“Oh God, the terrible tyranny of the majority. We all have our harps to play. And it's up to you to know with which ear you'll listen.” - Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
Malaysia’s, or should that be “Malaya’s”, Olympic outfits have courted controversy for lacking “diversity”.
Political operatives and pundits have weighed in decrying the lack of diversity when it comes to showcasing the diverse cultures that exist in Malaysia, which is somehow supposed to be crammed into an outfit for the Olympics.
To be honest I am a little puzzled by this outfit. Local fashion house Rizman Ruzaini made history as the first local designers to have a creation of theirs featured in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London.
Apparently, their creation is now part of an exhibition celebrating the career of supermodel Naomi Campbell.
Indeed, in an Instagram post, they gushed: “We are still pinching ourselves that a Rizman Ruzaini creation is part of the exhibition. The fact that she personally asked for our dress to be a part of her exhibition, to be described as one of the iconic moments in her career, is just crazy.
“To see our dress, being displayed alongside designers that we look up to when studying fashion, such as Christian Dior, Chanel, Versace, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, and Karl Lagerfeld, is truly, truly the stuff that dreams are made of.”
So, what we have here are designers who understand the pulse of the international scene and who understand how diversity, especially in the international market, could be financially and creatively profitable.
These are the people you want to create a snazzy outfit to showcase what your country has to offer.
Rich people vibes
Furthermore, Youths and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is one of the most popular non-Malay political operatives known for her sermons on cultural diversity and inclusivity even though she did court flak for wearing a headscarf.
In that particular incident, she reminded everyone: “That I should not have to explain myself is the Malaysia we need to work on to promote unity. I look forward to the day my selendang is no longer a contentious matter. I hope the above explanation clarifies.”
So with all this in the mix, how exactly did we get “Malaya”? And here’s the thing, those outfits do more than just display a “Hari Raya vibe”, what it displays is a Hari Raya vibe for rich people.
Do you think regular folks get to wear such creations? No, this is a Hari Raya vibe for the oligarchs, political operatives, their proxies and cronies, and their scions.
This is not about diversity. This is about the propaganda of diversity. This is about how for decades, “Malaysia truly Asia” was just another word for racial and cultural supremacy. And this is really an old form of propaganda.
Some folks may have missed this but Malaysia recently experienced the passing of one of our great sportspeople - M Dattaya. He was a gold-winning hammer thrower and a silver-medal discus thrower at several international meets.
A gentle giant who left an impression on his fellow athletes and whose passing reminds us of the complex bonds non-Malays have for their beloved country. He was also a freelance journalist in the 1980s for a couple of national publications.
Even in his day, the spectre of racism brought him to rage but he soldiered on.
Pervasive racism in sports
As reported in the press by the great former sports journalist George Das in 1973, Dattaya’s career suffered a blow - “… the late sprinter Sabapathy told him the then Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union president Ghazali Shafie was not happy that the team was made up of all Indians, calling them the Madras team.”
Dattaya was so furious that he brought down the door to his room in Maba House. His brutal punch knocked the door down, said Das.
Sabapathy wrote in an article - “All of us were angry, totally dejected and offended by the racial labelling. We felt let down and rejected by our own country.”
Depending on what you believe, things are supposed to be different now, or are they? What are we talking about when we talk about diversity? Is diversity really celebrated here in Malaysia or is it really just propaganda meant to justify political and social paradigms?
Just last year, football coach B Sathianathan highlighted pervasive racism in sports after the whole conversion to Islam fiasco that was highlighted in the press.
He said: “Since 10 to 15 years ago, I have been getting complaints from parents, usually ethnic Indians or Chinese, saying their children are being sidelined from joining football teams.
“Most of them would say that teachers only picked Malay students to join the team, even though their own children have talent and potential.
“Such issues did not occur during my childhood. This can be seen in the national hockey team of the past, which was led by various races. There was even more non-Malay participation.”
Was it all just a mirage?
Keep in mind what Yeoh said when she was castigating the admittedly racial and religiously provocative statements of former Malaysian badminton player Bong Guang Yik (for which he has apologised).
“I believe that religion has never disturbed the performance of athletes and sports. This has never been a problem in Malaysia.
“I repeat my position - sports must be free of racism and politics. All national athletes are a source of inspiration for the country and are advised to be careful with their social media content.”
So I ask you, is diversity of any kind a foundational value in this country or is this all merely propaganda?
Now, of course, this may not always have been the case, as many old timers like myself like to point to, but are our experiences reflective of the reality of how things are or were? Was all this diversity just a mirage?
So in a way, this Malaya outfit reflects what Malaysia truly is. - Mkini
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.