A reply to Benjamin (2)

BY R
While I agree with Benjamin in general, I have some points to add:
Quote from Benjamin:
“Therefore, to change the fate of our nation is to change the mentality of the Malays. This is the ONLY solution!”
I think this is off course, because out there, there would be Malays (like an independant MP and some Bukit Bendera UMNO members) who would talk about resolving the problem by changing the mentality of the Chinese and Indians. Some of these articles talk about assimilation, for example.
This problem could only be resolved by dissolving ethno-centrism and moving towards a true “Malaysian Malaysia”, not a “Malay, Chinese and Indian Malaysia”. The change has to be in the mindsets of every Malaysian, regardless of race or religion.
For e.g. every Malaysian of any background should care about the condition of every other Malaysian who is poor and in true need of help, in order to compete in a level playing ground. This way, those who are disadvantaged, will not try to isolate themselves into a group that is fighting for their own rights, and caring for no one else, or worse, pretending to care for others in front of the camera. This doesn’t just apply to races, but also any disadvantaged group e.g. the disabled, single parents etc.
Dr. Mahathir said on his blog, chedet.com, that:
“Truly Malaysian politics have not been decoupled from racial sentiments and loyalties. And it is going to remain so for as long as the different races prefer to be separated and divided, prefer to strongly uphold their languages, cultures and their historical origins and links. All that is said about reforms and liberalism is mere lip service.”
While we may have faults to find with Dr. M throughout the years, but he does have a valid point in the quote above.
In my personal opinion, while the special privileges are protected, Islam’s position as the official religion is respected, and the rights of the different communities to freely practise their languages, cultures and religions are upheld, we should seriously consider moving the mindsets of all Malaysians towards considering ourselves Malaysians first, then our racial, religious, geographical, or professional identities next, within the national context, just as the case with Obama and the Americans.
And I think the main way to achieve this is if young children of different backgrounds could grow up together, attending the same schools, while the education system continues to provide for children learning their own mother tongues, in addition to Malay and English. Singapore is already a shining example of this education policy. I come to this conclusion because children spend most of their growing-up time in school and it is also their primary source of socializing with other children. If children grow up together, knowing and understanding each other, this would lead to adults who have more in common and are then able to empathize with each other as fellow Malaysians.
Zaid Ibrahim and RPK have agreed to throw out race-based economic crutches. But when are vernacular educationists going to agree to throw out a race-based education system? This is what I mean when I say that every Malaysian should change their mindset, instead of pointing fingers at another’s mindset. The solution of Malaysian Malaysia needs to be from inside-out, not just superficial.
Going back to our main topic, I feel DAP’s current call for “Malaysian Malaysia” may leave Malays feeling threatened that they need to give up their rights or face the risk of being economically sidelined, in order to create a common society, as Benjamin has pointed out. Instead, I feel DAP’s strategy of “Malaysian Malaysia” should focus on giving absolutely no room to any Malaysian to consider resorting to isolating themselves into self-centered groups, because they think no one else cares about their needs and rights, so they should go all out for it. As long as every isolated group continues to fight for themselves, we will forever continue to fight with each other politically.