Smashing show of unity in motion on the badminton court

 

Racial unity among Malaysians on open display gives me goosebumps and feeling emotional, ever since my childhood in a truly multiracial Butterworth kampung.

Deepavali open houses then were occasions of so much joy in seeing my Malay and Chinese friends enjoying the dishes laid out on the table, everyone helping themselves with very little questions asked.

Sigh, how this has changed in Malaysia today.

A similar touching moment came recently when watching our tenacious pair of Pearly Tan and M Thinaah at an international badminton tournament: they played their hearts out, representing not just themselves or their communities but Malaysia as a whole.

These two gritty Olympians seem to fight their opponents tooth and claw each time they are on the court. They dive, fall, jump and stretch to win the point and sometimes return the shuttle even while they are down on the ground.

There was once when Thinaah dived and fell on the floor but failed to return the shot, lying sprawled on the ground. The first thing Pearly did was to walk up to her partner and pull her skirt down before helping her up.

It was touching to see her trying to protect her partner’s modesty.

Many may not have noticed that act of kindness but I thought it was a great gesture especially when they had exchanged more than 90 shots during the rally. Watching them closely will show you how the two ladies cover for each other during the match.

Victory on their minds

The way they smile at each other, even if they’ve made silly mistakes and gave away points, speaks volumes about how they forgive each other to focus on winning the next point.

In the men’s doubles, we have the combination of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who have turned deadly in their performances this year, winning three major titles. They defeated the world’s top Chinese, Indonesian and Danish pairs on the way to capturing the championships.

Their fantastic court coverage and quick moves to be in position behind each other during difficult moments in the court shows that their focus is only on one thing – victory. Their hugs after winning their matches with total disregard to the sweaty bodies shows that matters of race and religion are furthest from their minds.

Some say that, with prize money at stake, they will go to any length to win. True, but shouldn’t their display of goodness in the process be taken as great examples to emulate off the court?

When it comes to the supporters of the sport, all one can hear are incessant chants of “Let’s go Malaysia, let’s go”. None of them screams out the names of the players or talks of their ethnicity. To everyone, it’s Malaysia that matters.

Workday differences

Now, let’s transport ourselves to everyday Malaysia. At most workplaces, people co-exist despite having lots of differences. But sadly, the management and workforce of some places are dominated by one ethnic group.

The public services and the private sector are clear examples of such dominance, perhaps in contrasting ways.

Even so, there is plenty of harmony displayed at public places where there’s much interaction between communities. When there is a road accident, I marvel at how everyone cooperates to help the victims. They all suddenly transform themselves to being just human.

Political provocation

But when politicians step in, everything turns toxic. Oh, how they hijack some unfortunate incidents to provoke the masses, some so blatantly that you know their aim is to be popular to further their political ambitions.

They are so effective in their social media branding that most of their followers buy their toxic stories hook, line and sinker. This is obvious from the huge number of them resorting to making ugly racial comments against each other.

The frequent spats between Umno and DAP politicians tell another story. Despite being in the same team as part of the ruling government, they engage in open warfare against each other. Not only that, the issues they battle are mostly based on race and religion.

We all know that politics dictates our lives and what politicians say and do will ultimately affect the nation’s direction. They are all supposed to be on the same side or court but there’s so much toxicity instead.

Putting the flag first

These politicians make us all walk on a tightrope when dealing with friends, neighbours and colleagues of a different ethnicity. This happens as regular as clockwork with a handful of politicians, NGOs and social media influencers brazenly using race and religion to divide Malaysians.

Pearly-Thinaah and Sze Fei-Izzuddin are living examples that race and religion do not matter when reaching for the skies. When the focus is on putting the nation on the map, Malaysians can rise to the occasion by putting their differences aside to win.

If you notice, it’s the Malaysian flag on their jerseys that they kiss after winning. At least, this is what our former badminton great Lee Chong Wei used to do without fail each time he won a match.

Some might say it’s just sports but who says sports cannot unite Malaysians? It’s just that the power to unite has not been taken up yet by all segments of society. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.