"Oh Tuhan, won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz ...?"

What’s all the hoopla about a Catholic publication in this country wanting to use the word “Allah” to signify the Christian God in its Bahasa Malaysia section? This "Allah" connotation would ostensibly extend to Bahasa Malaysia Bibles and at mass and prayer sessions conducted in the National Language.

Why this sudden urge to write, read, converse and preach in Bahasa Malaysia? How come the very people who couldn’t even give you the time of day or simple street directions in the National Language suddenly fight tooth and nail to use the word “Allah” in Bahasa Malaysia Christian publications and Bibles that they themselves will never read, let alone comprehend?

Who would be the end-user of these Malay Bibles? Uncle Ignatius Lourdesamy down the street? What about his extended family who all grew up speaking and reading and writing English (and perhaps some Tamil though they may not admit it) and whose only exposure to Bahasa Malaysia was at school and in filling various borangs and permohonans at the pejabat kerajaan? You truly believe these Christian Anglophiles would be reciting their holy scriptures in Malay? Praising "Allah" and the Son of "Allah" in a language synonymous with Malay hegemony and stuffy government bureaucracy?

“Allah" is the Arabic word for The God, not just any God, and is thought to derive from the prefix al ("the") and the generic ilah ("god"). Hence, the La ilaha il Allah ("There is no god but Allah") in the first half of the Islamic Shahada. What about Arabic Bibles? Do Christian Arabs use "Allah" in their scriptures? Sure, Arab language Catholic, Coptic and Orthodox scriptures indeed use the term "Allah." But the issue here is not about usage of "Allah" in Arabic Bibles. It is about Christian literature written in Bahasa Malaysia, yes Malay, Melayu, the Bahasa Kebangsaan. And this is about the Malay Bible, the Kitab Injil Melayu.

Shouldn't the Malay language Bible carry a Malay name for this Christian God in view of the unequivocal fact that the Arabic "Allah" has always been regarded as The God of the Muslim majority in this country, not necesssarily in other countries, but in this nation of ours? O.k., what then is the generic word for "God" in Bahasa Malaysia? "Allah"? No, as mentioned, that's Arabic for The God. Would Hindus and Buddhists and Sikhs and Taoists and various traditional faiths dotting our hinterland also regard "Allah" as their God or supreme deity? No. They have their own Gods with their own God-names since antiquity. O.k., then why should some Christian denominations in this country demand the right to use "Allah" in their Malay literature? Isn't there a more accurate generic Malay term for this Christian deity to match the generic English term "God"? Yeah, how do you express a non-Islamic "God" in Malay?

Is this the issue?

Is this what the masalah is all about?

You know why this became a masalah?

Because you church people are largely language retards when it comes to Bahasa Malaysia. Your vocabulary of 200 words couldn't possibly fathom the lexiconical dexterity of our National Language, and with your lazy, cincai and typical tidak apa way to problem solving, you just curi and hantam whatever fits your needs -- in this case equating my Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to your own deity and holy beings.

Listen, the generic word for "God" in Bahasa Malaysia is “Tuhan.”

Yes Tuhan. Repeat after me: TU-HAN. No not TIU, its TU. Again, TU-HAN.

Cannot be that hard lah. No "r" or "d" or "sh" to twist your short tongue.

You can partake in your Tuhan to your heart's content now. You can pooja as much of this Tuhan as you want, and can knot parables of sons and virgin mothers and assorted miracles for this Tuhan of yours. I can live with that. No issue. In the name of God ... oops I mean, Tuhan, lets all now be productive at work/business and get on with our lives.

So it's settled then. Hallelujah! Praise the ....... errr "Tuhan." Yes. Hallelujah. Praise the Tuhan! Janis Joplin's cult song would now be, "Oh Tuhan, won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz ....?" I like.

"Like this cannot maaa. Like this where got one ..."

Huh? Apa? Tak setuju?

No deal? Tak puas hati? Some of you still not satisfied?

You still want my "Allah"?

"Tuhan" not good enough for your supreme being and son?

Still want your day in court? Still want to be an agent for turmoil and conflict in this country?

Hey, I thought the generic Malay "Tuhan" was the perfect literal translation of the generic English “God”? “Oh my God” would then be “Ya Tuhan” to the Christian Bahasa Malaysia speakers. "Son of God" would be the Anak of this generic Tuhan. Do you really believe "Anak Allah" would make sense, especially to the Malays and Borneo natives that you plan to Christianise?

Why this insistence on "Allah"?

Would the religious experience of Malaysian Christians be less profound if my Allah is not used in your Malay scriptures? Is this a case of God-envy then? You have Malay-envy, NEP-envy, National Language-envy ... and now you are afflicted by a case of God-envy.

Ok, ok, if you really must worship a supreme being you want to call "Allah" to the extent of going to court for this holy privilege and creating a ruckus for the world to see, KijangMas has a solution for your troubled soul. Become Muslims lah! Duhh!

Yeah, you can then face Allah in prayer five times a day and praise and glorify Allah the Merciful and the Compassionate every moment of your mortal existence on this Bumi. Heck, throw in some cultural affinities (on top of your language conversion since you all have seen the holy light and longed for prayers in Malay), you could even be called Bumiputras in your MyCard, and we will be one big happy family, sharing the Tuhan-given social privileges, free money, discounts, tongkats and all. This marks the end of our Racial Polarisation. Alhamdulillah!

"No way la dey!"

Apa? Also don't want? Masih tak setuju?

Still want to go to court? Haiya, why you fellas like to go to court ah? I thought you people don't trust our justice system? Bias lah, tipu lah, berat sebelah lah. So why still want to go to the Mahkamah? To make a mockery of the issue? To purposely subject my Tanah Air to ridicule in the world press? That I don't like.

Listen up, why don't we do something better than a "bias" Malaysian Mahkamah can do for you. Yes, we go to your ultimate Mahkamah. No, not the Queen of England lah dey. Itu sudah subcon to the “England Trained Barrister” fruitcakes of Hindraf. We can do better than that. We go straight to Vatican City. Yes, the Holy See, the abode of the Pope. Happy now? We shall petition Pope Benedict XVI for the Catholic Church to use “Allah” in reference to your God in every bible on this planet, irrespective of language. So not just the Malay version will use "Allah." The English, Spanish, French, Russian, Swahili, Patagonian, Hottentot and Inuit version will use "Allah" as well. Brilliant ah? Don’t thank me. Thank your fellow concerned citizens here.

You think this is a joke? Do you know that similar thoughts had been expressed by no less than a Roman Catholic Bishop in the Netherlands? Yes, Bishop Martinus Muskens of the Dutch diocese of Breda proposed that people of all faiths refer to God as “Allah” to foster understanding. He said: “Allah is a very beautiful word for God. Shouldn't we all say that from now on we will name God Allah?” So what are you waiting for Ignatius Lourdesamy and Ezekiel Tan? Sign the petition!

Ok? Kau tim?

Apa? Tak mau? Tak boleh?

Oh I see, you want "Allah" only in the Malay Bibles but not in the English, Mandarin or Tamil versions? So you can pick and choose your God's name as you like, depending on your target audience? Hmm, how so flexible, so convenient, ........ so sly and cunning.

In that case, I think a dialogue with you people would be futile.

Perhaps it's time for the TRUTH.

Want the truth? Mau tau betul punya cerita?

Folks, you know the REAL reason these zealots are demanding a Bahasa Malaysia Bible complete with the Arabic “Allah”?

For the Malaysian Christians out there?

Really?

For the types that do their best to mimic what they perceive as “Christian” culture and symbolisms such as the American/Western concocted Santa Claus and reindeer and Christmas Tree and milky white cherubs (anyway, why can’t cherubs be like this and also contemplate this) and happy little elves running around? The types that take pride in their English, the language of their holy scriptures? The type that either refuse or unable to string a simple Bahasa Malaysia sentence? The type that would only use the Malay language, pidgin style, to reprimand their maids and gardeners and to cuss the traffic cop on the street after dishing out RM50 in order to cheat the nation of RM300?

So suddenly these people underwent a Spiritual Linguistic Awakening, a lighting bolt that gave them the irresistible urge to pray together in their gerejas in glorious Bahasa Malaysia, in the Malay language that they hitherto abhor and oppose? Hallelujah!!! Praise the Tuhan!

Podaaaah!!!




Yup, ini semua tipu. Ini semua drama. Ini semua niat tak baik, loyar burok kata mala fide.

You really want to know why we now face groups of zealots bent on inundating our Tanah Air with Malay Injils at all costs, no matter the social repercussions? Betul mau tahu?

Not yet. Tunggu dulu.

Let’s work towards the answer with another question.

Who would likely read a publication, any publication, written in Bahasa Malaysia, in the Malay language?

The Archbishop and his army of priests and nuns?

The current congregation?

Devotees such as Teresa Kok and Charles Santiago and Irene Fernandez?

My old neighbour Maximillian Dominic Putucheary, the Johnny Walker connoisseur who claimed he is more English than the Englishmen?

What about your typical Joshua Nathaniel Luke Ying Siew Heng, the type that carries several garbage bags full of grievances against his “Malay oppressors” who finds solace in his English-language hymns at his Sunday church service up an SS2 PJ shophouse? Huh? Joshua Ying here also has a sudden urge to praise "Allah's" glories in Bahasa Malaysia as well?

Betul ka?

No!

O.k. now the TRUTH …….

They want the Bible to be in Bahasa Malaysia – in Malay – because they want to REACH OUT to the Melayus. Yes, they want the Melayus to be "saved", to be loved, to hear the word of their “Allah.”

Why is this happening now? Why this sudden push to print Malay bibles complete with “Allah” as the Christian God?

Christianity reached our shores with the Portuguese 500 years ago, and throughout the ages (until now) we have never heard of anyone seriously demanding a Malay Bible (at least not publicly) or groups of Christian devotees tenaciously insisting on denoting their God as “Allah.”

