In a poignant note, Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau has called on moderate Malaysians to reclaim the word “sensitivity” from those who use it to cement bigotry and division among Malaysians.
The Upko honorary president said the people need more respect and compassion towards each other to build a stronger and more cohesive nation.
“We should be empathetic and accommodating of each other’s reasonable needs, not just during festivals but throughout the year.
"We must reclaim the word ‘sensitivity’ that has been abused by ethno-religious bigots as the all-season excuse to restrict the freedom of others and demonstrate subservience to them.
“‘Sensitivity’ should be a quality that we nurture in ourselves instead of demanding it of others to suit our individual or collective ego," Madius said in his Chinese New Year message.
In the indigenous cultures of many groups in Borneo, he said drinking rice or palm wine is part of the celebration of harvest festivals (Kaamatan, Gawai, etc) and other festivals, but they are not offered to families and friends who are Muslim, out of respect for their religious restrictions.
"Neither would they expect us to not serve alcohol in our celebration, because they respect our cultural freedom. This two-way traffic of sensitivity is the real meaning of sensitivity," added the Wisdom Foundation head.
‘Resilience will overcome insecurities’
Besides having a mature and civil sense of sensitivity, Madius urged Malaysians to build resilience in themselves.
"It is human impulse to feel insecure when we find others to be different from us or disagree with us. If we lack resilience, then we constantly feel threatened of our faith, culture or institutions simply because others do not think, speak, behave or dress like us.
"People lacking resilience tend to see a world of black and white and subscribe to conspiracy theories.
"By definition, resilience overcomes insecurities. Resilience gives us the confidence to be different from others and respect others’ differences from us. Resilience allows us to smile when others are living their lives the way we would not,” he said.
"Resilience enables respect and compassion. Resilience teaches us that we can be one loving family without being the same, because it is possible that ‘to you, yours, and to us, ours," he added.
The fifth-term MP hoped that all festivals of all communities would be celebrated without disruption from egoistic, insecure and uncultured individuals or groups, driven by political calculations or otherwise. - Mkini
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