Silent No More, Please
Towards a New Malaysia
Since PM Najib attributed UMNO-BN poor performance at GE13 to a Chinese tsunami and Utusan followed up with “Apa lagi Cina mau?,” all hell was let loosed and the racists and extremists came out of their closets. From ministers to ex-judges, ex-civil servants, politicians, etc, they came out unashamedly declaring their true agenda.
But I still believe in Malaysia and that the vast majority of Malaysian of all races are decent, peace-loving and not racists at heart. We are the silent majority. However, the silent majority is irrelevant when the only voices heard are those of the vocal extremists and racists. It seems that they are the ones who are setting the agenda for public discourses these days.
I want to quote from part of an article I read a while back.
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I used to know a man whose family were German aristocracy prior to World War II. They owned a number of large industries and estates. I asked him how many German people were true Nazis, and the answer he gave has stuck with me and guided my attitude toward fanaticism ever since.
“Very few people were true Nazis,” he said, “but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.”
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Very few people were true Nazis but they enjoyed the return of German pride. Many people may not agree with the extreme views of the likes of Perkasa, Isma or even IS but perhaps in their hearts they enjoy the restoration of pride that these groups offered. Therefore, they maintain their neutral silence. Or perhaps, too many are just too busy with daily survival and chores to bother.
Most Russians were peace-loving when the Communists came and took over the country. Yet 20 million died at the hands of Stalin. Most Chinese were peace-loving when Mao brought about his revolutions and yet 70 millions died under his rule. Most Cambodians just want peace but yet the minority Khmer Rouge murdered 2 millions of their own countrymen. History is littered with evidences of the irrelevancy of the silent majority.
In Malaysia, are we also doomed to be dominated by the extreme minority that seeks to divide us, sowing hatred and threatening our future? When will these hateful rhetoric becomes fleshed out to physical violence, riot and civil war even?
I refuse to be a passive observer of history and thereby becoming one of its flotsam, becoming a victim of circumstances contrived by evil men bent on destruction and domination of others. We cannot afford to remain one of the silent majority, we have to speak up and act on behalf of the majority.
How do we overcome evil and hate? Do we overcome it with more evil and hate? With arguments and reasoning? With legislation and intimidation?