Yeah, why now? Why so insistent? For who? Demanded by who?

You want to know?

Actually, this is part of a long-term plan, a global agenda, towards the Christianisation of the World. The Malay Archipelago holds one of the biggest chunks of non-Christians around, what these zealots call the Unreached Peoples. Scriptures in the lingua franca of these people would be a crucial enabler to brainwash and convert them. Adopting the word “Allah” for their deity would be the coup de grace. Why? These missionaries would then be able to run circles and spin fables around this cetakrompak “Allah” in their scam to confuse and deceive the Malays.

How extensive is this movement? How about huge, no make it humongous, perhaps even gargantuan. See a sampling here, here and here. See how the Malays of Malaysia (and Singapore, Patani and Indonesia) are identified and profiled, complete with geographic range and a summary of their culture, lifestyle and spiritual disposition? Wow, these people know more about the Malays than most Malays themselves! The Malays are now prepped and primed for a spiritual invasion of the zealotrous kind. And marvel at their colour-coordinated Global Religious Battlefield Map reminiscent of some Hollywood sci-fi flick?

Oh yes, these foreigners are zealots all right. I spent a considerable chunk of my life in the U.S. over the past two-plus decades and have witnessed first hand the excesses spawned by religious zealotry. Yup, the likes of Jimmy Swaggart, Jerry Falwell, Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, and my favourites Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. These multi-millionaire swindlers live a lifestyle akin to Hollywood, pop and sports stars. Their slick fund-raising circus on TV would make the WWF look like child's play, what with instant miracle cures (one push on the forehead and you're cured, saved by the Tuhan) and toll-free numbers to send your life savings. Of course, many of these swindlers were later either discredited or jailed for their never ending scandals.

These intolerant zealots and TV (and now cyber) charlatans tag non-believers as the Unreached Peoples. In their gaudy tuxedos with eyes shut and teeth clenched and fist pumping, they claim direct unfettered access to God (Broadband-ready Tuhan ka?), and proclaim that this God wants them to reach out to the huge Unreached masses (meaning huge lucrative untapped markets) in Asia. Yes, these well-funded zealots will descend on us Unreached Peoples via their army of local collaborators in a multi-pronged assault of love and prayers and ......... if all else fail, legal action di Mahkamah Tinggi.

Get my point? Mau lagi? Cukup dah?

Many here surprised? Angry? Outraged? Sad?

For some, got this shifty feeling of being busted? Exposed? Motif sudah di telanjangkan?

Ok, now maybe we should ask "so what if these zealots want to Kristiankan the Melayus?"

Would the Malays buy it? They are that gullible? Nahh, not likely. Islam is self-evident, an all-encompassing way-of-life that makes more sense the more you unlock its beauty and simplicity.

But is that the point?

No.

The point is: why this need, this persistent tenacious need to use the word “Allah” to connotate this Biblical deity, as if the whole foundation of the Christian faith in Malaysia would collapse without it? How come the generic Malay "Tuhan" is not good enough, although "God" itself is the generic English word for supreme deity. What about other languages? Do they have a specific personal name for God or is it generic as well? Let's see. In German it is Gott; in French Dieu; in Croatian Bog; in Spanish Dios; in Swedish Gud; in Italian Dio; and in Russian Бог. Yup, all generic, a connotation, not a personal name, for a supreme being in their respective languages. So why must some Christian denomination in this country insist on using the Arabic word for The God to connotate the Christian supreme being in a Malay language Bible? Yeah, why use the Arab name in a Malay language scripture? Why not use the Spanish Dios? Or the French Dieu? Why this proclivity, this inherent desire, a burning need, to use the Arabic "Allah" in a Malay Bible although the Malay generic word for such deities would be the perfectly understandable and infinitely more accurate Tuhan?

All these sound fishy and ridiculous? I know. In fact, this is plain, unadulterated bullshit and hogwash of Biblical proportions, the biggest scam since antediluvian times.

My message to these zealots: Stop It! Leave the Malays alone. You go convert some other Unreached Peoples. In fact, there are enough pagans, atheists and sinners in the Western World itself to keep you people occupied till the end of time.

To the Malaysian collaborators, repent! Shame on you people! Enough of the lies and deceptions. No more putar belit of nomenclatures and connotations in your pathetic sandiwara of deceit and treachery. Stop lying through your crooked teeth about your sudden patriotic love for Bahasa Malaysia, of the sudden, inexplicable need to hear the Word of your deity uttered in a language that you had collectively abhorred and denigraded for the past half century.

For Tuhan's sake, enough!

The KT By-Election: A quasi-national plebiscite on Pak Lah or Najib ... or just a local Oghang Teganung affair?

Was the KT by-election a people’s plebiscite on Pak Lah?

Was the loss the final validation of Pak Lah’s inability to lead and inspire a disillusioned and embittered populace, the lame duck PM who could not draw, let alone mesmerize, the rakyat towards the BN coalition in spite of the boundless resources – media, economic, logistical, administrative, statutory – at the coalition’s disposal?

Adooi ..... apa lagi depa mau?

Or was it a referendum on Najib?

Was KT an indicator of Najib’s inability to lead and enthuse the rakyat, in spite of the avalanche of pork barrel projects at his disposal under the glossy façade of the ECER? Does Najib have what it takes? Is he really leadership material? Some say he has the charisma of a soggy popiah and is not a natural orator. I don't know about charismatic springrolls, but he does seem to mimic the primal call of a constipated tapir on stage, with his tendency to embellish his speeches with an irritating, whining sound.

Would you buy a Used Car from this man? Yeah, why not?

Leadership and oratory deficiencies notwithstanding, was KT really determined by Pak Lah or Najib?

Or perhaps, KT was won through the sheer brilliance of the Pakatan Rakyat, led by their whizkid strategists from the West Coast that must have mesmerised the Oghang Teganung and swept KT into the PR fold in a monsoonal wave of political awakening and social enlightenment?

Betul ka?

No lahh! Don't take too seriously that band of chest-thumping Pakatan pongidae masquerading as political messiahs and social guardians in their little syiok sendiri bubbles of impians amidst the kayangan of cyberspace.

So folks what then was THE catalyst of the PAS/PR victory?

a) The KT rakyat’s rejection of Pak Lah? No.

b) The KT rakyat’s rebuke of Najib? No.

c) The KT rakyat’s embrace of the ideals of the Pakatan Rakyat underpinned by a giddy non-Malay speaking Malaysian Malaysia paradigm? No way, José.

d) All of the above? No. Perhaps bits of (a) and a morsel of (b).

e) None of the above? Yes, this is closer to the truth.


Many might say, hey KijangMas, I thought this is a Pakatan victory, and was aided by the slick and sophisticated Pakatan bigwigs from Ipoh Timur, Bagan, Batu, Seputeh and Permatang Pauh?

Listen up, the KT result was NOT determined by the Pakatan people. In fact, PAS won in spite of Pakatan’s contamination of that party’s agenda, mission and cohesiveness.

Really ahh?

Yup, actually the West Coast Pakatan people gave themselves way too much credit for the PAS victory. In fact, collectively, the West Coast Pakatan people were even more irrelevant to the KT constituents than the West Coast Barisan people. Do you think the KT man-in-the-street gives a hoot about what Kit Siang, Guan Eng, Tian Chua and Teresa Kok have to say? Of course not. Do you think Brother Anwar is a factor? Nope. Not a chance. What about the “formidable” platoon of Pakatan bloggers who descended on KT to mingle with and seduce the Cina Teganung? Were the likes of Zorro, RPK and the malignant narcissist Haris Ibrahim and their kuncus effective in influencing their much-loved ethnic-Chinese voters which make up a one-tenth fraction of the constituents? Nope. In fact, the ever practical Cina Teganung showed increased support for BN this time around. These Pakatan cyber-pongidaes hence failed miserably in their Pujuk Cina Teganung mission.

Who and what then determined the PAS/PR victory?






Local factors. Yup, local Oghang Teganung factors.

This was just a local by-election that was inflated as a national happening by a clueless UMNO/BN and a delusional PR. In fact, this was not a BN vs. PR battle. This was not a Najib vs. Anwar beauty pageant. Of course it was never an irrelevant MCA vs an inconsequential DAP war either. Most importantly, KT was not a quasi referendum on Najib, as the increasingly bizarre Pakatan zealots would like the world to believe.

The KT by-election was nothing more than a pertarungan between an Oghang Teganung vs. another Oghang Teganung to win the hearts and minds, the hati sanubari, of the Ghakyak Kualaa Teganung. The issues were localised, grassroots, parochial, endemic, indeed, far removed from Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur.

Ok, so what happened?

Quick and dirty forensics:-

The LOCAL KT Oghang Teganung somehow finds UMNO/BN candidate Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh a non-palatable offering. I persistently got feedback from my Trengganu friends that Wan Farid is not a likable chap, somewhat aloof and unapproachable. How much this is true I don’t know. Perhaps it came with his old job as Pak Lah’s political secretary and key gatekeeper. Perhaps he had to stave off and thwart the myriad of hangers on and courtiers hovering around Pak Lah in search of quick contracts to sub to others. He could well be a fine gentleman. Maybe yes, maybe no. But it is the perception -- the gambaran -- that counts. And my own gambaran of him is not too flattering. He somehow gives me flashbacks of a stern and békéng ketua kerani at a typical Pejabat Tanah, the type that would ignore you for five minutes and then stare at you as if you had just committed a capital crime because you interrupted his reading of Kosmo or URTV.

Békéng dang gedébang weii !
"Nok kabo bui, diaa petong mung dengang alu lesong baghu bekok cobbong ..."
"Marketable" to the Oghang Kualaa Teganung?

The PAS gentleman, Abdul Wahid Endut, somehow came across as a more approachable character. He is the archetypal Pok Chu who wiles away the afternoon to Main Haji under the tree at KT’s ubiquitous alfresco kedai kopis.

