are less Malay athletes picking up gold medals. “There are but seems to be less,” was the loaded observation.
The post has generated 445 Likes, 704 comments and 44 shares at time of publication with many commenters keen to share their two sen.
Indeed, it is surprising that majority of the medal winners to-date are the minority Chinee and Indian athletes although Malays make up the majority of Malaysia’s population or even the SEA Games contingent for that matter.
One sports fan could not hide his contempt when he claimed that these minority communities are congratulated when their athletes succeed but are subjected to all manner of invective when they lose.
One commenter surmised that too many Malays are busy badmouthing DAP and blaming the Chinese for all their woes, insinuating that such walaun fraternity (diehard PAS supoortera) had little time for sporting activities.
The walaun theme was also picked up by this commenter who pointed to this demographic’s obsession with female sporting attire.
Constant pressure on Muslim female athletes to basically “cover up” and wear hijab meant that many young Malay girls are discouraged from taking up sports in the first place.
That Malay youth was more obsessed with other activities such as illegal bike racing a.k.a. rempit and basikal lajak and “consuming ketum” (kratom) were reasons proffered by several commenters.
A few commenters lamented the Malays were constantly finding fault with other races instead of focusing on “important things such as sports, music and business”. Instead, energy is wasted on spreading malicious lies and social media posts that reek of envy.
One sports fan’s observation perhaps summed up what many Malaysians are hoping for – a sporting arena that is free from racial and religious issues.
Citing diving as an example, this commenter reckoned that this event could be the preserve of non-Muslim athletes due to the “sexy” attire while Malay athletes could participate in events that are more suitable.
What’s important was for Malaysia to succeed with peace and unity representing the values of a melting pot nation.
He opined: “There should be no 3R (race, religion and royalty) issues in sports if there is to be success.”
- Focus Malaysia
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