I am Malaysian first

By Kee Thuan Chye

I am proud to call myself Malaysian first and Chinese second. And if I were to tell other Chinese Malaysians that, I don’t think they will shun me.

Even if they do, so be it. Let them. If they are so narrow-minded as not to see the beauty of calling oneself Malaysian first, I don’t want to have anything to do with them.

I have two children to whom I have given Malaysian names, i.e. Malay, Indian and Chinese names. It is my contribution to Bangsa Malaysia. Their identity cards bear their full names.

In both cases, their Malay name comes first. And that is the name my wife and I call them by. We call our daughter Soraya and our son Jebat. To us, Malay names are also Malaysian names, and our children are Malaysian. We have no hang-ups about it.

Now, why can’t this be the norm in this beautiful, rich, multi-racial nation – a nation that is beautiful and rich because of its many races and cultures? Why must we separate ourselves into divisive categories? Why can’t we take the inclusive approach, consider each of our fellow citizens as being part of a whole, as part of us instead of as the Other?

Why is it so hard for someone no less than the deputy prime minister of this country to acknowledge that he is Malaysian first and Malay second? Why does he give the excuse that if he were to do so, he would be shunned by the Malays? How does he know for sure? Why does he presume the negative? Why would they shun him?

He is a leader of the country. Should he not instead be leading by example? For all we know, if he were to actually declare himself Malaysian first and Malay second, he might find others doing the same – and they may well be not just Malays but people of other races as well. Why does he fear to lead and instead prefer to take the safe and untested route? Why does he even take the exclusive line and say, “I am a Malay first”?

The basic function of leadership is taking the first step before anyone else, isn’t it? Especially if it’s a step in the right direction, towards the noble purpose of bringing the people closer together. It may be a risky step to take but if it’s the right one, morally and logically, who can judge you harshly?

Continue read Lim Kit Siang for Malaysia

Photo: satumalaysia.wordpress.com