s u n n y s i d e u p.

Thanks for the comments.  Here is a comment from my sister which I would love to reproduce here. I hope the youngsters understood the message . 

 anak si-hamid said...

Re: Angel.
It's a good observation - that Malays and/or Malaysians want to be like the Mat Salleh or as what I also observe, like Arabs. The current racial and racist politics in this country started with the Malays and their rulers surrendering their heritage and resources to the highest bidder; be it the British or the Chinese taukeh or the Indian and Arab trader.

Young Malays in both Malaysia and Singapore have no knowledge of and no interest in their history, their culture and heritage. They are smugly contented in being copycats :of the Mcdonals's or the Arabs' ulama culture. Beneath all this facade is is a fear and embarrassment of being a Malay especially when they're in the minority. And when they are in the majority they become arrogant and lazy, (a very destructive combination)about preserving their Malayness - very unlike the Chinese and Indians in Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Britain or anywhere else they go to seek their fortune.

I'm a Malay ex-teacher of 64 who have lived abroad for many years. Each time I come back to my Malay world, I see more and more erosion of the Malay of my forefathers. I used to take solace in the saying "tak akan Melayu hilang dari dunia". Yes, there will always exist the Malay race - but what kind of Malays? Only the Melayu Celup: sad and broken and quite disenfranchised from their heritage. And this was not inflicted by outsiders like what happened to the native Indians in North and South America, or the Maoris in New Zealand. THE MALAYS DID IT ALL BY THEMSELVES - SYABAS. Our capacity for self destruction is quite unique!!

That is why it takes a Mat Salleh in his book 'Fatimah's Kampung' to remind us about what we are losing or have already lost.

November 29, 2008 12:31 PM

# posted by sunnyside up @ 1:05 PM