YOURSAY | Patriotism need not cancel our ‘chopstick’ culture

YOURSAY | ‘What’s next? Indian women giving up sari?’

Dr M uses chopstick example to lament challenges in assimilating non-Malays

Dizzer: My two sen worth on this ludicrous 'identity' issue.

A month ago, as part of a module on 'Identity', I asked 20 kids in my Form 4 class (in an international school but all Malaysian students - 70 percent Chinese, 30 percent Indian/Malay) about where they thought they came from.

All of them said they considered themselves to be Malaysian first, even though a lot of them (I'm sorry to say most) will end up overseas, seldom returning except to see their families.

Only one kid had any idea beyond their grandparents. He had been on a family reunion to one of the southern provinces - they'd done a genealogical search - and said it was interesting but they had nothing in common with each other.

Of the Malays, two had grandparents from Indonesia and Yemen respectively; the other two hadn't a clue.

Why can't Dr Mahathir Mohamad listen to the younger generation? I can't think of many Malaysian kids over the past 30 years that I've thought of as constitutionally and emotionally racist. But once they get out into the world, the realities of the system hit them.

It's the system, not the people.

Mazilamani: My God, did Mahathir, when serving as prime minister and during his overseas trips, ever once eat use his hands. Does he ever practise this in Malaysia when entertaining foreign leaders or dignitaries at official dinners?

It is outrageously insulting to himself and not so much to the Chinese community for bringing up the issue of chopsticks.

As for young Chinese keeping links with China, it may be strictly for business reasons to take advantage of the huge and expanding opportunities China has to offer and it gives them that extra advantage because as Chinese they speak the same language.

Similarly, Indians from Malaysia have business links with Tamil Nadu and other parts of India. What is so wrong with this?

Why talk about US president Dwight Eisenhower, of German stock, leading the American troops against Germany when we were or are not at war with either India or China in testing the loyalty of the non-Malays for Malaysia?

Vent: I had a good laugh actually reading his puerile nonsense. But I must admit this is the most bizarre example I have ever read of 'cancel culture'. The man's gone mental.

So, the Chinese have to give up the cultural dexterity of eating with chopsticks for the flexibility of eating with fingers? What’s next? Do Indian women have to give up tying saris to being shrouded in baju kurung?

But Mahathir really did himself in with this declaration: "In other multiracial countries, once they adopt citizenship of a country, they identify themselves only with that country and no longer with where their grandfathers came from."

Perhaps, but they don't reject their roots as he has. Nor do we ever need to. Patriotism doesn't need to cancel cultural heritage or faith.

Sun: Indeed, unbelievably naïve answers by Mahathir to serious questions: "There are many Indians and Arabs who ‘become Malays’ by sacrificing their own ethnic identities to adopt the Malay language, customs and names".

They did not have to sacrifice their religion, Mahathir. Chinese and Indians will never be treated as "Malays" if they stick to the religion. Are Babas treated as Malays, despite adopting many elements of Malay culture and losing their Chinese language?

Eisenhower did not have to sacrifice his religious beliefs to be considered an American. In India, Muslims remain Muslims and are considered Indians and hold important positions in the army and they protect their country against aggressors outside and within the country as Indians.

Have not the Chinese and Indians done the same in Malaysia, regardless of whatever ties they maintain with the country of their ancestors?

Do not Malay of Bugis or Minangkabau ancestry maintain pride in their ties to the land of their ancestry? Yet, during the Confrontation, did they not fight Indonesia?

Kuniyo: Chinese Indonesians gave up their identity but still they were targeted whenever there is political instability in the 1960s, 1990s and 2018.

No matter how proficient you speak the language, racial supremacists will see you as the ‘others’. Assimilation is just an excuse to dominate and control those they see as minorities.

What’s the point of assimilation if you still have a racial quota? Racists don’t like minorities taking charge. They prefer them to be mere multicultural displays for tourism purposes.

LimauHarimau7067: Interesting - the problem of assimilation is caused by eating with chopsticks instead of hands?

Do you honestly believe that your government's frequent reminder in all official documents that one must mention one's ethnicity and religion has nothing to do with this? This is not to mention the myriad policies based solely on the criteria of race.

The more you try to blame everyone and everything but yourself for your terrible deeds, the more opportunity the rakyat will have to see the real truth. Bring them on. Keep talking, Mahathir.

Hmmmmmmmm: Our country is unique in that we have people of different races practising each other's cultures. This is our strength. This is why we are called Malaysians and not Arabians or Indonesians.

We can all be different and yet be united. You used America as an example. US is a melting pot of people from all over the world including Chinese and Indians as well. I am very sure that many of them practise their own cultures and customs and still identify themselves as Americans.

It is also mischievous of you to say that the Chinese here identify more with China even though they are born here. I do not know anybody among my friends or family who identifies with China even though we are Chinese.

I seriously doubt there is any Malaysian-born Chinese who would fight for China against Malaysia. Our ancestors may have come from there but to us, China is just another country, alien to us.

If you think that non-Malays have not assimilated well, you should start by removing all your discriminatory policies starting by not asking everybody to fill in their races in all your forms.

Why do you need to know our races? Aren't we all Malaysians? I have never seen forms in other countries where their citizens have to state their race. To do that, to me, already signifies evil intent.

Gerard Lourdesamy: I eat with my hands and yet I am discriminated against because I am not a Malay.

Assimilation will never happen so long as Article 153 of the Constitution remains. No other country in the world including the US has a provision to grant special status and rights to the majority race. Not even in Indonesia or Thailand.

Affirmative action for the majority is unheard of in any other democracy. Only in Malaysia, it governs our very existence to the exclusion of close to 32 percent of the population.

BlueCrab6133: What an unbelievably divisive and deviant mind this man has. He can pick on the smallest details and blow them out of proportion to provoke all and sundry.

He forgets, conveniently, that he is the man who started Malaysia on this slippery slope to failure by his racist, divisive, destructive and fanatic policies while catering to his cronies.

His comments are no longer valued or even given a passing thought by anyone who has an iota of sense. His time is long past.

Part 2: Destroying hope – Dr M’s capturing of an old M’sia

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.