SEPT 22 — People from very different backgrounds and with very different mentalities would look at the same thing in very different ways.
Indeed, human beings have been known for their inability to strike an accord on many things since time immemorial.
Politically speaking, we have the liberals and the conservatives. And in economic sense, Adam Smith’s invisible hand was locked in fierce contentions with John Maynard Keynes’ advocacy of government intervention.
Thanks to differences in thinking, interests and backgrounds, it is absolutely normal for people to look at the same thing differently. Perhaps we should just learn to accept with an open heart what others might think about something.
Divergent as our viewpoints might be, at least we can learn to respect and admit what is truth before we start arguing. This is to allow contrasting views to come together and contend on an equal footing.
If we are not even willing to accept the bare truth lying before our eyes, we will tend to distort it.
Which between Bersih 4.0 and Perhimpunan Rakyat Bersatu has more positive implications on this country? This is a highly subjective judgmental question that differs in answers in accordance with individuals’ views and needs. While this is arguable, there are certain facts that have gone way beyond contention.
There have been talks that the September 16 rally was spreading seditious messages although others give their full thumbs-up for the “peaceful” and non-provocative.gathering.
The truth is simple enough. Video clips have gone viral to prove that indeed there were people voicing out against Chinese Malaysians or calling for the abolition of SJKC, while others were trying to breach the police barricade into Petaling Street.
These are all facts!
The question is, since these facts have been proven with solid evidences, how could anyone ever disregard the facts and still stubbornly label the rally as peaceful and non-provocative, which conventional Malay dailies have widely promoted and instilled as “facts” into the minds of countless of Malay readers?
While we are eating the same spicy nasi lemak, we seem to be living in two very different worlds. Fair enough, my truth might differ from yours, and before long, such “truth” will begin to lose its meaning.
Perhaps to some individuals, being truthful or not is immaterial. All that matters is to create the “truth” that will serve their own purposes.
A multiracial country, Malaysia’s prosperity and stability are very much tied to the degree of our interracial harmony. Even as our leaders have kept reiterating the importance of racial harmony and enhanced mingling, I want to remind all Malaysians that if we allow ourselves to continue living in our distinct, completely separated worlds, seeing only our own versions of “truths”, the so-called national integration and harmony will remain a remote and inaccessible dream.
While we can have very divergent sets of thinking, the truth is unitary and incorruptible. Respecting and admitting the truth is a first and foremost step towards bridging the widening gap between communities.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily reflect the views of Malay Mail Online.
