[Life of an Ex-Teen] M***sia
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WahMing
May 16, 2006, 3:51:03 PM5/16/06
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One of my friends complained recently about M****sia going to the M****s. Well, she put it more like M****sia going to the pigs, but with some elaboration. Anyway, it got me thinking. The opinion of the average Chinese in M****sia appears to be - "The government doesn't give a damn about anybody except the M****s. It's every race for himself."
Sadly, there isn't really anything that can be said to dispute this statement. For that matter, I'm not sure I could truthfully say I disagree. The government taxes the other races to subsidise the M****s, in almost every way possible. Local authorities, the majority of which are M****, turn a blind eye to them commiting minor-to-mid infractions, but enforce the letter of the law for others. Want a government/major local contract? Make sure your business has a M**** employee to liaison with the other party. It's implicit in our day-to-day life and conversations, in more ways than I care to recount. There's no point listing them all, any M****sian Chinese readers of mine will know what I'm talking about.
It's so implicit that it affects major decisions for us. Why am I studying in Adelaide? Because my parents think M****sia may end up an entirely hardcore Islamic nation. I can't say thats impossible. Hardcore Islamic parties have already taken over 2 of our 13 states in the elections. Everybody thought it impossible before they did it. Who's to say they won't take the Prime Ministers post in a couple decades? Because of that possibility I'm now studying in Adelaide to obtain a PR later, so I have an 'escape route' later on if neccessary (their own words).
And then there's freedom of speech. Or the lack of it. To preserve harmonial relations between races, we're not allowed to air racial-based grievances. Lets just say that my country wasn't actually named M****sia when I started writing this post, but on the advice of a friend, I'm now a fiction writer instead of a concerned citizen airing grievances. I don't see the point of making certain topics illegal. It's one thing to make it illegal to foment discord. It's another thing when the law begins to prevent people from airing their views rationally. Surely, if something is sensitive enough to become an issue with a significant portion of the population, something else should be done about it besides making it an illegal topic of discussion?
It is illogical for the government to claim that they are promoting racial harmony. You do not promote harmony by suppressing conflicts, by favoring one party over another, or by proclaiming that racial conflicts are a thing of the past - while suppressing naysayers. Not only does it not convince the people, it undermines their faith in the government. You cannot expect to favor a race at the expense of others and not experience any resent over it. That is probably the major factor behind almost all discord between the races. While this factor exists, racial harmony is no more than an uneasy peace.
Note that I am not anti-M****. I am no racist. I hate racism. I have M**** friends. But I cannot help but feel, sometimes, jealous of their advantages. Nobody should have to study in a foreign country so that they have the option of a future escape route from their home country.
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Posted by WahMing to Life of an Ex-Teen at 5/17/2006 02:06:00 AM
Sadly, there isn't really anything that can be said to dispute this statement. For that matter, I'm not sure I could truthfully say I disagree. The government taxes the other races to subsidise the M****s, in almost every way possible. Local authorities, the majority of which are M****, turn a blind eye to them commiting minor-to-mid infractions, but enforce the letter of the law for others. Want a government/major local contract? Make sure your business has a M**** employee to liaison with the other party. It's implicit in our day-to-day life and conversations, in more ways than I care to recount. There's no point listing them all, any M****sian Chinese readers of mine will know what I'm talking about.
It's so implicit that it affects major decisions for us. Why am I studying in Adelaide? Because my parents think M****sia may end up an entirely hardcore Islamic nation. I can't say thats impossible. Hardcore Islamic parties have already taken over 2 of our 13 states in the elections. Everybody thought it impossible before they did it. Who's to say they won't take the Prime Ministers post in a couple decades? Because of that possibility I'm now studying in Adelaide to obtain a PR later, so I have an 'escape route' later on if neccessary (their own words).
And then there's freedom of speech. Or the lack of it. To preserve harmonial relations between races, we're not allowed to air racial-based grievances. Lets just say that my country wasn't actually named M****sia when I started writing this post, but on the advice of a friend, I'm now a fiction writer instead of a concerned citizen airing grievances. I don't see the point of making certain topics illegal. It's one thing to make it illegal to foment discord. It's another thing when the law begins to prevent people from airing their views rationally. Surely, if something is sensitive enough to become an issue with a significant portion of the population, something else should be done about it besides making it an illegal topic of discussion?
It is illogical for the government to claim that they are promoting racial harmony. You do not promote harmony by suppressing conflicts, by favoring one party over another, or by proclaiming that racial conflicts are a thing of the past - while suppressing naysayers. Not only does it not convince the people, it undermines their faith in the government. You cannot expect to favor a race at the expense of others and not experience any resent over it. That is probably the major factor behind almost all discord between the races. While this factor exists, racial harmony is no more than an uneasy peace.
Note that I am not anti-M****. I am no racist. I hate racism. I have M**** friends. But I cannot help but feel, sometimes, jealous of their advantages. Nobody should have to study in a foreign country so that they have the option of a future escape route from their home country.
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Posted by WahMing to Life of an Ex-Teen at 5/17/2006 02:06:00 AM
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