Someone asked me what I thought of 1Malaysia concept a couple of weeks back. I didn't answer him immediately as my mind was thinking of something else. So he stated that Malaysia has always been 1 before, why bother bringing up the 1Malaysia issue. He went on and on about a whole lot of other issue regarding Malaysia and the direction we are heading if leadership does not take heed of the warning signs.
There are certain points that I agree and of course, there are those that I disagree. So I quickly cut this conversation short by shouting (not that loud) 1MMalaysian with the emphasis on the MM. All he said was ' Tak boleh nak sebut betul betul ke?'
I smiled and answered, 1MMalaysian is I am Malaysian. What I love about Malaysia is our cultures and great respect we all had for each other when I was growing up. I am lucky because I grew up in the midst of two main cultures - Malay and Chinese. My exposure to the Indian culture came through my dad's friends and again it is the same as everyone respected each other's preference whether it is religion, type of food, beliefs etc etc. That's what I could recall about 25 - 30 years ago that people put
collective feeling ahead rather that individual feelings.
Today the word "I" has infiltrated into most minds and therefore modified how the best and not so best minds in Malaysia. We are adopting the Mat Salleh mentality of grooming self confidence: To be good or respected one must have great self confidence. Slowly, we teach our young that individualistic is the only way to become successful.
Now. self confidence is important especially when it comes to your own capability but it should not be confused with self centered mindset. We all know that the planets revolve around the one sun we see up in the sky but why some individuals think that just because they are someone high / smart / rich / powerful, the world must revolve around them?
I digress ... 1Malaysia concept is to encourage Malaysians to be United (MU) once again. Hey, no wonder many Malaysias follow Manchester United (MU). But as long as every person / political party in Malaysia forms individual opinions of how Malaysia should be ... it will be difficult. Malaysia is not about Malays, Chinese and Indians. What about the Penans, the Ibans, the Jakuns, the Negritos, the Kadazans etc? It is also not about those in BN or PR!! What about those who do not belong to either affiliation?
If we want Malaysia to be better ... everyone must try to put others first before own interest. Easier said that done ... damage has been done because every kid I see nowadays like to shout "Mine". The toy / drink / food is mine! Concept of sharing only exists in our minds now as it slowly exits our heart and soul.
And all I could do is sigh ......
