one malaysia

everywhere everyone is talking about being ONE MALAYSIA. supposedly being proud for having a peaceful, multiracial and multicultural community.  

moving as one and not separately

seriously, i think this is just all talk and not much action is taken into this. well maybe they are taking some actions but they're looking at it just partially and not as a whole. well, maybe not just yet.

i've been in USM engineering campus for almost 5 weeks (as of monday) and even though i've not started work in labs and classes and really getting to know the people here, but based on my observation (just a glance through), i really don't think the term "one malaysia" really goes about around here.

for example, during lunch or dinner, you will never see a group of people who isn't different, by that i mean color, race, religion, language etc. chinese will stick among themselves, malays as well. i've yet to see indians. not that many around. the sabahan and sarawakian stick to themselves as well. i knew i would be seeing a lot of these but i didn't expect it to be this bad. the room mates are given according to the students themselves, meaning they get to chose their own room mates, as predicted, chinese girls to a room, malays in a room and such. 

back in my uni days, we weren't allowed such things. we have to have AT LEAST ONE non-muslim member and i think it was a wise thing to do for we all bonded and stick together despite being different physically and spiritually. we shared things, we laughed together, ate together, celebrated together. i remember during raya, we'd get raya cards more from the chinese girls, mandarin oranges during chinese new year and the delicious moon cakes! they'd love our kuih raya and all. it was all so very muhibah, like totally the definition of ONE MALAYSIA. when the chinese or indians have an event, we'd all dress up and go support them, joining on the fun despite not understanding the language, but hey, one can learn right?

a few days ago, they had a mini concert here and honestly i didn't see anyone but chinese there. 

seriously, this is sad.

in the evenings, the basketball courts are dominated by the chinese, the sepak takraw, football and bola tampar is dominated by the malays. only this evening i saw a team of chinese and a team of malays played volleyball together. i'm guessing they were prepping themselves for the upcoming TOT (temasya olahraga tahunan) coming up in March. that was my first time actually witnessing different cultures playing in the same court!

yes!

it is THAT bad here.

a friend of mine once told me this. he used to play basketball, and yes he was good at it cause back in high school he used to play with the chinese guys (i really think the chinese dominte this game and for my friend back in high school, they welcomed him to play with them like he was apart of them). when he entered uni, of course you'd have to make friends and all. however, when he wanted to play bball, they (the chinese) wouldn't wanna let him play despite them acknowledging the fact that he was actually good. why? because he couldn't communicate in chinese (after such a long time playing with the chinese, he actually understood them!). but yes. maybe it would be a bit difficult but is it just because of that you're pushing away good talent, which could maybe, just maybe get your team to win? 

another friend of mine told me that being from sabah or sarawak has its downside as well. since they are super super multiracial, some of them neither looks like a malay nor chinese, thus he was abandoned through out his studying years because neither the malay nor chinese would accept him into their group.

???????

back in my degree years, in class, we'd sit together like despite in groups, we'd still be around each other. but here, a friend of mine who has started her classes said that the chinese would sit right at the back of the class in a group. erm. i'm somehow unable to process this idea. i've been coming from surroundings where by we actually fight to sit up front and we do sit togather. all through out my schooling years as well as uni years, this is the first. i think.

well, i am yet to witness that one on my own. we'll just wait and see.

*sigh*

 

i guess dulu i didn't realize this that much, until i arrived here. how i seriously thank God i was educated as such way and not like what i'm witnessing now. seriously its sad. 

*sigh*

however, i do wonder if this happens only here or everywhere else? i'm quite sure where back home, we are very very muhibah. my surroundings as well. hello, my neighbors are chinese. 

i wonder. i really really wonder.

anyways. i just wanted to share this thought of mine. 

what do you think?

this is definitely something to ponder on.    

 

xoxo