It is time we break the iceberg between the racial tension in Malaysia;

The question of racial divide and unity in Malaysia remains a pressing issue. Is ‘Race’ looming the germination of the internal globalisation in Malaysia? How does Malaysia expect to have an exponential growth when its citizens remain dazed and confused pertaining the issue of race and ethnicity?

Race still remains a sensitive topic in the hearts of Malaysians; however, we should not allow for it to get out of hand. Urgent reformations have to be implemented. Or else, time for the Malaysians will be up. We will slowly be able to witness the crumbling of Malaysia.

With the Malaysian government continually shedding light on the need to give emphasis on ‘1 Malaysia,’ are we actually practising what they preach? 1 Malaysia stresses on the need for unity. The need to interconnect with individuals despite the differences in race, ethnic roots, upbringing. But are we really united as Malaysians? Actions speak louder than words, but I am concerned as to whether the whole ideology and concept of  1Malaysia roar louder than their words, simply.

It seems as if this concept is merely utopia. We as Malaysians are portrayed to be harmonically- fused by the general public in other countries. We give too much emphasis on this entire concept of 1Malaysia, we all want to see Malaysia thriving racially. But clearly, we are not doing enough. Understandably, we have tens and hundreds of different ethnicities present. We all speak different dialects based on our own roots, all have different upbringing and traditions. How can we preserve our own traditions while dissecting the racial tensions in Malaysia?

Why is it that whenever we touch on this issue, we are only sitting on the surface of an iceberg, either anxious or just portraying feelings of lack of interest in this matter. Time is ticking. With the addition of political fragmentations, the apparent competition between the lesser of two evils in the upcoming elections, the widespread 1MDB financial crisis, the prevailing issue concerning Kadazandusuns in Sabah, the controversial stance of Bumi Putra in society.

There is no more time to spare. It is time we break the iceberg. And get our heads together in this matter. We, as Malaysians need to remain driven to fix this issue as of status quo before it predominates to the future generation. If we continue to leave it as it is, it is without a doubt that we are merely leaving Malaysia at stake.

Ethnicities and Race 

Race in itself is a social construct. Studies have presented that biological genes do not tamper with the idea of races. Biological races are non-existent. Stop relating the makeup of your genes to racial issues. In no way does it correlate.

According to Live Science, the claim is supported as there is not a single genetic disparity between the Africans and the Europeans. It all boils down to how common a single variant lands on different regions and continents, making up the individual.

Contextually, races were formed by societies. It is precisely based on physical features and appearances. Such as skin colour, eye colour etc. The reason why the whole concept of race still thrives until this very day is simple.

Individuals want to feel a sense of belonging. Everyone craves for a taste of familiarity. Because with familiarity, individuals would feel more connected to the people in the same racial construct as their very own. It will be an apparent white lie if you claim that you do not.

In Malaysia, we have three distinct races- Malays, Chinese, Indians and numerous indigenous groups. The Malays make-up Malaysia’s largest ethnic group. Pulling the Chinese in the near second. And the Indians whom approaches very carefully after the Chinese.  It is apparent, even with the similarities between the different races, individuals still prefer to seek for friendships and closeness between people in their same tree.

Seeing as biological factors do not come into play with races, how about ethnicities? Race is a single playing field, while you can have multiple ethnicities. Especially here in Malaysia, we have we have tens of thousands of ethnicities. Ethnicities then refer to regional contexts, traditions and ancestries.

We only have ONE human race. All of us are interconnected in one way or another. Whether we like it or not, we have to regard the sentiments we do have different upbringings. Ancestral factors come into play depending on different regions you were brought up in.

Bite-Back

However, the impact of race disparities is incredibly detrimental as seen in the Malaysian scene. Through the influx of news pertaining the usage of races and religion to manipulate its sole purpose for personal needs, or political advancement. 

For instance, even in a multi-racial country, as seen in school settings, individuals from the same race tend to form clans with the other individuals from the same races. Witnessing that situation is normal. People stop taking action as it slowly normalises in society. But why do we allow racial inequalities to materialise? For the majority, even when we witness it happening forefront, we take no particular actions because we are so inclined to our own racial groups.

We are afraid to break out of the bubble, and we wish to protect it at all costs. Because that’s the only ‘home’, we feel comfortable in. And where we can be ourselves. Racial inequalities stem from the instant we allow practices of exclusivity, discrimination among racial groups to pass. It is easy to say, “Let’s just let it slide” because you are not the victim.

From personal occurrences, I have been a perpetrator of firing a racial disparity back in my days. I will never forgive myself for allowing myself to face these acts. But I have learnt since, and I have become more self-aware of the consequences. I was schooled in an international school, with the majority being Chinese. We do have a populous number of Malays and Indians as well, with 10% being internationals, especially in my year.

So years and years back, I was with this group of friends. We were pretty tight, but I guess not close enough. Considering the next move. So being naive, young and extremely stupid 12-13-year-olds, we were not aware of what our motives were. We sat together, the majority of us were Chinese with one or two being Malays. We ate together during breaks and lunches. Everything went well, at some point, it felt as if we were family.

However, in some instances, we would converse in Cantonese. Being dumb, young kids, we didn’t know that they felt out of the picture. Little things like this to us, could have a significant impact on other people. We didn’t exactly translate our actions on our minds; hence, affecting other individuals. We broke ties after that, and I think we performed much better without the company of each other.

Years passed, I still have remembrance of this. You can never forget, but you can be forgiven. We reconciled ties, and I was genuinely content that she was back in my life. Because I realised much memories we made, and that everything still remained the same after all this time.

It is not a matter of fact whether you are close to the individual or not, what matters is that you should always be inclusive. No matter what you’ve been through.

Political Context

In Malaysia, we are able to see the unveiling of political actors exploiting the issue of race to forward their political agendas. It is prevalent that we have practised racial politics for as long as we can remember. From what we see, the political actors who are reckoned to speak for the entire nation, speaks solely for the racial group they represent.

The political actors are extremely influential individuals- whether they execute good deeds, or otherwise, the majority of Malaysians will unquestionably be swayed by their sentiments. Obviously, the majority who are well-versed and knowledgeable will question their statements. And fight against it. But we can clearly see that the Government isn’t upholding a Malaysian Agenda that aims to unite individuals and address these issues, cohesively.

There are major loopholes and flaws in the political party. Especially with the GE-14 elections creeping right up behind our backs, these issues have to be brought up and addressed urgently. Urgent reformations have to be devised. For the greater good for Malaysia.

Conclusion 

The best way to learn is from the experiences of others. After reading this, I hope you have received some insights regarding the detrimental effects of the concept of race, and the extent it could prolong. Race could undoubtedly be used to unite groups of people, but it could divide individuals as well.

It is vital to note that we are all from a single source. We are all connected in one way or another. We should continue to exude positivity. Instead of segregating groups based on their races, why not we embrace our ethnicities instead and thrive as 1Malaysia? We often tend to critic without giving any feasible solutions.

But, it is vital that the voices of our generation orchestrate. And roar above all else. There are so many prevailing issues revolving around our country today. We are often questioned regarding the state of corruption in Malaysia, the battle of the political parties, the 1MDB financial crisis, questions regarding religion, and other internal issues. We have to realise that all of these issues stem from a single source, inequality between individuals. Depending on how you view it as race could be a significant factor, religion could be another and so on and fro.

Let us all gather as one. And ensure that Malaysia thrives with the help of our voices. It is now, more than ever, that we need to unite as one. We need to be one. Again.

Best,

Sandra™

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