As if Wan Farid’s demeanour is not bad enough, Najib had to contend with another LOCAL issue: the antics of Trengganu’s notoriously fractious UMNO divisions. Why should Idris Jusoh’s gang support a candidate whose victory would further strengthen Ahmad Said’s stranglehold on the state and its sputtering faucet of monetised black gold? Do you really think Idris Jusoh’s gang would assist to glorify and validate Ahmad Said’s leadership of Trengganu UMNO? Indeed, news of Wan Farid’s loss was met with shrills of delight in an explosion of schadenfreude orgy among many quarters in Trengganu UMNO itself.

Oh, for good measure throw in Dr. Mahathir’s ominous death knell (with his not so subtle statement: “The choice of the candidate is really very bad because people see him as a proxy to be used if Najib becomes prime minister”) and UMNO’s chances effectively dissipated into the monsoonal waves of KT’s seafront. Any contributory role by Pakatan here? Mana ada si pongidae?

Astonishingly, on top of the local negative sentiment and to complete the UMNO self-immolation, Najib inexplicably went to town to woo the miniscule non-Malay minorities with goodies and handouts totally irrelevant to the KT people. Why should KT – an almost 90% Malay majority seat – trigger an avalanche of unsolicited freebies to the ethnic-Chinese, including an unprecedented RM50 million to fund the SRJK(C)s across the nation via direct handouts to their school boards? Why focus on the 10% when the battle should have been fought over the almost 90% Malay constituents? Was UMNO foolishly reacting to PR’s aggrandizement of the “Chinese votes” while the restless Malays were ignored? Who actually advised Najib and the UMNO people? Which think tank? Can tanks think? Who said the KT non-Malays would be the decisive factor? Who installed these people as “Kingmakers”? While UMNO/BN fall over themselves to win the hearts and wallets of these supreme kingmakers, the real constituents, the almost 90% Malay majority, were reduced to irrelevant pawns forced fed a stale diet of tired party lines and grandiose Mat Jenin projects in half-hearted, incoherent ceramahs.

Najib’s embrace of the SRJK(C)s effectively alienated the Malay nationalists who would have naturally gravitated towards UMNO, even if Wan Farid was not too palatable, and this further exacerbated the situation on the ground. Interestingly, the DAP totoks in cohorts with PAS created less impact on the PAS supporters because they were certified Chinese chauvinists (and an irrelevant freakshow) anyway, hence nothing new to the KT Malay voters.

Let this be a lesson to UMNO/BN. By-elections are won and lost on LOCAL issues, LOCAL personalities, LOCAL grievances, LOCAL sentiments. Grandiose corridors and stupendous initiatives mean nothing if your candidate is not acceptable to the constituents.

AND let this also be a lesson to the West Coast Pakatan people. PAS won this seat due to UMNO's folly and IN SPITE of YOUR presence. Remember, most of the seats you procured in PRU12 were lost by the BN and NOT won by you people. We all know now that any non-BN pongidae would have won most of those seats, as testified by their presence in parliament and the various Dewan Undangan Negeris today. Likewise, KT was handed to PAS in a residual manifestation of UMNO/BN's political sado-masochism in these last vestiges of Pak Lah's tutelage. Will there be more freebies for you people after March 2009? Don't hold your breath, and watch where you swing between the impian vines of your hutan kayangan, lest you join the ranks of other endangered pongidaes.

Finally, I recall an oldish Teganung idiom. All one need in life is:-

- Nasik sepinggangg
- Kopi secawangg
- Ghokok sebatangg
- Sedawe e’ ...

... and may I add, a Wakil Rakyat who is a regular guy who does not remind one of the stern ketua kerani at the local Pejabat Tanah.

At last, someone with the testicular fortitude

Finally, a politician with the guts and the watak keperwiraan – the testicular fortitude – to address head-on and stand his ground on the issue of vernacular schools, the throbbing cancerous tumour that has been the single biggest obstacle to Malaysia’s social cohesion and the main impediment to the creation of a Bangsa Malaysia speaking in one voice, Bahasa Malaysia, guided by the budaya and tatatertib of the Orang Melayu.

Kudos to Mukhriz Mahathir!

This vernacular school menace must be expeditiously and decisively obliterated from our Tanah Air Tercinta. A society that allows, indeed sanctions, such a prickly, divisive ethno-sociological anomaly – after over a half century of Merdeka – does not deserve the privilege of nationhood. If we think we are a people worthy of our own Negara Merdeka under the Panji-Panji Raja-Raja Melayu Berdaulat, we must then take swift and decisive action to annihilate this societal outrage that has become a clear threat to our socio-political stability, to the development of a cohesive Bangsa Malaysia and, indeed, to our national security and integrity of Bumi Malaysia.

The Malaysian nation cannot support a system that produces functional illiterates molded in the linguistic and cultural forms of alien nations far from the shores of our Tanah Air. Many of these SRJK lost souls drop out upon entering the national high school system due to their sheer inability to adapt to the mainstream Bahasa Malaysia-centric curriculum. Many will become lifelong socio-economic burdens as these social outcasts ultimately percolate into the underground economy to eke out a wretched existence on the fringes of criminality. They also add to the social roadblock towards effective nation-building and in the formation of a cohesive, productive Anak Bangsa Malaysia.

The SRJK(C) and (T) produce kids who are more insular, more parochial and less receptive to socio-cultural diversity. From my own direct interaction with these products of vernacular schooling, I find them not only below par in Bahasa Malaysia BUT also grossly deficient in English as well. Hence, they are handicapped in the national language and the international language of commerce – a double whammy the vast majority will never be able to overcome.

These functional illiterates end up as a cheap source of semi-indentured labour in the motor workshops, auto accessory shops, in the building trades, sleazy unisex salons, become cetak rompak aficionados, stalk shopping malls to harass shoppers with a myriad of worthless gizmos and, in the case of many if not most Tamil-educated Indians, become low wage general workers, lorry drivers and assorted hired hands for the towkays.

The anti-Malay chauvinist politicians will then turn around and blame the NEP and Ketuanan Melayu for this socio-economic malady of their own concoction, further unraveling the last vestiges of social cohesion we may have in our Tanah Air Tercinta.

I often wonder, where is this vast trove of “superior” products of the Chinese and Tamil schools? Where are these people who purportedly benefit from superior education compared to the government schools?

Where?

Rakyat Malaysia yang cintakan Negara dan yang mahu membina sebuah Bangsa Malaysia yang Seia, Sehati dan Sejiwa harus berganding bahu dan mengembeling tenaga untuk membanteras sehabisan-habisan gejala sekolah vernakular yang telah menjadi sarang dan punca berbagai masalah sosial Tanah Air tercinta kita. Inilah langkah pertama dalam perjuangan kita untuk membentuk sebuah Bangsa Malaysia yang berbahasa Malaysia dan berpandu kepada budaya dan tatatertib Melayu di Bumi Malaysia tercinta ini.

Satu Bangsa, Satu Bahasa, Satu Negara bukan lah laungan retorik semata-mata. Inilah teras pertiwi dan teraju segala falsafah yang akan menjamin kedaulatan, ketahanan dan keutuhan Negara Malaysia tercinta dalam menghadapi berbagai cabaran sosio-ekonomi dan politik dalaman dan luaran yang kian semakin rancak bergelora.

Hasil Sekolah Vernakular

After 51 years of Merdeka?
A banner protesting Ahmad Ismail’s “Cina Pendatang” remark written in …… Mandarin …… the national language of the People’s Republic of China, an alien foreign language (even to ethnic-Chinese Malaysians) that led Ahmad Ismail to view them as “Pendatangs” in the first place.

The inherently contradictory and indefensibly dichotomous position of the Chinese chauvinists in their defense of vernacular schooling 51 years after Merdeka are endless. There exist no single logical argument that supports the continuation of the archaic colonial-era Chinese and Tamil school streams in a sovereign nation such as Malaysia, where Bahasa Malaysia is the sole national language and constitutionally supreme over any other language or dialect. Indeed, no other language is mentioned by name in the Malaysian Federal Constitution.

Anything that threatens the constitutional supremacy of Bahasa Malaysia – and vernacular schools are the most blatant example – must be vigorously curtailed and abolished. The greater public good – in this case, a single unifying language for the Federation – by definition must prevail over ancillary cultural rights of assorted sub-groups and descendants of the immigrant races, collectively defined as “other communities” in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.

“Malay” is mentioned 54 times in the Federal Constitution. “Natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak” are also mentioned many times, often in tandem with “Malay.” There exists no specific reference to a “Chinese” or “Indian” or “Punjabi” or “Eurasian” or any other ethnic group. These non-Malays and non-Borneo natives are lumped as “other communities,” the residual populace of the Federation. Hence, Article 153, by design and implication, specifically differentiates the “Malays” and the “Natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak” from the “other communities.”

Article 153 of the Federal Constitution in the same breath mentions the "legitimate interests" of the "other communities."

"Legitimate” is the key word when we talk about the “legitimate interests” of the “other communities.” Indeed, the “legitimate” in the “legitimate interests” of the “other communities” are subordinate to the larger national interests of the Federation. In terms of National Language policy, the “legitimate interests” of the "other communities" must necessarily be subordinated to the supremacy of Bahasa Malaysia (a larger national interest) and these "legitimate interests" should never be an impediment to the development and propagation of the National Language among the citizens of the Federation.

Vernacular schools are clearly impediments to the development and propagation of our National Language among our citizens. Hence, their very constitutionality can be reviewed and debated in the context of propagating the larger national interest and social integrity of the Federation of Malaysia.

In a nutshell, the qualifying term “legitimate” in the "legitimate interests" of the "other communities" implies the non-absolute nature of the “interests” of Malaysia’s “other communities.” In terms of language and cultural "rights" of the non-Malays and non-Borneo natives of the Federation, the determination of what is "legitimate" in the "legitimate interests" of these "other communities" must be conducted against the backdrop of a larger, all pervasive national interest and public good for the Federation. The Federal Constitution hence clearly implies that the "right" of the non-Malay, non-Borneo native populace is non-absolute and subordinated to the rights of the general populace and to the public good. "Mother tongue" language usage and vernacular schooling are no exceptions.

