Time to practise what we preach, says activist

(The Star) – Why do I get so paranoid now?

It is time for adults to practise the same basic values they teach their children, said social activist Izzati Rahman.

“When we were children, and when we went to kindergarten – our first form of communication with people beyond our families – we were taught to share, be nice and respect others.

“We were always reminded to share our toys, not to bully others, help those in need and to mind our manners.

“Somehow, when we grew up, all this seemed to have been forgotten.

“Everyone wants to claim supremacy and forget that this country is for all to share,” said the 24-year-old lawyer and founder of the Malaysian Young Activists NGO.

Izzati, who has been involved in volunteer work since she was 16, said moderation was the key to a harmonious multi-racial country.

“No one is above another, and we are all equal,” she said in support of The Star’s Voices of Moderation Campaign.

For animal activist Thanuja Ananthan, education is key to flushing out extremism and allowing moderation to prevail.

“Being moderate is about educating yourself on the issue at hand before commenting or making a statement, instead of reacting to something out of ignorance,” the 29-year-old said.

She cited the “I want to touch a dog” event which suffered a backlash from certain quarters.

It was meant to be an educational event, and was well-organised, but was misunderstood by some, said Thanuja, who was crowned Miss Malaysia in 2009.

“Many seem to be playing the race and religion card to their advantage these days, and it is very sad,” she said.

Thanuja recalled the times during her childhood when she and her Chinese and Malay friends ate from the same plate.

“I used to talk openly about Islam to my Malay friends, I would read the Quran and I love listening to the Azan (call to prayers),” she said.

“Now, all of a sudden, everything has become so sensitive – there are even words we are not allowed to say.”

Theatre and arts activist Low Ngai Yuen said extremists were no different from bullies who imposed their opinions on others.

“To me, moderation is the necessary practice of being reasonable when it comes to maintaining and growing a relationship with another,” she said.

However, she said, the route to a harmonious relationship might be more than just being extra careful with our words and actions to avoid misunderstanding.

Low said she cringed every time her kids referred to their friends by their race or skin colour.

She once held her daughter, who was six at the time, silencing her, when after watching Walt Disney’s The Princess And The Frog, she said to a group of her kindergarten friends and other parents “Is this movie made in Malaysia?

“See, Princess Tiana is a Malay girl since she is brown”.

“The point is, I caught myself thinking that she might be making an offensive remark. I never had to worry about making such references back in my school days so why do I get so paranoid now?” said the 38-year-old mother of four.

While she believed in being moderate in the way we communicate to avoid misunderstanding, she said Malaysians seemed to have become conditioned to being overly cautious and worried about anything related to race or religion.

“What happened to how it used to be? Eating, playing and poking fun at one another with no trace of malice? We need to go back to that,” Low said.

The Star’s Voices of Moderation campaign is now targeting youths as the next step in driving moderation among Malaysians.

Voices of Moderation will run parallel with The Star’s Brave Views, Bold Ideas campaign, launched on Aug 10, that encourages Malaysians to espouse moderation while being open, rational and balanced in their discussions.