Racial Tension

*This post may offend certain people. Only proceed if you have an open mind. I take no sides in this post, for I respect everyone as a unique individual.*

This is one thing that has been on my mind quite a lot these days.

Racial tension is at an all-time high, or perhaps we just get exposed to more and more of these hardship because we are at an age to form our own opinions on the issue. Like it or not, the race issue will always be there. It is not something you pass down from one generation to another, though that plays a part. It is not something that just comes naturally either. It is something that stems from our own experiences, and therein lies the problem. We feel strongly about where we stand after we have experienced racial tension, making it impossible to eradicate, and even harder to break down and analyse because what is tension? What is racial discrimination? It is a vague idea. It is sad, but it is the truth - and truth hurts.

"A pluralist culture based on a vibrant and interesting fusion of Malay and Chinese" has been the description used to promote Malaysia, but how true is that? How often do you see Malay and Chinese engaging in a "vibrant" and "interesting" fusion? How often do you see Malay and Chinese out in public together, to do normal things like shopping, watching a movie etc? Of course, these things do happen, but how often? And how many friends from the other race do you have? I never thought about these things, but now come to think of it, it is indeed quite startling. Malaysia have sinked to a point where the damage done is beyond repair - its irremediable. And, there is no fusion, stop kidding yourself.

When I say there is no fusion, I mean, as a whole group of people - the Malays, and the Chinese, collectively. Individually, though, situations can be different.

But, I think if we were to mix them up, both Malay and Chinese, it has to happen from a very young age - not in Universities, surely. You see, if we have Chinese schools and Malay schools, exactly how well would one race know about the other, when they do not understand each other at all? Even in a government-funded mixed schools, the Chinese flock together, and the Malays too. Birds of the same feathers flock together, they say... and it is an apt description here. Back in my high school in Kuching, we had Malay schoolmates, but surprisingly enough, they were all in one class - and the other classes were almost entirely made up of Chinese students, with a couple of Dayak students here and there. I mean, I never thought about it back then, but now looking back it does seem a little odd - if not very. Sure enough, our school was, and is still, influenced by the Teo Chew Association... but if you ask me, if you are going to have a mixed school, then mix them up, for heaven's sake.

I will share my experiences in the next post, and briefly look at Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia.

What do you think about all these?

Qi