I’m hugely dissapointed with a small group of people in Malaysia. Yes, the Malaysian High court has allowed Catholic newspaper ‘Herald’ to use the word ‘Allah’, which means that the word is not exclusive for Muslim only, and that is great for me, by any standards! I mean, if you are talking about 1Malaysia, this is the best example which can be set, the sharing of terms. Even better when we are talking about ‘memartabatkan bahasa kebangsaan‘. Don’t you find it ironic that the same people opposing the use of ‘Allah‘ in the Herald is also fighting for the use of BM in Science and Maths?
I do not want to say so much on the issue, because it’s religious. However, I am dissapointed to hear this words uttered on national TV by some extremist. I quote “We(The government) SHOULD NOT be protecting the rights of the minority people, but should protect the rights of the majority“.
Now, WTF does that statement mean? I always thought that the government should protect each and every citizen it has, regardless of whether they are the minority or majority. By saying the words I quoted above, does that mean that the minority Malaysian citizens have no say and no right? Does that mean that because we are the minority, the majority can blindly order us up as they like? The person whom said those words are just plain ignorant and should be exiled from the country. I have always thought that I am a very liberal person, and that I should respect others, and they should respect me in return… but this is just absurd, and just so discriminating!
To top that up, a widely know TV station decided to play the sentiment up, questioning the courts ruling and showing a lawyer’s statement which is one sided. Come on-lah, if you want to be fair, show stories of both sides! In fact, the report on prime news is so ‘one sided’ that it sounded as if they are trying to create disharmony in Malaysia, based on this issue! The editors of this TV station should be slammed up under ISA for inciting hatred!
Okay, the final part of the report said that 4 states in Malaysia do not share the same ruling when it comes to Islam., and that these states should adopt this new ruling as the other states have done so. But, lets look at these four states first: SARAWAK, SABAH, PENANG & KUALA LUMPUR.
I can’t speak about Penang and KL, but I can speak for Sarawak, and also make a comparison on Sarawak and the peninsular because I stayed in the peninsular for 4 years. I find that regardless of religion and race, people in Sarawak have the utmost respect over what you practice, and most prefer to live in harmony without even thinking about whether you are the majority, or the minority citizen. In fact, I could say that people in Sarawak are so closely bonded that it would be very hard to distinguish who is from what race, and from what religion. When I was studying in the Peninsular, some ‘people’ used to even call us ‘pembawa budaya kuning‘, and other’s said we are ‘setan‘ due to the fact that they think we are not ‘religious enough’, and are bringing bad influence to their place. Some even tried to preach by saying that our girls shouldn’t wear clothing they usually wear in Sarawak (like Baby T’s, skirts, shorts, jeans etc), and some even asked our dear friends of a particular religion to stay away from us because we are considered ‘unclean‘ and ‘sinners‘.
A friend whom is from Kedah who recently came to Sarawak even said “I find Sarawak to be very very different, and those from a particular religion are very much better here in accepting our differences, and respecting each other“, which sums up why most Sarawakian are so proud to be Sarawakian, regardless of what background they come from.
BTW: I came across this is interesting article from Aliran regarding the divide among Sabah, Sarawak and the Peninsular. And I would like to stress that I believe that Malaysia would be a very harmonious country if ‘some people‘ know how to respect others, and are willing to ‘give and take‘ just like what is happening in Sarawak. I do not believe that any religion is higher or worst than another, as I BELIEVE that EVERY RELIGION IS GOOD, but sometimes, the followers make it look bad, which is sad. The following article is also a wonderful article to ponder about. There are links to Marina Mahathir’s opinion on the issue. Check it out!