THE CICAK.com

WRITE IT 2006: Covered-up racial conflicts root of political indifference

By SUNNY CHEONG

If you want to vote for Sunny Cheong (and this article) for the People’s Choice Award, click here.

In the Malaysian context, apathy is of course the tidak apa attitude that has been afflicting the majority of the rakyat, which is self evident in the disinterest we pose to topics of importance shaping the course of our country.

When first I thought of which issue to write about for this article, I came to realise that regardless of it being about political, economic or social issues, everything in Malaysia always boils down to politics. Why is that? It is simply because Malaysia is a multiracial country pretending to be the multiracial country.

In countries with different races living together from the United States to Indonesia, there are bound to be tensions arising from the irreconciliable differences that needed to be addressed. So, why is it that we are so much different from these other countries? It is clearly because we play the harmonious angle much better. Ever since the May 13 1969 race riot, we have been building a very fine layer of surface over our racial issues, in comparison to our contemporaries.

And it is all just a surface thing. Ask (with very good persuasion) any seasoned Malaysian citizen and that’s the bitter truth they will tell you, no matter how much they love this country.

Through the ruling political forces of the country, we are reminded again and again of the negative side of the May 13 incident, playing with our insecurities to the point that we are lulled into inaction to protect the “status quo� for a false sense of “peace and harmony.� We have begun to fear any issues of discontent deemed “sensitive� by the governing body. In short, we are living in a policy of denial.

So it is politics that dominates issues of Malaysian interest. Even to the extent of creating apathy.

In this perspective, apathy in the Malaysian society is an “enforced hereditary� condition passed on from one generation of youth to the next, driven by our own political system. A political system that is now encouraging apathy of another kind.

The encouragement of youths to be more proactive, while at the same time stubbornly holding on to the policy of denial, has been misinterpreted as a call to fight for the nationalistic fervour of one’s own race. This has in turn given birth to a one-eyed Cyclops monster, capable of seeing and taking action from only a single point of view, and apathy or indifference towards considering a better action that would take into account both sides of an issue.

What transpired at the recently concluded UMNO General Assembly is such an example.

And this is not just exclusive to one race. The Malays are committed to protecting their privileged rights and widening their share in the country’s economy, while the Chinese and Indian strive to protect and increase their piece of the economic pie. If this one-eyed indifference towards the understanding of the motives and objectives of others is kept unchecked the consequences would be devastating.

And yet, what I have construed as different kinds of apathy may be one and the same. There is an English saying: there is nothing new under the sun. From the “one-eyed� race supremacist to the tidak apa youth of everyday life, they certainly do not lack for action in their chosen expertise. It is the action not taken that constitutes the basis of their apathy.

If there is really nothing new then what about strategy you ask?

What strategy? I am all dried out of strategy. You can suggest all the strategies you want to make others care more about apathy towards domestic violence or the lack of foreign investment in the country, but you are still cutting the Gordian knot. How do you solve the real problem when it stems from the very foundation of governance, which is keeping the nation together under a false sense of pride?

My answer: follow it through to the logical conclusion. Perhaps what we need is another repeat of May 13 as a wake up call to jolt us all from this lullaby. Blood must always be shed to win the good fight.

How un-Malaysian! A fanatic! An instigator of violent disturbance! If you have even a grain of any of the above reactions or something similar, then I salute you. You still care enough for our country. Perhaps you should re-examine yourself based on what I have written and reconsider. If you, on the contrary, do not feel anything after reading this, that’s just as well. You have just proven my case.

It seems that combating apathy among Malaysian youths is not just action against inaction. It is action against the inaction forced upon the youths and the Malaysian society in the first place.

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SUNNY CHEONG is a 28-year-old Kelantan boy who doesn’t talk much because whenever he opens his mouth it usually gets him into compromising situations. He rarely gets invited to social gatherings which his friends agree is for the best. He admits to suffering from severe job hunting apathy.

If you want to vote for Sunny Cheong (and this article) for the People’s Choice Award, click here.