I must reiterate that the "Malays" and the "Natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak" are constitutionally distinct from the "other communities." Sorry, we are not the same under the Malaysian Federal Constitution. This was how the Federation of Malaysia was forged amidst the polygot of former Malay States under British protection, British colonies and settlements. To question the distinct status of the "Malays" and the "Natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak" is tantamount to a repudiation of the fundamental tenets of the nation of Malaysia itself. In other words, treasonous.

Hence, for contemporary opportunistic anti-Malay politicians to cast the “Malay” and other “Natives” in the same light as the so-called “other communities” and then to demand kesamarataan among these two groups – including a parallel National vs. Vernacular school system – are not only unconstitutional, but also seditious, delusional, mischievous and self-destructive and, indeed, a pathetic indication of their utter ignorance of the socio-demographic blueprint of the Malaysian Federal Constitution that was forged in the context of Malay compromises and giveaways to the desperate, stateless pendatangs and their descendants.

Mukhriz Mahathir is absolutely correct and Demi Negara lauds his position.

At a time where "Malay Rights" and every single instrument of Malaysian nationhood are being brought into disrepute by the anti-Malay reactionary forces currently infesting and contaminating our Tanah Air, it is time for all patriotic Anak-Anak Bangsa Malaysia to rise and question the many social anomalies and maladies propagated by these same treasonous reactionary forces that have effectively short-circuited our nation building process. Vernacular schooling is the most prominent of these social ailments.

Lets discuss. I want to hear intelligent arguments. State your case logically and share your thoughts and experiences.

Racial Polarisation and the Forging of Bangsa Malaysia

We Kelantanese are not amenable to beating around bushes. We are not a pantun and seloka society. And we do not partake in gurindam and puisi to express our thoughts. We are simpler, more straightforward, more robust, with a clarity of thought and tenacity of purpose reflective of our history and existence as a frontline state against T’ai Buddhist expansionism. Our other half, the old Malay kingdom of Patani, was overrun and annexed in 1902, and today three million Malays there simmer under Thai occupation. Kelantan extricated itself in the nick of time in 1909. Otherwise, KijangMas would be posting as ศรกนกกระจง from กรุงเทพมหานคร.

Our 1,500 year history (from the era of the Ch’ih-tu and Langkasuka kingdoms) are dotted with epic battles for survival, with Kelantan-Patani warriors recorded in the historical annals of Burma, Siam, Cambodia, Champa, Vietnam and all the way down the Malay Peninsula and across to Java, Makasar and beyond. We are a martial race. Our survival as a people throughout 600 years of T’ai aggression was dependent on our capacity to meet these attacks head on, blow for blow, though at times we were outnumbered 5 to 1 on the battlefield. We couldn’t afford to beat around bushes and circumvent issues and hope the problems will go away. No, we face issues head on, albeit with political finesse and diplomatic panache only an old, socially cohesive race could muster.

Our Wayang Kulit invariably ends with epic battles transcending the bumi and kayangan between powerful forces of good and evil, where the Sri Rama ultimately prevails over a thoroughly vanquished enemy. Our stories are conclusive. Nothing is left to conjecture and interpretations, as in the case of convoluted cerpens. And this conclusiveness shaped our mindset -- as the children of the Sri Rama.

We are hardy, tenacious and self-reliant. That’s why the Kelantan-Patani tribe are found everywhere on earth, from California to London to Makkah and beyond. We are not amenable to self-pity or indulge in a fatalistic disposition. Traditionally, we did not partake in these luxuries as our collective energies were focused on the ceaseless invasions from the north. The weak and the unindustrious are long gone, having perished in battles and leaving no progenies to perpetuate their inadequacies. We couldn’t relate to the guilt and sadness-laden dramas and cerekaramas dished out by the West Coast Malay, what I term the Riau Malay. We view things as they are, although we say things with refined subtlety reflective of our old civilization. We hardly raise our voices. We don’t use hand gestures as props. We say what we need to say softly but assuredly in our idiom-rich vocabulary. And we mean what we say.

On this basis, I will address the issue of our country’s sick ailment – Racial Polarisation – in the way it should be addressed – with the frankness and granularity only a child of the Sri Rama could expound.

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Why all this fuss about racism?

Malaysia is, by definition, a “racist” country. Yes. Stop kidding ourselves. We are all racists. In fact, Racism defines the dynamics of Malaysia’s socio-political framework. Our nation was forged via an incoherent rendition of pragmatic ethnocentrism that has been in a state of perpetual disequilibrium ever since. Indeed, this is the only country on earth in this day and age where racial distinction is institutionalized and, in a perverse legitimization of this incongruity, touted as a plus factor.

At every opportunity, the Rakyat are reminded of their “race” and place in the “multiracial” and “multicultural” milieu, with pervasive reinforcement literally from cradle to grave.

The authorities further affirmed this racial consciousness by proclaiming:

in glitzy tourism promotions, where distinctly different individuals dressed in “national” costumes of the Malay states, various Borneo tribes, Southern China, Tamil Nadu, Portugal and the Punjab somehow revel in a celebration of ethno-cultural diversity in this “host” land known as Malaysia.

The tombstone in the Tourism Malaysia portal says it all:-

In the heart of Asia lies a land of many cultures, wonders and attractions. With a sparkling and lively melting pot of races and religious (sic) where Malays, Chinese, Indians and the many ethnic groups of Sabah and Sarawak live together in peace and harmony, Malaysia is truly a country that epitomises Asia.

Such a diversity of ethnic groups inevitably features a large number of spoken languages. The official local language is Bahasa Melayu, but then English is widely spoken as are a number of Chinese dialects. Various other languages are spoken and East Malaysia features several other indigenous languages.

With such obvious diversity, it is remarkable that racial tension is not a constant problem but clearly the gentleness and tolerance of the local population contributes to a real spirit of peace and harmony.


Who wrote this … I’m sorry to say … mythology?

Some White kid at Saatchi & Saatchi New York? What “melting pot of races and religions” are we talking here? How about “boiling cauldron of intolerant racists and zealots”? Why are we presented like some kind of multicoloured, multiphonic happy, cuddly little socio-artifacts in some fantasy vacationland?!

Tell the truth la!

Long-winded corporate adverts to mark Merdeka, Hari Raya and assorted ethno-religious festivities are also littered with more fantasized scenarios of a multiracial, multicultural, multireligious and multi-whatever populace co-habitating tolerantly while celebrating their glorious diversity in a utopian land of opportunity for all.

Mana ada?

Again, we beat around the bush, ignore the inconvenient truth, and kid ourselves with snazzy ads. And the longer we deceive ourselves with this multiracial fantasy, the harder it takes to build a cohesive, unified nation.

We Malaysians have lived in this fairytale for too long, and this blissful fantasy is now crumbling under the very weight of its own ludicrousness. Nobody really believed in this cosmopolitan utopia set against the backdrop of our complex ethnocentrist and messy social milieu.

As a start, we do not even have a proper common LANGUAGE. What is there to share if we can hardly communicate our mutual hopes and aspirations, with the linguistic connection between the racial divide bridged only via gross dilution of syntax and context, and with our true feelings often lost in translation somewhere.

Let me be frank here and express my thoughts in this quasi-common, compromised language of the masses:-

Mana ada ini macam lain tempat? Mana boleh lu cakap lain bahasa, gua cakap lain bahasa, itu orang pun cakap lain bahasa? Mana boleh semua orang keras kepala mau cakap sendiri punya bahasa? Ini negara Malaysia, kita kena cakap Bahasa Malaysia. Apasal susah sangat? Lu pergi Jepun lu kena cakap Jepun. Lu pergi China lu kena cakap Mandarin. Lu pergi England lu kena cakap Inggeris. Lu pergi Rusia lu kena cakap Rusia. Kita sama-sama duduk Malaysia lu tak mau cakap Bahasa Malaysia? Kenapa? Malaysia “special case” ka? Siapa cakap? Siapa bikin ini macam? Dalam semua-semua Negara dalam ini dunia, apasal Malaysia kena jadi “special case”? Untuk siapa? Lu atau gua?

Feel better now? Yes and No?

Never mind. Swallow that bitter pill, defy your tribal instinct to either revel or resist and read on.

Sadly, but you have to be a “racist” in Malaysia because Malaysia is touted as a “multiracial” country. There must be a perverted, kafkaesque logic in there somewhere. But it’s beyond me. From primary school, our children are implored to live harmoniously among the various “races” in our “multiracial” country. Racial awareness is hence institutionalized at a very young, impressionable age. This racial distinction is further reinforced by petty racial profiling and prejudices in media programming and commercial adverts.

By the time our children enter the Sekolah Menegah, they are already supra-ethnocentrists and intolerant of other races and this fact is for all to see in our segregated urban playgrounds and street corners. And by college-going age, these Racist Beings are already beyond redemption, spoiling for a fight at the sight of other racists of other ethnic groups. Why should we wonder then that our universities are hyper-polarised along ethnic lines, where the animosity among the dominant Malays and the ethnic minorities are so palpable, so granular.

We are somehow told to “take pride” of our “multi-racial, multi-cultural” country, as if this is a preferred trait in achieving cohesive statehood. Of course it is not the case. The constant reminding of our “multi-racial, multi-cultural” essence breeds further explicit consciousness of our “race,” and this has now permeated every facet of our lives 24/7. Should we then wonder why we have all become so utterly Racists? This hyper-ethnocentrism inevitably propagates further ethno-chauvinist tendencies, as each “race” outdo one another to stamp their racial identity in a grotesque manifestation of tribalism gone mad. Now imagine when this ethnic belligerence flare across a permutation of 40 ethnic, tribal and assorted suku kaums.

