In recent days, Malaysians have been over the moon as our national shuttlers brought home bronze medals; Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in Men's Doubles, and Lee Zii Jia in Men's Singles. Videos surfaced of people in flats and mamak stalls rejoicing as Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik defeated Denmark's Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup to secure the bronze. Similarly, Malaysians of all races came together to celebrate Lee Zii Jia's victory over Lakshya Sen. However, today I want to focus not on the triumphs of our Olympians, but on our unity as Malaysians. Why do we come together to cheer on our athletes, yet find ourselves divided in our daily lives?
When Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik won the bronze medal in the Men's Doubles, and Lee Zii Jia did the same in the Men's Singles at the Olympics, we didn't attribute their victories to China. Did the People's Republic of China flag rise on stage when they won? No, the bronze medals belong to Tanah Airku, and the victories are shared by all Anak Malaysia — be they Chinese, Malay, Indian, or Dayak. If you are born in this country and have contributed to a better Malaysia, you deserve to celebrate the achievements of our national shuttlers.
If you agree with my statement above, then why do some of us doubt the loyalty of other Malaysians, especially the non-Malays? Such is the case of our former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir, who stated in January that Malaysian-Chinese and Malaysian-Indians are “not completely loyal” to the country. He seems to have forgotten that the Chinese also fought and died for Malaysia, such as those who battled against communist terrorists in the early years of our independence. He also seems to overlook that independent Malaya was achieved through the cooperation of leaders from all races, including Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak, Tun Tan Cheng Lock, and Tun V.T. Sambanthan.
The former Prime Minister is not alone in questioning the loyalty of fellow Malaysians. Similarly, in February 2024, a dragon parade in Jonker Walk drew widespread condemnation among PAS supporters and their ilk. Why? At first glance, it seemed that the gigantic dragon replica only displayed the flag of China and not the beloved Jalur Gemilang. "You can see that there is no love for Malaysia in their hearts. If you ask them to sing the national anthem of Malaysia, they would sing the national anthem of China instead," commented Noraishah Draman Nor.
However, Noraishah Draman Nor and many others like her failed to verify the truth. The People's Republic of China's flag was not the only flag attached to the dragon replica; the Jalur Gemilang was also present. Due to the camera angle in the video, only the flag of the People's Republic of China was visible, while the Malaysian flag was on the other side of the dragon. The reason The People's Republic of China flag was on the dragon replica used for the parade was because the dragon parade was held in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations and also the Chinese New Year of 2024.
If we are not questioning the loyalty of fellow Malaysians, then we often find other issues to exaggerate, such as questioning why the Malaysian-Chinese dish Bak Kut Teh is made as a heritage dish, despite Bak Kut Teh meaning “Meat Bone Tea” (most people misunderstood “bak” to mean pork) and that there are halal versions of Bak Kut Teh. Even PAS know this as they introduced halal Bak Kut Teh back in 2018, oddly enough, Perak Opposition Leader and PAS member Razman Zakaria still questioned why Bak Kut Teh was recognized as a heritage dish earlier this year. According to Berita PAS, PAS began introducing halal Bak Kut Teh during the Seri Setia State Legislative Assembly by-election to appeal to voters, especially those of Chinese descent.
If not the issue about recognising Bak Kut Teh as a heritage dish then we claim that Chinese vernacular schools breed racism, despite these schools being more racially diverse. In fact, 20 percent of students in SJKCs (Chinese vernacular schools) are non-Chinese, compared to Sekolah Kebangsaan (National Schools), where over 90 percent of students are Malays. Additionally, Chinese schools respect the cultural norms of their non-Chinese students. For example, Muslim students are allowed to go home earlier on Fridays to attend Friday prayers. The latest gaff we have recently is of the Chinese vernacular schools receiving funding from breweries.
Can't we see that all these efforts are bent on burning bridges rather than building them? How many more Olympic medals have to be won just for non-Malay Malaysians to prove their loyalty to this country? Instead of finding smaller issues to nitpick and fight with one another - we must remember that we have bigger issues to tackle as a nation, such as improving our education system, addressing the rising cost of living, and curbing brain drain. If only Malaysians supported each other in nation-building as we do during the Olympics, we could achieve so much more. Let’s focus on unity and collaboration to solve our shared challenges, creating a better future for all. We need to rise above petty differences and work together to build a stronger, more inclusive Malaysia. It’s time to turn our shared passion into collective action for the betterment of our beloved country. #MalaysiaKita
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