We are all Malaysians living in this country called Malaysia. Is the ruling government so ashamed of the word ‘Malaysia’ and blaming it for all the problems that we are facing now? If not why introduce a ‘1Malaysia’ a copycat version of ‘OneIsrael’, ‘1Singapore’ and ‘1Indonesia’. We are often reminded not to copy others as we ‘Malaysia Boleh’ can succeed on our own.
Up till date, since it's inception, nobody can really understand what is the meaning of ‘1Malaysia‘ even among the ruling government themselves. Many visitors came to my blog via keyword search and 60% of the keywords were, ‘meaning of 1Malaysia’, ‘1Malaysia explanation’ or ‘simple explanation 1Malaysia’.
Why can't we just use Malaysia Clinic, Malaysia Milk and remove the ‘1' from all the other acronyms that represent Malaysia? Malaysia is a country that we are proud to live and die for. We can all integrate with one another among all the races under a proud single word called ‘Malaysia ‘.
There is actually no racial disharmony among the various races on the ground. It is Umno, certain leaders of the government, school heads, civil departmental heads, multimedia and certain NGOs that want to see to it that the various races are divided and mistrust one another, all because of political power plays.
Let me narrate an actual happening that I saw giving me the self confidence that on the ground the various races are actually very integrated and not so divided as reported.
This morning I had to cross the Penang bridge to Seberang Prai by bike to get something done. Halfway on the bridge, it started to rain heavily and there was no shelter, so I had to continue the journey even though I was totally wet.
Nearing the toll booth, I saw a bus shelter and drove towards it to take refuge. I parked the bike and rushed towards the shelter which was already filled with people. I had to squeeze in, with the kind people making room for me. We all were standing rubbing shoulders with each other.
What I saw was a mixed crowd of about 15 people and what a coincidence, there were five Malays, five Indians and five Chinese out of which one was a civil servant, a mechanic, office workers and an Indian family man going home. Some looked up at me and smiled and one laughed at me because I was all wet all through.
We chatted among us, mostly cursing the sudden heavy downpour. A young Malay man complained that he got hantam by his boss for not reaching the office on time and from the sound of his earlier telephone conversation, his boss is most probably a Chinese.
After about 40 minutes, the heavy rain subsided and we all parted way to our own destinations. I reached my destination and after finishing what I came to do, I went to a Malay-owned coffeeshop to have my lunch.
The majority of the people in the shop were Malays and as I walked in, some smiled at me and looked at my dress as it was still wet. I chatted with some of them and they were very friendly. I saw a Chinese girl hugging a Malay woman sharing an umbrella while other office workers of different races came in together to have their lunch.
The majority of us on the ground are simple people and when situation arises, we can gather together in a friendly manner, stand close to one another and communicate easily with one another.
The ruling government, controlled by Umno, must put a stop to all kinds of racism put in place and practiced by their top leaders, Umno, Perkasa, media and NGOs.
We can all live together as Malaysians anywhere in this country called Malaysia. We do not need for a ‘1Malaysia ‘ to unite the people. We are already united under Malaysia if not for certain power-crazy leaders, Umno/BN, media and NGOs playing the race issues to the hilt.
