APRIL 30 — I was one of the over 200k readers who shared the link to Obama’s speech about non-Muslims being marginalised.
To be honest, I hesitated a little because something didn’t feel quite right. But I ignored my inner voice and posted it anyway.
The first thing that triggered my alarm bells was the alacrity of non-Muslim friends who jumped on the bandwagon and shared it. The second was when I read the unhappy responses of some of my Malay friends.
Reading their reactions, I wondered if I had been insensitive. In my eagerness to grab any opportunity to open a can of whoop-ass on zealots whom I shall not dignify by naming them, did I unwittingly slight the friends who had been models of moderation all this while? Why did I react like a fangirl when, really, what Obama said was nothing ground-breaking? But you could argue the words carry more weight coming from the leader of the world’s most powerful country.
While my Malay friends may have cause for grief, I ask them to also look at things from our point of view.
I can think of several reasons why we were so eager to jump on the link-sharing bandwagon.
We’re appalled that some people get away with making incendiary remarks without so much as a rap on the knuckle.
We’re hurt when our countrymen question our loyalty, when we would put nation above race in a heartbeat.
We’re sickened to see incidents of racism rising, but we’re even more scared it will escalate and drive us further apart.
For the first time since I left school, I feel a very real fear about the state of our country. Race was never of any significance in school. We poked fun at each other’s racial stereotypes, then went back to being best friends as we played zero point and hopscotch. In fact, what’s race? We hardly even talked about it.
I believe I speak for most Malaysians when I say that what we want most is not a divisive society, but an inclusive one where universal values are accepted. And to get there, we’ve got to build bridges with those in society who see and perceive the same ideals as most of us do. We’ve got to build on common goals while respecting even the views of others who do not see things the way we do. Above all, we’ve got to be honest with ourselves and each other.
It also means being less trigger-happy. It means not tarring everyone with the same brush. It means holding constructive conversations instead of carrying out ineffectual measures like banning words and cartoon figures.
If we really must ban something, why not get rid of the one word that’s a thorn in our nation’s flesh, and the root of all our problems?
A word that’s completely unnecessary, a four-letter word: race.
* Alexandra Wong (www.facebook.com/nooksandgems) believes we are the only ones who can save ourselves, not some foreigner whose impressive rhetoric will be nothing but a cloud of dust after Air Force One takes off. And she hopes this article will not cost her her Hari Raya open house invitations this year.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.