Even sports are caught up in this crippling racial imbroglio. Pay TV operator, Astro, somehow deemed it cute and proper to spin short promo clips of Malaysian Olympians talking in their “mother” tongues. Lee Chong Wei and other ethnic-Chinese Malaysian athletes uttered their hopes in Mandarin, likewise others spoke in Tamil and English. Only ethnic-Malay Olympians spoke in Bahasa Malaysia, as if the National Language has been relegated to be on par with the other languages and only applicable to the Malays. I’m sure many of us would be interested in Lee Chong Wei’s aspirations. But we will never know because he is speaking in the national language of China and not even the Hokkien or Cantonese of his household! So in effect, barely a fifth of Malaysians knew what the heck Lee Chong Wei and the ethnic-Chinese Malaysian Olympians were saying and seven percent or less could comprehend the Tamil utterances of the ethnic–Tamil athletes. Hence, is it really a wonder why Lee Chong Wei’s endeavour to Olympic Silver was not followed with the passion of the past by the nation and hardly celebrated upon his triumphal return? Why no open top motorcade processions in the kampungs di setiap pelusuk tanah air, like the 1992 Thomas Cup heroes? Because Mandarin-speaking Chong Wei was not regarded as “one of us” by the ubiquitous Malay masses out there?

What was Astro trying to prove?

I think it is scandalous. I’m sure no nation on earth would even contemplate staging this misguided, divisive charade. Have we ever heard Arnold Schwarzenegger utter anything in German? And he is not even American-born, having migrated from Austria. How about French footballer Robert Pirés talking Portuguese on French TV just because his parents were Portuguese immigrants? Or German soccer stars Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski speaking their "native" Polish on German TV? What about President Nicholas Sarkozy, a first generation Frenchman of Hungarian and Greek Jewish parentage? Any Hungarian or Greek pride in this diminutive man? Of course not. He is totally assimilated and is today the epitomy of Frenchness and leader of the Francophone World.

Where would Barrack Obama be if he insisted on conversing in his father’s native Swahili? Well, he wouldn’t be the U.S. president-elect for sure. The governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, is the son of Indian immigrants. Do you think he got elected for his Hindi oratory skills in Cajun Country?

And here you have 3rd-4th generation Malaysians uttering messages for our Bangsa Malaysia TV audience in the national language of China and main language of India’s Tamil Nadu state.

Astro falls under what ministry? Mana Shabery Cheek? What about the MCMC? Or is this under Shaziman Mansor’s ministry? I would like someone up there to ask Astro’s Ralph Marshall and Rohana Rozhan why they deem this stunt as proper in the context of Malaysian nation building? Or have they outsourced their programming to a bunch of foreigners totally devoid of our national aspirations in their attempt to be creatively cute to justify their exorbitant fees?

At this rate, our march towards national integration under a singular, cohesive identity is bleak indeed.

Events such as the Olympics, where our athletes are supposed to represent the country as a cohesive, united nationalistic Malaysian Race -- as uttered in our battle hymn, “Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara, Malaysia Berjaya” – would require complete cohesion with a sense of shared destiny, not a patchwork of variegated ethnic groups, tribes and suku kaums whose only affinity with one another is their mutual contempt and suspicion.

Let me ask this question that I know is in the minds of the majority of Malaysians.

Why must Malaysia be compelled to account for every race, ethnic group and suku kaums under her flag in everything we do? Even in the sports teams we assemble? In tourism promotions? In government and corporate events?

Come on lah. This is a COUNTRY, not a loose association of races and tribes; not a collection of connoisseurs of foreign languages and costumes languishing in self-contained cocoons; not a tenuous conglomeration of estrange peoples.

This is not a half-way-house, a transit point – a rumah tumpangan -- for people to languish prior to their resettlement in their ultimate countries of choice one or two centuries after the arrival of their forefathers to these shores. Citizens of our blessed land must have a sense of permanence in this country. Citizenship and permanence go hand in hand. And these come with obligations. It is our obligation as permanent citizens of this country to strive for unity under a common Bangsa Malaysia identity underpinned by a common language, Bahasa Malaysia.

I've travelled far and wide and lived in many countries. Every country I've visited possess a strong sense of nationhood, a solid identity, a national philosophy, a national character. Of course, many are multi-ethnic as well, but their societies are forged by common values, a shared history, and a collective vision underpinned by a common dominant language. But sadly NOT in our beloved Malaysia. We have become a nation of ethnic ghettos and enclaves, a patchwork of estrange peoples languishing in a tense, stressful and simmering land.

This is NOT how you build a nation. There must a base of shared values and socio-cultural norms and a sense of shared destiny. Of course, we may be of different origins, but we cannot go forward as a nation via divergent, distinct paths in language, education, social norms and aspirations.

The Federation of Malaysia was not designed to host a collection of mini Kwangtungs, mini Tamil Nadus, mini Keralas and mini Punjabs superimposed on a flailing Malay canvas. And now we have to contend with an embryonic mini Surabaya, mini Kathmandu, mini Dakar, mini Saigon and mini Yangon, and soon mini Lagos and mini Nairobi.

Is this really tenable? Enough of this stupidity. Cukup lah!

If this model works, then nation states would be obsolete across the world. But human society does not evolve nor function this way. There must be conformity. There must be cohesion. There must be singularity of purpose that transcends parochial sentiments.

The 51-year Malaysian experiment to loosely weld a polygot of multiracial, multicultural, multi-whatever existence has been an utter failure. At this rate, we'll be a failed state, destroyed by the Rabid Racists and Anarchists with no real affinity to this land.

Countries have rules, countries have norms, countries have solid underlying bases that define their nationhood. And a common unifying language is always the cornerstone of this foundation. Plus a set of values, a national philosophy. Yes, we have the Rukunegara. Now, say the five tenets out loud to yourselves. Say it out loud in perfect, assertive Bahasa Malaysia. Can you or can’t you? If you can, bravo. Your stint at the Sekolah Kebangsaan was not in vain. If you can’t, take a good look at yourself in the mirror. Now you know what a confused, stateless pathetic loser looks like?

O.k., what does the Rukunegara really mean? Remember the fifth tenet, Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan? Have Malaysians exhibited sufficient kesopanan lately? How come being sopan (the antithesis of biadap and kurang ajar) seemed an excruciatingly elusive trait among many of us? Can we even comprehend the meaning of Keluhuran Perlembagaan? Or do we think it is chic, an in-thing, to bring into disrepute everything under our perlembagaan? See what happen to our lives when we have no common national ideology, national philosophy, national agenda, no sense of shared destiny and when we lack the necessary profound respect of our Negara and appreciation of our Rukunegara.

What happened to our cohesive, triumphal sports teams? Remember our football and hockey teams of the sixties, seventies and eighties? And our Thomas Cup winners of 1992? Recall how cohesive they were and how patriotic we were then? Remember our 1975 World Cup hockey team? We almost made it to the final if not for two heartbreak goals by ultimate champions India. Yes, we were perched on top of the world. Remember our Bangsa Malaysia hockey team of that period? Khairuddin Zainal the rock in goal, skipper Sri Shanmuganathan marshalling the defense with authority, and Poon Fook Loke the bane of opposing defenses. They were Anak Malaysia, they were Bangsa Malaysia, they were our Pasukan Kebangsaan! What’s the state of Malaysian hockey now? We cannot even make the cut to a crowded 12 team field in the Beijing Olympics. What happened to the Foo Keat Songs, Sarjit Singhs and M. Mahendrans of Malaysian hockey? How come Malays now dominate our hockey scene? Do we have to blame this on the NEP as well? I don’t recall any 70% quota on national representation? Has our Kementerian Belia dan Sukan given much thought on this phenomena? Is Ismail Ahmad Sabri a sportsman to begin with? At least Azalina Othman Said looked the part, with taekwando black belt, girlfriend and all.

Hockey was the domain of Tamil and Punjabi Malaysians. How come the offpsrings of the Sri Shans and the Sarjits don’t partake in hockey anymore? Perhaps that may explain this uneasy restlessness, a hopeless sense of having nothing to look forward to so pervasive in our Indian brothers. Is this one reason they are now so easily mobilised to fight for a cause they don’t quite understand and to take to the streets in large numbers just for the heck of it? Is this a way to dispense their unused youthful energy and to search for the elusive Indian Malaysian heroes and role models? Did the selfish racists of Hindraf took advantage and filled this gap? Have Waythamoorthy and Uthayakumar become the new Sri Shans and M. Mahendrans, the much-need perwiras for the Indian Malaysians, albeit for a twisted, divisive cause?

Now, how about football?

Did we view our football legends, Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun, R. Arumugam and Santokh Singh, through race-tinted lenses? Of course not. They were members of the Bangsa Malaysia team that reigned supreme in Asia, even won the Bronze at the 1974 Teheran Asian Games and qualified for the 1972 and 1980 Olympics. Remember when Malaysian football dominated Southeast Asia and was superior to South Korea, Japan and the West Asian teams that are today regular attendees in World Cups?

Can we recall Chin Aun, Arumugam and Santokh talking on TV in any other language but Bahasa Malaysia? Of course not. They were proud members of Bangsa Malaysia, confidently speaking in one voice. Chin Aun – the Babaesque Malacca native -- was the unquestioned skipper, leader and libero for a decade. He was the Towkay. Remember? Would we ever have another ethnic-Chinese captain of the Malaysian football team? Heck no. Forget that question. Let’s make it simpler. Can anyone name one ethnic-Chinese player in our current pasukan kebangsaan? No? Remember when we had Chow Chee Keong or Lim Fung Kee or Wong Kam Fook in goal; Chin Aun in defense; Wong Choon Wah the midfield general; and Yip Chee Keong in attack – all on the same field for Malaysia at the same time? Later came the likes of Lim Chuan Chin, Ong Yu Tiang, James Wong, Wong Hung Nung, Lee Kin Hong, Chow Siew Yai, Khan Hung Meng, Tang Siew Seng and Lim Teong Kim. These were fantastic players, many good enough to pursue professional careers in foreign lands.

