Equal rights
5 months ago, if you asked me if staying abroad would ever appeal to me, I would have given you a hesitant 'maybe'
But ever since coming here to Sheffield and following recent developments at home, my view on things have changed significantly.
I know of many friends who have gone abroad, many to Australia, some to New Zealand and handful in the United States. Though not all, I get the impression that many of them seem to have found for themselves, a different and more appealing way of life, far far away from where they were born. I have always wondered
about this; how could you possibly not want to come home in this lovely country that you grew up in? Could you really feel at home in a land where you are always seen as a foreigner? What’s wrong with Malaysia you think you have to search overseas for a better life?
Of course, the only way of life I knew of back then was the one I had back home and nothing else. But even so, life in Malaysia is peaceful, but at the same time, vibrant and colourful. What is there not to like about that? We love public holidays and food like it was our source of joy and we speak in a unique rojak blend of English that is embarrassing in front of westerners, but secretly intimate among fellow Malaysians. Even while here in the UK, I identify with a fellow Malaysian quickly and without difficulty.
But in the short time that I have been in this foreign land, I have come to appreciate how others live their life, and for the first time in my own, I start to consider the possibility of living in such a manner myself. Repeatedly, my friends tell me how comfortable it is living here compared to back in Malaysia.
The weather is so much more inviting (not when it rains la), the standards of living is high, the country is beautiful and the people are reasonably well behaved. Sure, we have got some verbal abuse by certain people on the streets while over here, but the general population has proven themselves to be not only friendly, but warm towards peoples of all colours and skin. The do acknowledge and warn us against the minority of people who just seem to be prejudiced and racist for no good reason. I appreciate the fact that they acknowledge the existence of such problems and go out of their way to reassure us. Compare this to back home, where the issue of racial harmony has been a work in progress from the day of independence. 50 years old, and we haven’t really tackled many of the issues surrounding race and religion. Ever since the 60’s we have all just been put on a permanent gag order, not to discuss it in public, because it would incite fear, anger and all sorts of other baddies that crippled us back in 1969. And since the gag order resulted in relative peace and quietness in our country, we just continued playing along with it, for mutual benefit. We weren’t supposed to challenge the social contract laid out during independence, we weren’t allow to say things in the open because basically we just aren't mature enough to have heated public debates without killing each other, unless it was about where the best nasi lemak in town is. To publicly talk about racial issues would be seen as being unpatriotic and not in the spirit of Malaysians. To complain about unfair treatment would seem like we are ungrateful for what we have, and demanding equal rights would seem like we are trying to uproot the country and change the constitution.
There is strong undercurrent running along racial lines still in Malaysia... just go online and read some Malaysian blogs and you will see what I mean. Despite the government insisting that these 'evil' bloggers' are trying to cause trouble, they are not saying anything new.. They are merely conversations and opinions long heard in the coffee shop. The difference is only now.. everyone can read it. We werent allowed to talk openly about it, so we talk in the coffee shop, and now we blog about it. Now the government is trying to come up with some way to monitor and control bloggers too... because of their obvious racist and evil intent. But racism exist whether or not we choose to talk about it. You know it the minute you here the words 'orang kita' or 'ka ki lang'(malay & hokkien for our people) appear. You know it the minute your Straight A friend fails to enter uni while another so so friend gets in. You know it when there is something for sale, or a position to be filled and the words 'Bumiputra only' appears behind. Its all in plain sight, yet we are forbidden to discuss it. Its better to be frank about it and find a solution than to play pretend and imagine we all live in total harmony. We musn't just be tolerating each other... thats not enough.. because it implies that we arent entirely okay with the the other side and that we are just being graceful in keeping or mouth shut. And that is precisely what has been going on all these years. How are other ethnicities in Malaysia supposed to feel at home when we are constantly reminded that other fellow citizens enjoy special privileges not because of their dire economic state, not because of their contribution to the country but because of the colour of their skin?
Nothing beats home, and I suspect many Malaysians who choose to live their lives abroad still have a deep love for their country. I know of an aunt who maintains her citizenship despite living in the UK more than she ever did back home, and even insist her children have Malaysian citizenship. The British go out of their way to show you that they treat you equally even though you are a foreigner, even though you are of a different skin colour and culture, and it is something I greatly appreciate. When I return next month, I go home to the land I was born in, where they go out of their way to show you that you don't get equal treatment despite your economic state, despite your contribution to the country, but because of the colour of your skin.
Looking at Malaysia from the outside for the first time in my life.. I start to wonder if this is really the kind of place I want to be in all my life. There is a saying that the moon always seem rounder in a foreign land.. or that the grass is greener on the other side. It certainly seems so. I miss home. I love home. Yet I begin to realise there are many things wrong with it that needs fixing.. quick. Suddenly, I understand why so many have left the country.. Why so many choose to earn their living abroad and spend their holidays back home.. They love their country and one to return to it, but they also want to be treated fairly . Its ironic to imagine that you would be treated fairly in a foreign land, where you have limited rights, but not in your own land, where you enjoy the full benefits of a citizen.
posted by Compulsive Blogger @ 1:31 am
Comments: 2
