FESTIVALS BRING THE BEST OUT OF MALAYSIANS

Let us give credit where it is due. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad never visited religious sites and till today smears racism.

Karamjit Gill

The current festive season has once again shown us how joyous and open minded majority of Malaysians are. Religious bigots and organisations that strive on racial division has once again failed in their course. Despite issuing all kinds of nonsensical statements refraining wishes and participation in celebrations, Malaysians once again remained united in enjoying the jolly celebrations.

We are very fortunate that the most powerful and influential royalty in the country, which is the Johor Royalty, are an epitome of unity in this country. Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar’s Christmas wishes on his official Facebook page is a big slap to institutions that haram-ises even festive greetings. The Crown Prince of Johor himself offered personal season’s greetings to Christians in the country. Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak wished Malaysians Merry Christmas on his official Twitter account. The Prime Minister’s constant greetings for all festivals and even visiting religious institutions such as Batu Caves, repeatedly reminds us that there is no place for racism in this country. The Sikhs who are smaller in numbers compared to the other major ethnic groups have also been rewarded with unrecorded leave on Vasakhi day by the current government under Najib. This is something Mahathir never addressed throughout his tenure.

While there are some minions in the government who try to stir racial sentiments, the Prime Minister defuses such elements in his action. Let us give credit where it is due. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad never visited religious sites and till today smears racism.

People around the world are in awe with the multi-culture in Malaysia. The western world celebrates Christmas on a large scale because they generally only celebrate one festival annually. We in Malaysia do the same multiple times a year in different colours. Decorations in red for Chinese New Year, green for Hari Raya, white and red for Christmas, candles and multi colours for Deepavali, etc. Further, there is Wesak Day, Vasakhi, Thaipusam and many more. From getting the best ketupats and lemangs, to witnessing lion dances and wonderfully coloured kolams, we have it all in Malaysia. My friends in Europe tell me that with rampant migration of people from all over the world into Europe, they hope that one day they too will be able to enjoy the diverse cultural celebrations as we do in Malaysia.

There seems to be a mixed affair at wedding receptions too nowadays. We see Malays having ‘sangeet’ ceremonies during their wedding celebration. We see Malay traditional music instruments and dances at Hindu wedding reception dinners. We experience Indian cuisine at Chinese ceremonies. Celebrations have become a multi-ethnic affair in this current generation.

There are rotten apples in every basket. Therefore, it is not surprising to see small groups of people living in their old ways that are no more in favour. These insignificant people are a minority. I urge the media to stop carrying news or giving any kind of leverage to such individuals. Once they realise that nobody bothers about them, they will evolve to fit in the crowd. If racism continuously gets highlighted in the media, it will keep such people relevant and more of the same will emerge for some two-minutes of fame. It is high time journalists play their role and show them the door. They will either have to change for the better or face extinction.