What happened since? The 21-member Malaysian team in the recent Merdeka Cup consists of 20 Malays and a lone ethnic-Tamil reserve. The ethnic-Chinese are nowhere to be seen.

Indeed, the Chinese have somehow stopped playing football as our playgrounds and football fields become segregated by ethnicity and language – a direct fallout of the segregation of schools. Football is an overwhelmingly Malay sport now, with a sprinkling of “kampung Tamils” to spice up the proceedings with their penchant for theatrics and overdribblings. In the glory years of the seventies, the multi-ethnic crowd at Merdeka Stadium would rally and root voraciously for our pasukan kebangsaan and heckle the opponent in Bahasa Malaysia, spiced with a potpourri of pidgin Malay street slang in banter. The Ahmads of Kg. Baru, the Ah Mengs of Pudu and the Krishnans of Brickfields would jump on their seats and hugged one another at the sight of yet another blistering Mokhtar Dahari goal set up by Choon Wah’s sublime cross. We were a cohesive group of 45,000 screaming and laughing members of Bangsa Malaysia at Merdeka Stadium. On many occasions, I was there as a member of this Bangsa Malaysia. I can vividly recall our 1977 KL SEA Games Dream Team that trashed then-Burma 9-1 and overpowered Thailand 2-0 in the final. In fact, I can still utter their names as they are etched in the collective memories of my generation.

Heck, I’ll say it now as they deserved to be remembered for posterity. This team of seven Malays (Jamal Nasir, Yahaya Jusoh, Abdah Alif, Shukor Salleh, Bakri Ibni, Isa Bakar and Mokhtar Dahari), two ethnic-Chinese (Soh Chin Aun and James Wong), an ethnic-Tamil (R. Arumugam) a Punjabi Sikh (Santokh Singh) and a Sarawak Dayak substitute (James Yaakub) were the embodiment of the Malaysian Race, the Bangsa Malaysia. These were the idols of Malaysian sports fans across the land. The Malaysian football team was our team, the Bangsa Malaysia team. At the neighbourhood padang, my gang took turns to mimic Arumugam in goal and Chin Aun as the libero and, of course, SuperMokh, Mokhtar Dahari. My buddy, Ow Chak Yoon would mimic the RTM running commentary as the rest of us scurry after the tattered football; his impersonation of Zulkarnaen Hassan in ecstasy over a Malaysian goal was uncanny, surreal, and reverberates in my ears whenever I look at old faded photographs of my classmates. Oh yes, every ethnic-Chinese in my Standard Six class wanted to be Mokhtar Dahari on the field. I always imagined I was the great Chin Aun, elegantly caressing the ball with imperious presence in the Malaysian backline. Race was never an issue. These football legends belonged to all of us Bangsa Malaysia, speaking in one voice, striving for the same goal.

Three decades later, our sports teams have degenerated into a collection of Mandarin, Tamil and English- and Manglish-speaking individuals, with Bahasa Malaysia uttered only by the Malays, and even that in mutually-unintelligible Kelantanese, Kedahan and assorted Borneo dialects. No wonder we have become minnows in team sports, where team mates could hardly communicate, let alone strategise. Our football team is now ranked 160 by FIFA, sandwiched between such powerhouses as Lesotho and St. Lucia. Where the heck is St. Lucia? Our hockey team has all but dissipated under the astroturf. Our badminton team is a shambles.

These are just a small sampling of the price we all pay for our lack of national unity, lack of national identity, lack of national cohesion.

I think it is utterly Scandalous. Kita semua sudah gila ka?

Is our fragmented social existence a tenable long-term proposition, not just in sports but in our daily affairs as a sovereign nation under one flag?

No.

Is the people to blame? Do you blame the kucing when your lauk kena curi on the dinner table?

No.

The government is the biggest culprit of all. Since the Pak Lah era, we are constantly bombarded by decrees reminding us that kita adalah negara berbilang bangsa and these various bangsas must hidup bersama dalam suasana harmoni dan aman damai sejahtera. Again, I sense a high degree of idiotic oxymoronist irony here. First the populace are incessantly reminded that they are different from one another. Then they are told to live together in peace and harmony. Hence, a confused populace are asked to co-exist amidst their distinctions. The human mind – indeed, the instinct of every creature created by God -- doesn’t work this way. We naturally search for commonalities, affinities and comfort zones of socio-cultural familiarity. We don't embrace alien cultures as a natural behaviourial trait. And these very distinctions are constantly unearthed and embellished by a government that concurrently implore us to unite. See the dichotomy? The utter contradiction? Why the need to constantly remind the people of their ethnic specificities? Why the need to reaffirm everyone’s ancestry and their mutual distinction, knowing full well that these elements are the very impediments to social cohesion?

How can the people unite when they are constantly reminded of their differences and encouraged to affirm their race in everything they do? Even the long-integrated groups such as the Malaccan and Penang Babas and Nyonyas have relapsed to being Chinese with a vengeance. Their refined 500-year culture, a truly Malaysian heritage, has been obliterated by their mimicry of the more recent arrivals and the culture of the Hong Kongers and mainland Chinese. That’s an irreplaceable heritage dissipating right in our midst and we are doing nothing about it.

This quest for diversity has become ridiculous. It’s just stupid! Bodoh!!!

Our neighbours Thailand and Indonesia are actually ethnically more heterogeneous than ourselves. But can you find a Thai tourism brochure promoting the country’s “multiracial” Chao Phraya T’ai, Krung Thep Chinese, Patani Malay, Mon, Khmer, Lao, Isaan, Lanna T’ai, Korat T’ai, Hilltribes and Sea Gypsy populace? No. They are all “Thais,” a new race concocted by Field Marshall Phibun Songkhram via his 1938 Thai Ratthaniyom decree where, under threat of severe penalties, every one of these ethnic groups must speak Thai (based on the Bangkok Siamese dialect), act Thai, be Thai and assume Thai names living in a unitary Ratcha Anachak Thai (ราชอาณาจักรไทย) guided by the principles of Chad Sassana Pramahakasat (Nation, Religion, the King).

What about Indonesia, with hundreds of ethnic groups, languages and cultures? Do Indonesian travel brochures utter: “Come to the land where the (… try to utter this out loud in one breath …) Javanese, Sundanese, Maduran, Minang, Malay, Achehnese, Batak, Buginese, Moluccan, Dayak, Balinese, Baweanese, Bengkuluan, Sumbawan, Torajan, Papuan, … ad nauseam live happily ever after.” Of course not. They are all proud Indonesians. Period.

But aren’t we a glorious melting pot of races and cultures and languages and ways of life and philosophies living together in splendid harmony?

No. Sorry but no.

There is no racial harmony in Malaysia. A state of “Harmony” exists only when you have cohesion, a coalescence of dynamic forces in a singular trajectory towards a common goal. Do we have this in Malaysia after 51 years of nationhood? No. Enough of this dondang sayang beating around the bush approach to the problem.

Listen, “melting pot of races and religions” and “living together in peace and harmony” are mutually exclusive sociological conditions. The Homo sapiens sapiens – yes, lu dan gua – are social animals that are mentally calibrated to function optimally in a cohesive group defined by shared affinities. This later gave rise to tribes and races and nation-states of common societies. This is basic human nature. And when you fight human nature -- when you force feed these tribes on a diet of “living together in peace and harmony” with other tribes -- you will take the “human” out of the human and he/she will revert back to his/her basic animalistic instinct – the primal need to not only survive but to prevail and thrive at the expense of others. When all Malaysians are driven and dominated by this intrinsic primal instinct to survive and thrive at the expense of "the others," we then become a train wreck-in-waiting, hurtling uncontrollably into the crevasse of national anarchy and ruin.

If our multiracial, multi-everything prescription works, then nation states would be obsolete and the planet would be one big happy family, where the Germans and Spanish and Russians exist in a seamless polity; where the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese bow to the same flag of their amalgamated multicultural motherland; where the Persians, Kurds, Arabs and Turks ……. no? Of course not.

No. The point is: Every nation encapsulate a dominant, pervasive socio-cultural essence, a singular identity that defines their populace. A collage of distinct ethno-cultural groups co-existing precariously on a brittle platform of Muhibbah-by-convenience do not make a nation. We must, therefore, go back to the basics of nationhood. We must have a national identity, driven by a common national language and a set of common values etched in stone. We must extinguish the differentiations that alienated ourselves and that gave rise to the primal instinct to survive amidst competing tribes.

Why so susah one?

We already have Bahasa Malaysia and the Rukunegara. Mau apa lagi? Why so difficult? Mau wang ka? 10 sen for every Bahasa Malaysia word uttered in public? Do we need to be bribed or threatened to do what is essentially our obligation as citizens of this country? This is an outrage. What kind of people have some of us turned into? Sick little calculative hostile selfish monsters?

We don’t have to look far to find a tenable model of nationhood. Look at Kelantan. The Kelantanese populace – predominantly and overwhelmingly ethnic-Malays with a small but industrious ethnic-Chinese community as well as the Orang Asli and a smattering of T’ais -- regard themselves as Oghé Kelaté, cohesively united by a common, inclusive and pervasive Kelantanese dialect, outlook, self-image and culinary preference, where ethnicities are blurred by a strong sense of “Kelantan-ness.” A Kelantanese Malay would be more at home with his ethnic-Chinese compatriot than with a fellow Malay from, say, Perak or Johor. Likewise for the Kelantanese Chinese.

But this is not the case for the rest of the country.

Why? What went wrong?

