Of halal pork, minions and toilet meals

There you go Malaysia, your weekly dose of social media sensation to quench the thirst of all the closet racists, pseudo-neutrals and “holier than thou army” is here. I know many of you will be jumping on the whole freedom of speech argument but woe betide us all for the day this right was inherited, we’ve had to put up with more garbage than commentaries of actual importance. In fact, feel free to discard this article as one of the many others that will come pouring in light of the recent issue involving the non-muslim students of SK Sri Pistana having to eat their meals in the toilet because its significance remains firmly in the sensationalism of the news.

Now, I am not going to go into details for much remains unclear, however, what remains clear is that every single issue in this country today is somehow associated with a persons race or religion. When did we become this shallow? Why is a capable individual by law, blessed with the ability to act and understand the nature and consequence of his act now the sole representative of his background? At every instance, one reads “kafir tiada hak”, “melayu/islam -insert foul word-”, cina this, melayu that, India…, well we don’t really matter till elections but hey, free bag of rice for everybody!

I honestly no longer remember growing up in this country, my country, for the people were different then. They were more forgiving and less judgmental. They were more loving and less hateful. I stand proud knowing that I have genuine friends from all walks of life and varying races and that the bond we cherish goes beyond that of colour and religion. I wonder then if our children and leaders of the future will be as lucky, to simply be able to play a game of football without looking at the other as Cina or Melayu but as a friend and a fellow Malaysian.

The fundamental problem with this generation or rather my generation is the fact that we often look to our forefathers and predecessors in identifying where it went wrong and what they should have done better. However, the truth is, our parents raised us pretty much alright and our forefathers were the ones who agreed to a consensus of racial harmony thus achieving independence. Then, who is to be blamed? The answer is simple really, look in the mirror. Yes, you, you who claim to be a Malaysian first but fail to look out or care for another race and especially you, who leads the cry for justice and equality for all but refuse to shoulder the burden and effort required to see it through.