Cabbie chided as “unpatriotic Type C” over frank sharing of rising conservatism in Malaysia with tourists

 

AN e-hailing driver has found himself at the centre of a social media frenzy over his purported unpatriotic remarks about the country of his birth.

Identifying himself as ‘Henry’, the talkative cabbie is seen in a short clip engaging with a couple of British holidaymakers. After the usual chit chat about places to visit in Malaysia, Henry proceeds to talk up the “best” place for his passengers to visit – Thailand.

Henry fondly describes the neighbouring destination as “heaven”, recalling he used to visit the country frequently in the past – and really “enjoying it”.

Nothing quite wrong with that although it would have been nice if Henry talked up local tourist attractions instead of being a marketing mouthpiece for ‘Visit Thailand 2024’.

That’s when Henry shared his all-too-honest personal observations about the current state of affairs in the country. The affable cabbie also described his country of birth as “heaven” but was now a thing of the past as he said the conservative faction was bending the national narrative to suit their agenda.

He complained that these conservative elements were hell-bent on sucking the joy out of life by banning all the “fun” things like gambling and alcohol-consumption. Henry was of the opinion that “one is born into this world to enjoy” and those who do not subscribe to that philosophy should “go live in a cave”.

Unfortunately for Henry, his little rant was captured on one of his tourist passenger’s phones and promptly found its way onto social media where predictably, he is being roundly flamed for being an “unpatriotic Type C”.

The video was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by user mhmmdhsm (@mhmmdhsm) who slammed Henry for denigrating the country of his birth.

The post has generated 1.1 million views at time of writing and elicited plenty of comments. Henry’s diatribe certainly raised the heckles of many netizens who showed their ire.

Some were so incensed by the cabbie’s remarks as to demand the e-hailing service provider take action.

Some accused Henry for being a person lacking a moral compass for prioritising his pleasure-seeking.

Some netizens cautioned that there were plenty more like Henry insinuating that such unpatriotic views were commonplace among Type Cs and others.

Of course, race-baiting comments were aplenty casting aspersions on the Type C community.

One asked what sort of lawless state Malaysia would turn into if the likes of Henry was allowed to have his way.

However, quite a few netizens quite rightly pointed out that non-Muslims were still free to drink and gamble in the country, hence what is Henry’s problem?

The issue of vernacular education is never far when such issues surface and sure enough, one netizen claims it is the root cause for such unpatriotic and blinkered behaviour.

This clip does bring to light a few issues.

Firstly, in an age when everyone has a mobile device seemingly on permanent record mode, a person never knows when their words or actions will end up on the internet. Some form of discretion is required especially at a time of heightened sensitivities.

Secondly, Henry should be aware that he is very much part of the hospitality industry’s eco-system. Recommending that tourists spend their currency in neighbouring countries does little to help him or others in a sector still struggling to find its feet post-pandemic.

Thirdly and most pertinently, the netizens who are offended by Henry’s remarks must learn to accept difference of opinions. He has as much right to state his views and oppose what he perceives as creeping conservatism as those who view many activities as vice that lead to “moral decay”.

Too many Malaysians are too quick to pass judgement, especially on certain communities’ perceived loyalty to the country. Whilst not defending Henry for his remarks, it needs to be accepted that a dissenting or differing view is NOT wrong nor morally reprehensible.

Meanwhile, it may be a good idea for Henry (and others with similar views) to be more circumspect with his opinions and be wary of where it may end up. – Focus Malaysia