In the West Coast states, many of the “Malays” themselves are descendants of fairly recent Nusantara migrants with minimal affinity to the land beyond the navigable riverbanks. Add to the cauldron the descendants of ethnic-Chinese mining coolies, Tamil labourers, Sikh policemen, Siamese itinerant farmers, and an eclectic sprinkling of Portuguese creoles and mestizos plus the myriad of Borneo suku kaums -- all of whom are pursuing an intolerant ethnocentric stance – and we, indeed, have a combustible pot of social anarchy and mayhem. This curdling cauldron, lacking in a unifying national identity or a sense of a common stake, is fast dismantling our sense of nationhood, a process that may be complete when it boils over at any moment.

The peculiar government strategy of reinforcing each and every ethnic group as unique in this country – further exacerbated by rabidly chauvinistic ethnic-based political parties appealing to the ever growing radical fringe of their communities – is breaking our national cohesiveness. We have reached a point where the races live in their own distinct parallel universe oblivious to the existence of the other groups unless out of sheer necessity, in which case their Worlds collide in a calamity of intolerance, contempt, suspicion and incompatibility.

Is this really a tenable model of nationhood? What is a “nation” anyway? Let me ask, can a nation survive when significant segments of its citizens steadfastly subscribe to the linguistic and cultural identity of other nations, hence creating pesky little embedded nations within a nation?

The plain vanilla Matnor, Kok Leong and Ragu plus the odd Kuldeep Singh that were my playmates on the bumpy primary school field of Section 11, PJ in the early 1970s, have now morphed into intolerant, barely recognizable ethno-chauvinist monstrosities curdling with anger and belligerence, waiting to “pounce” at the first sign of “Racism” by other ethnic groups while oblivious to the fact that they themselves are the uber racists.

Enough talk. How do Malaysia break out of this self-induced socio-toxicity?

Well, racism will be obliterated from the Malaysian consciousness only if Malaysia evolves into a homogeneous society defined by nationality, the proverbial and oft-quoted Bangsa Malaysia, the Malaysian race.

What then is the Malaysian race?

What language should a Malaysian speak?

What culture and mannerisms?

What shared values and philosophies?

What inner-consciousness?

What sense of shared identity?

What sense of shared destiny?


These are questions that must be addressed by our national leadership, taking into account the aspirations of the majority of the populace. Didn’t the Duli-Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-Raja Melayu envisioned a federation of Malay states yang di bentuk dalam arca Melayu, underpinned by adat-adat Melayu, speaking in one voice in Bahasa Melayu? While the rights of minorities and naturalised immigrants to practise their dialects and cultures within their own communities are safeguarded, it was never meant to be a national affair, to be perched on par with the Budaya Melayu berlandaskan Bahasa Melayu dan Agama Islam. No. The language, culture, image, norms, indeed, the national identity of Malaya is predominantly Melayu, and with the formation of Malaysia, incorporate the native cultures of the Borneo states as well. This stance must be enforced vigorously.

Start by enlightening the populace of this national identity framework. And refrain from blindly projecting non-native costumes and cultures from far away lands in our tourism promotional media. As for non-Malay and non-Borneo Bumiputra culture, recognise only what came together with the immigrants from China and India. What they carry on their backs upon arrival in Tanah Melayu would be recognised and they can partake in it in the privacy of their own communities. BUT, it is NOT our nation's duty -- by any stretch of either the imagination or the Constitution -- to go searching for "Chinese" and "Indian" cultural relics and costumes and dances in the original motherlands of these naturalised pendatangs and their descendants. Itu sudah lebih. Sudah tidak masuk akal. No Malaysian citizen should be in the business of importing cultural forms of foreign nations into our Tanah Air and "passing them off" as part of our Malaysian heritage. That is treachery of the highest order. Arnold Swarzenegger has not gone back to Austria to bring his ancestral yodeling music form to Kah-lifornia. And Louisiana's Bobby Jindal is more American than the Americans, not more Indian than the Indians as in some cases among Indian Malaysians.

Now lets talk about language – the single-most crucial determinant of national identity and mindset. Bahasa Malaysia, our one and only national language which will form the foundation of our quest to forge a sustainable Bangsa Malaysia identity ......

But wait, do I sense some resistance here? Why? You flaunt your Malaysian citizenship as a matter of hak and you use this hak to the hilt even to the detriment of others BUT you despise all tenets of Malaysian nationhood, not least Bahasa Malaysia as the single, unifying language? So you want HAK without the TANGGUNGJAWAB? Is this part of the Social Contract forged by our founding fathers? I'll be a rich man indeed if I can have such an unconscionable contract in my business affairs.

Why shouldn’t this new Bangsa Malaysia speak Bahasa Malaysia, the national language of Malaysia as enshrined in the Constitution, as the primary language at home, work and play? Why not? Why the reluctance, even abhorrence to do so among some? Remember the line in the stirring patriotic song: “… Satu Bangsa, Satu Bahasa, Malaysia Berjaya.” This was penned in the early 1960s. What happened since? Over 40 years on and a considerable chunk of Malaysians refuse to learn to speak or even acknowledge Bahasa Malaysia as the language of Malaysia, as the single common factor that can bind us as a “race,” as the fundamental platform to nurture and propagate common values underpinning our vision of a Bangsa Malaysia. After 51 years of statehood, many third and fourth generation Malaysians speak Bahasa Malaysia not much better than the Bangla and Nepali migrant workers, at times even worst. And a great many others refuse to utter a single word, almost as a perverse form of protest over nothing.

Indeed, the attitude of many ethnic-Chinese and Indian citizens of Malaysia towards the country’s sole national language, Bahasa Malaysia, is appalling and bordering on the scandalous. I lived in California for the greater part of a decade and had prolonged business stays in Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and many other countries. Without exception, immigrants to these countries took great pains to conform, to assimilate, and to blend into the generic social landscape, lest they’ll be abused and ridiculed. By the next generation, they will be totally immersed in the socio-cultural norm of the host nation. In the U.S., first generation immigrants like Intel’s Andy Grove (real name András István Gróf, a Hungarian émigré); ex-Secretaries of State, Henry Kissinger (Heinz Alfred Kissinger, a German Jew), Zbigniew Brzezinski (Polish-born), and Madeline Albright (Marie Jana Körbel, a Czech-born); Martina Navratilova (Czech-born tennis icon); Arnold Swarzenegger (the Austrian-born actor and now California governor); and Ang Lee (Taiwan-born film producer/director) quickly adopted English and conform to American social norms. Their offsprings would be totally Americanised and indistinguishable from other Americans in terms of language, outlook and mannerisms. Well, look at Barrack Obama, son of a Kenyan father. Do we see him having a tantrum and insisting on Swahili road signs in America? Of course not. Could he have won the American presidency against all odds if he speaks English at the level that most Malaysian Chinese and Indians speak Bahasa Malaysia? Of course not. He'll be run out of town back to Nairobi or Mombasa.

It’s the same closer to home. Thailand is case in point. In the 1930s, ethnic-Chinese make up over 30% of then-Siam’s population. They were vigorously assimilated under Field Marshal Phibun Songkhram’s Thai Ratthaniyom (Thai Customs) Decree of 1938, where their ethnicity was abolished; anyone speaking Chinese in public would be smacked by a 10-ft bamboo stick by the Thai Culture Police; Chinese schools and newspapers were closed; chopsticks were banned; and the Chinese were compelled to adopt Thai names. Within one generation, the Chinese of Thailand was totally assimilated into Thai society to the point where Thais with Chinese blood will today argue with you to the death to prove that they are “Thai” and not Chinese. Ex-PMs Taksin Shinawatra, Chuan Leekpai, Banharn Silpa-Archa and Thanin Kraivichen are all of Chinese origin. But they are true Thais to the core, with no knowledge of the Chinese language or much awareness of their Chinese heritage. Indonesia of course undertook the same process. Batavia in the 1800s was one big Chinatown governed by the Dutch. Nowadays, those claiming “Tiongkok” ancestry number only about 2-3% of the Indonesian population, with the rest totally assimilated into the huge pool of humanity. All assumed Indonesian names. Some years back, when I was in a meeting with senior officials of an Indonesian conglomerate, I made the mistake of asking one of their VPs whether he was Chinese. This very Chinese looking guy (a sort of Ong Tee Keat-look alike) rose up, banged the table and proclaimed: “Ia bapak, memang nenek moyang saya orang Tionghua. Tapi saya anak Indonesia sejati. Jika perlu, Darah saya akan di jadikan warna merah buat bendera Republik Indonesia tercinta!” He went on to mumble some choice words in Javanese with his pribumi colleagues. Myself and the Malaysian team were flabbergasted!

But back home in our Tanah Air, I just don’t understand how these born and bred full-blooded Malaysians carrying MyCards that proudly proclaim their status as Warganegaras speak Bahasa Malaysia like they just arrived off the tongkang from Fukien or Tamil Nadu. Some refused to utter a single word, almost as a sign of protest and silent disobedience. I don’t think I’ve ever heard parliamentarian Loh Gwo Burne or squash star Nicol David or F-1 dropout Alex Yoong or business magnate Tony Fernandes utter a decent sentence in Bahasa Malaysia on TV. So why cry foul when simpleton politicians like Ahmad Ismail label the non-Malays pendatangs? How could he (or myself and others) differentiate these non-Bahasa Malaysia speaking descendants of pendatangs from the more recent pendatangs, who admirably would quickly grasp the National Language out of sheer necessity and a sense of praticality unclouded by blind chauvinism stoked by selfish politicians?

Why this social aberration almost umatched anywhere else on earth?

Is it because Bahasa Malaysia is actually Bahasa Melayu, the Malay language? Does this imply that some Malaysians are disputing the status of Bahasa Malaysia as Malaysia’s national language and lingua franca on account of it being the language of the ethnic-Malays? Has the “Racist” card reared its ugly head again? Who’s the “racist” now? Do we then have to adopt a neutral language, a colonial language such as English, or perhaps concoct a Malaysian Esperanto as the national language just to appease these “Racists”? Do we need to go to such great lengths just because a segment of our populace are actually “Racists” and would not accept Bahasa Malaysia as the country’s unifying national language and lingua franca even as they go around shouting “Malaysian Malaysia” to their constituents? What Malaysian Malaysia creature are we talking about here? A Malaysian Malaysia speaking the language of British Malaya? A Mandarin-speaking Malaysian Malaysia? A Tamil-speaking Malaysian Malaysia? A Malaysian Malaysia of Pasar Borong Selayang pidgin Malay speakers?

