Born in the 1970s, in a small little town called Batu Pahat, Johor. My fondest childhood memories were with my playmates with tanned skin and big brown eyes at the government quarters. unlike my lifeless skin tone, uninteresting monolids and flat Chinese nose.
Festive season were always a grand affair. Back then, it didn’t matter whether its Chinese New Year, Hari Raya or Deepavali, it is a celebration for all and most importantly a reason for us to wear nice clothes, drink carbonated drinks, and stuff ourselves silly with delicious ‘Kueh bang kek‘, ‘pineapple tarts‘, ‘muruku‘ and ‘kueh Loyang‘.
I liked my Malay and Indian playmates although they looked, talked and smelled different. It didn’t matter because we always had so much fun in the playground. We played gasing, we rolled on a pile of dried leaves that we have gathered, we caught spiders in the bushes and put ’em in match boxes as pets.
In the 80s, there weren’t that many choices when it comes to entertainment. The family TV was in black and white, and we only had RTM1, RTM2 and subsequently TV3 in the 80s. P.Ramlee’s movies like Bujang Lapuk, Ibu Mertua Ku, and Tiga Abdul were my source of entertainment in the earlier 80s. Then local rock star like Amy Search and Ella (Queen of Rock) became my addiction in the early 90s.
I’ve always been proud of being a Malaysian. Albeit the distinct differences in culture, we respected each other and we relish in the differences that made us uniquely Malaysian. You see, we don’t need 1Malaysia to remind us on racial unity. Isn’t it ironic that after 55 years of independence, we are now being introduced with the 1Malaysia concept that claimed to emphasise on ethnic harmony, national unity and efficient governance?
I love my country but the fact of the matter is, I am also Chinese and I wouldn’t want to lose touch with my roots that contributes to the uniqueness of Malaysia. Nor do I want my Malay and Indian brothers and sisters to lose their unique cultural identity with the adoption of a national culture that derived from 1Malaysia.
During the recent TEDxKL, I was moved by Jo Kukathas‘s presentation on ‘Joining the dot’ and can’t help but agree with her that we have lost so many things along the years… our heritage, our sights and our culture, all in the name of ‘Nationalism’.
Where do we draw the line?
The Chinese shrine of Na Tuk Kong at every corner of the road or under every scary looking tree
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