Cut the bull. We are all racists!
This reader says it’s time we stop pretending and own up to the fact that we are struggling racists trying to accept our differences.
by Fa Abdul, Free Malaysia Today
I am a racist.
I think the Malays who claim 100% ownership of Malaysia are arrogant. I think those who use their religion to portray themselves as kind, humble and nice are two-faced. I feel most Malays who think their special privileges makes them superior to the rest are simply ignorant.
Yes, I am a racist.
I think Chinese who knock into you and never apologise are plain rude. I think Chinese who look down on other races based on wealth comparisons are full of themselves. I think Chinese who pick their nose at every traffic stop and blow their noses at every street corner are just gross and icky.
Did I mention I am racist?
I think some Indians are noisy and loud, they have a habit of announcing their presence some kilometres away. I think some Malaysian Indians know more about what’s happening in India compared to the country they reside in.
I am absolutely a racist.
I think most Mamaks are opportunist who are willing to sell their own dignity in return for special privileges. I think Mamak men who marry Malay ladies in order to be accepted into the Malay community and have their children raised as Malays are outrageously pathetic. And I think most Mamaks who adopt a Malay lifestyle and refuse to be known as Mamak are an embarrassment.
There are a whole list of other things which I find irritating in Malays, Chinese, Indians and Mamaks but I feel I have made my point.
I am a racist.
Racists normally feel they are more superior than others and they tend to look down on those who are not up to their standards. I do not feel superior to anyone but I have to admit that I do look down on people who are stupid. Yes, I am justifying the fact that I am a racist. However it does not change the fact that I am one.
Growing up a Mamak, I had an identity crisis – trying to fit into the Malay community but having come from culturally strong Indian roots and brought up in a rural Chinese village in Penang, I certainly had my fair share of being a victim of racism. But let’s keep that topic for another day.
You know, being a mamak has its perks. The Malays (sometimes) accept me as one of them because of my religion. The Indians (sometimes) accept me as one of them because of my ethnicity. The Chinese (sometimes) accept me because they think I am neither Malay nor Indian.
Once you are one of the gang, you get to learn all about the interesting juicy stuff people talk behind closed doors. So I have lots of stories of how racist many of my friends are.
I have this one Malay friend who doesn’t allow her daughters to swim in their condo pool when there are Chinese kids swimming.
“Tunggu budak Cina keluar dulu baru boleh berenang. Depa tu pengotoq, dah la tak mandi, tak cuci pungkok, makan babi pulak tu!”
I have this Chinese friend who was looking for a housemate. He specifically was looking for a non-Malay and a non-Indian.
“Eeeyeeerr…Malay very leceh one lah. Always no money to pay rental. They can have one lorry full of kids but no money to pay rent one. And Indian ahh…a bit smelly lah.”
I have this Indian friend who was renovating his house a few years ago. He had a tough time looking for contractors.
“First I used a Malay contractor – work went so slow, lazy buggers. Then I used Chinese contractors – work went so fast but once they got advance payment, terus disappear. I am thinking of using a foreign contractor.”
“Why don’t you find an Indian contractor?” I asked.
“An Indian will never trust another Indian.”
The truth is, we are all racist. So let’s stop pretending that only certain races are.