Who are the “Racists” now?

Sorry, but no nation state will survive long without a single unifying language, without a classless ubiquitous lingua franca for the masses. The English language united America’s “hordes of huddled masses” into productive citizens that built a Superpower although Americans of British Ancestry account for less than a third of the population. English also shaped a prosperous Australia. Spanish and Portuguese formed the cohesive basis for the heterogeneous and hybridized nations of Latin America. On the other hand, when two or more languages compete for supremacy, trouble looms. Canada’s Quebec reels from the divisive impasse between her French and English speakers, with font sizes of bilingual signboards becoming political tools of chauvinists and bigots. Multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural Yugoslavia is now history, dismembered by a devastating civil war marked by unimaginable ethnic-based atrocities. Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese and Tamils are irreconcilable and the Hutus and Tutsis of Rwanda co-exist in a state of impending calamity.

We Malaysians must choose the correct path towards nation building in light of these incontrovertible precedents.

I must say that opponents of Bahasa Malaysia are nothing more than ignorant chauvinists and bigots. They cannot comprehend the historical and socio-political significance of the language in the region far beyond the borders of Malaysia. Malay (where Bahasa Malaysia came from) has for over a millennium been the unquestioned lingua franca of the Nusantara, the Malay Archipelago, of which the modern nation of Malaysia is but a fragment. In fact, Bahasa Melayu in its earliest written form matched the embryonic Khmer script in terms of antiquity and predated Javanese, Burmese, Thai and most other major languages of the region, with the first documented Malay language inscription dating back to 683 AD found on a stele at Kedukan Bukit near Palembang. That’s over 1,300 years ago. So don’t be fooled by slick anti-Malay propagandists who claim Bahasa Melayu/Malaysia is a young language unsuitable for a globalised world, whatever that jargon means.

From Aceh to Patani to the Sulu Sea, from Jakarta to Surabaya to the Lesser Sunda Islands, from Pontianak to Brunei to Mindanao, from Makassar to Manado to Ambon and to the furthest eastern reaches of the Spice Islands, Bahasa Melayu is the language of commerce, literature and administration. Evey port of call will invariably have a variant of Malay – Melayu Betawi, Melayu Makassar, Melayu Manado, Melayu Kuching, Melayu Palembang, Melayu Medan, Melayu Bengkulu, Melayu Patani, Melayu Ambon, Melayu Kupang, Melayu Singgora, Melayu Lampung, Melayu Brunei, Melayu Banjarmasin, Melayu Langkat and Melayu Asahan although the inhabitants of many of these polities are not ethnic-Malays. The Malay language was the unifying factor of the Nusantara. And today, one can go to Aceh and Patani and the Sulu archipelago and to Manado to Timor and all the way to the darkest jungles of Indonesian Papua – a region wider than Europe or North America -- and will still be able to communicate in a common Malay tongue. Such is the influence of the language.

Remember, trade and political treaties between the European maritime powers and the myriad of polities from Ayutthaya/Siam to the Nusantara kingdoms to Taiwan were mostly in Malay. Indeed, all the hikayats of the region, from the Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai (1390) of Aceh to the Taj al-Salatin (1600s) and the Hikayat Patani (1600s) to the Tuhfat al-Nafis (1800s) are all in Malay, although the native tongues of their places of origin are hardly intelligible to the average Johor-Riau Malay speaker of that era.

It is, hence, not surprising that the nation of Indonesia, where ethnic-Malays are dwarfed by the Javanese and Sundanese and many other pribumis, adopted Malay as the basis for “Bahasa Indonesia” or the “Indonesian Language.” The landmark Sumpah Pemuda declaration of the guiding principles of Indonesian nationhood on October 28, 1928 by young nationalists proclaimed Malay as Bahasa Indonesia, the Bahasa Persatuan or language of unity for the then Dutch East Indies. Imagine if chauvinist elements insisted on Baso Jawo as the national language of Indonesia? That sprawling nation might not even exist today.

Indeed, the adoption of a single dominant language, the Malay language, has been the most important unifying factor among Indonesia’s 300-odd race, tribes and suku-kaums of 235 million strewn over 17,500 islands. Bahasa Indonesia is also the element that gave the ethnic-Chinese Indonesians equal footing with their pribumi countrymen, where they have no linguistic handicap and no sense of interactive inferiority in their daily affairs. Indeed, it is impossible to differentiate the pribumis and the Tionghua, ethnic-Chinese Indonesians, on account of language or accent, a phenomenon matched in the Malaysian context only in Kelantan and the old Baba community in Malacca.

But for the rest of Malaysia? No. The chauvinist, self-centered and short-sighted political leaders of the ethnic minorities have made language a captive of their drive to steadfastly maintain their communities’ ethnic and cultural specificities, thus reducing this segment of Malaysian society into hostile and belligerent little communal islands and enclaves in a Malay ocean. They view Bahasa Malaysia as the language of the Malays. And since hatred for the Malays is a key component of their chauvinism and bigotry, indeed the relevance and very survival of their political parties, it has become necessary to hate and disown the National Language as well. Yes, the better-educated among them would argue for the importance of English as the international language of commerce and education, but in actual fact these racists are bent on elevating other foreign languages – including Mandarin, the national language of China and not the native language of the ethnic-Chinese citizens of Malaysia – to countervail the status of Bahasa Malaysia in this country. The provocative decision by the DAP government of Penang to erect multilingual signages in that state is a manifestation of this divisive racist agenda. Try this stunt anywhere else on earth and see what happens.

Listen people, this is Malaysia where the national language is Bahasa Malaysia. You know deep down that being Mandarin- or Tamil-literate, combined with a weak grasp of the National Language, would create handicaps in your life here, and would further dilute your sense of belonging to this nation. But no. Your minds have been programmed by chauvinist politicians and community bigots to reinforce your ethnic and linguistic identity that you know would be to your own detriment. So why complain when the inevitable happens, when you feel “foreign” in the country of your birth? Could Chinese, Indian or for that matter Malay immigrants to the U.S., Britain or Australia insist on having their own vernacular education in the host country and expect to progress in subsequent professional and economic endeavours? Of course not. It would be stupid as they would be out of the system, indeed, ostracized by the host society. But why do this in Malaysia? And to expect a different reaction, an alternative result and no adverse repercussion is absurd.

As long as the minority races of this country refuse to play ball with the majority -- beginning with an honest effort to master the National Language; to comprehend and respect the dominant culture and norms; to recognise the key instruments and manifestations of nationhood -- they will never be truly accepted as a part of this nation. The number of generations here is not important. What they have become is the key factor. This is Natural Justice, the Law of the Jungle if you will. This is the case for any nation on earth, and Malaysia is no exception.

As a nation, as part of the Satu Bangsa, Satu Bahasa and Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara mantras of the early 1960s, we need to relook at our nation building approach. We need to recalibrate the trajectory of our sense of nationhood, to prevent our nation from hurtling into the black hole of destruction.

After 51 years of nationhood, the nation’s leadership must not beat around anymore bushes. We have ran out of bushes to beat. We must seriously arrest the degenerative decline right now. Begin by stop highlighting our racial differences. Stop saying we are a multiracial, multicultural, multireligious nation. Stop reminding ourselves to be tolerant of other races, and to live harmoniously in our multiracial society. Stop talking race at every turn. Indeed, ban racial and ethnic classification and identification! We are Bangsa Malaysia, we speak Bahasa Malaysia. But remember, the Arca of this Bangsa Malaysia is the Orang Melayu, the founding fathers of the nation states dotting this Tanah Melayu plus the pribumis of the Borneo states. This unequivocal identity shall be the solid foundation of our nationhood.

Fundamentally, a member of the Bangsa Malaysia should speak the national language of the Federation, Bahasa Malaysia, fluently and as a primary language; be fully versed with adat-adat and tatasusila orang Melayu and other Bumiputras of the Federation; demonstrates respect and deference to Islam as the official religion of the Federation and exhibit traits and mannerisms acceptable to the Malays and other Bumiputras. Non-Malay members of this Bangsa Malaysia may speak in their own dialects in private and may practise their own cultures and religions in the private confines of their community. Also, Budaya Malaysia is based on the budaya of the Malays and other Bumiputras of the Federation – in their various representations.

And the Education System is based on a single, unified Sekolah Kebangsaan system with Bahasa Malaysia as the primary language of instruction.

Later, upon satisfactory cohesion and amalgamation of the Malaysian populace into a truly united Bangsa Malaysia, then by law, ALL references to race and ethnicity in our daily activities should be forbidden.

When will we achieve this raceless paradigm? It is in the hands of each and every one of us. The sooner we embrace the above prescriptions, the sooner we will forge this Bangsa Malaysia.

Yes, the journey towards cohesive nationhood for the Bangsa Malaysia would be perilous indeed. It is not easy to unravel a half-century of segregation and differentiation. But we need to start now. We need to sow the seeds of unity and social cohesion for the next generation.

Only when we have a truly unified Bangsa Malaysia speaking in one language, amenable to Malaysian cultural norms, and with a cohesive Malaysian mindset will we as a nation be able to look beyond the NEP, beyond Malay privileges, beyond safeguarding Malay Rights as we are now all anak Bangsa Malaysia in the arca of the Malays and other Bumiputras of this blessed land.

Measures must be conceived and implemented to forge this Bangsa Malaysia society. Perhaps more assertive measures must be implemented. We cannot, as a proud sovereign nation, go on like this. We just cannot.

Lets discuss this openly, from our hearts, for the love of our Tanah Air tercinta.