Are you willing to sacrifice?

Sadly today, as a civilised society we expect sacrifices from everyone else but ourselves.

COMMENT

I got really pissed off the other day.

You see, I met a group of friends a few days ago over a cuppa and as usual, our conversation circled around the current hot issues in Malaysia.

“The red rally really screwed up big time. And the worst is having our leaders backing it up,” said a Malay friend as he added, “I am Malay but I don’t support them. I support Bangsa Malaysia.”

His statement drew cheers from the others at the table. There were some pats on his shoulder while some others gave him a thumbs up.

“Does that mean you are willing to give up on your special privileges?” I asked bluntly.

As all eyes focused on him, he reluctantly answered, “I support kesamaan for everyone. Like I said, I support Bangsa Malaysia.”

“It’s wonderful that you support equality. But my question is are you willing to give up on your Malay status and be treated equally like the other minorities?” I gave him a little push.

“Yes, of course!” he sounded certain.

“So you are telling me, you are willing to say no to ASB, housing discounts, higher education quotas in favour of your children, loans and aids for Bumis?” I repeated myself seeking clarity. He went silent. So did the rest at the table.

“How about you,” I asked my non-Malay friends.

“Well, we don’t have any special privileges but if we did, I would gladly let it go for a better nation,” one of my Chinese friends said.

“Perhaps the Chinese and Indians could stop pushing their agenda for Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan?” I suggested.

Another friend quickly stopped sipping his teh tarik, “But SJK is open for everyone, nowadays even Malays attend SJKC!” he tried proving his point.

“SJK gives importance to your mother tongue and not the national language. If we are for equality and Bangsa Malaysia, why are we still very much attached to things that segregate us and stand in the way of equality?” I was annoyed.

“It’s easy to point fingers, Fa, but what about you? You are a mamak which means you are a Bumiputera. Are you willing to give up your Bumi status?”

I smiled. It is so typical of us nowadays to start the finger pointing game when we feel threatened, huh?

“Well, I am a Bumi. But it was awarded to me simply because some baboon in a mamak organisation begged for it as he thought the status would help my community prosper, while another baboon granted us the status so he could enjoy the benefit of gaining more votes. But truth be told, being a Bumi has not really made a difference in my life. Bumi or non-Bumi, we mamaks are still regarded as minority – except those who have sold their dignity and painted their arse sawo matanglah,” I said.

My Malay friend with a smirk on his face then replied, “If you had been given all the privileges as Malays have, I bet you won’t be sitting here asking me if I am willing to sacrifice my rights”.

I then turned to get a response from my Indian friend who kept silent from the beginning of our conversation – he was busy digging in nasi kandar. Sigh.

“At least you are a Muslim. You are treated better than us. So it is not fair for you to ask us to sacrifice our language and our school,” my Chinese friend didn’t seem to want to give up on the SJK.

I laughed, “We are sitting here talking about Bangsa Malaysia and equality when the truth is, neither of us are willing to do anything to achieve it except for our endless lip service”.

It amuses me as I recall how many times we Malaysians have spoken about sacrificing for our nation. We think nothing of blaming our leaders for being selfish and greedy and unable to sacrifice their personal benefits for the betterment of the nation. But look at us bickering when asked a simple question about our willingness to sacrifice.

Perhaps we should stop to think about where the human race would be today if nobody made sacrifices.Even in your own personal social circle, where would you be without the sacrifices made for you? If we took the time to learn from our history, we would know that back in the stone age, some men and women would literally sacrifice themselves for those around them by staying behind on the trail. They would choose to die so that the rest of the family might have enough food to survive.

A similar understanding also prevailed in time of war where warriors gave up their lives so that others might survive and carry on the fight.

Sadly today, we stand as a civilised society expecting everyone else but ourselves to make sacrifices for others.

My wish is that while we perform our sacrificial ibadah on the morning of Eid Al-Adha, we will remember that it isn’t only about taking the life of an innocent animal, a sacrifice also demands that we demonstrate piety in the form of charity. Similarly, sacrificing for our country isn’t only about giving up our dignity or identity. It is also about foregoing our individual interests for a common good.

If only we understand that the truest form of sacrifice does not entail giving up something to help ourselves, but giving up something to help others. A civilized society could not exist if citizens did not sacrifice for the common good, without expecting any direct return.

But how many of us are willing to sacrifice?