Saturday 3 August 2013

Of Pride and Prejudices

I am seeing worrisome development of what has been an ever deteriorating race relations in this country, no thanks to agitators who have been at it non-stop to batter at the already fragile social fabric of the nation.

I am not going to start the blame game, although it always start with the politicos, but I believe that our own selfish prejudices and inability to see things from different perspectives are responsible for the ever increasing racial and religious tensions in Malaysia.

Sensitivities are being provoked merely to prove a point, with some hammering away at something that should have been better left alone with a mild rebuke and reminder, but their pride pushed them to create unnecessary ever increasing suspicions and escalation of collective anger.

What some of these agitators may not realise, just as they have their pride and prejudices, so do others.

When you keep on hammering at someone's pride, you are provoking an angry reaction from him.

More so when you are dealing with a large group with varying degrees of tolerance to provocation and perceived denigration, with what they consider as disproportionate pandering to the provocateur. 

Maznah Mohd Yusof had been tolerated for 3 years, but that tolerance disappeared for some when they are continuously being battered by the non-Malays, non-Muslims until there is nothing is left of their pride.

It is one thing to be insulted by a stranger, but to be insulted by one claiming to be sharing your faith is unacceptable.

For those non-Malays who think that they are winning the battle of perception, continue battering the Malay Muslim psyche, and you will find a much stronger reaction than the defensive stance you have seen in the Sri Pristana case.

You are dealing with human beings, and despite what you might think, Newton's Law of "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" applies to humans too.

To the non-Malays please do not invite that opposite reaction as it may not be an equal reaction to your reckoning but would be deemed to be less than equal to the Malays.

We are already seeing Malay Muslims becoming highly sensitive to non-Malays's words and actions which we would normally dismiss out of hand prior to May 5th.

If things continue in this manner, it is just a matter of time before we find ourselves revisiting 1969.

I beseech everyone to take a step back from the current hostilities, reign in our pride and prejudices, for the good of our society.

20 comments:

  1. Sensitivities and respect must be both ways. While Muslims quickly scream that their sensitivities have been offended and demand immediate action, the government is quick to take action.

    When Non-Muslim sensitivities are breached, no action whatsoever is taken. Remember the case of the Mufti of Perak and his malicious SMS againat Christians, remember the case of the al- Islam journalist who insulted the Catholics by participating and spitting out the holy wafer, remember the case of the dragging and stomping of the cow-head, remember the regular insults against non- muslims by Redzuan Tee and remember the insult by Zulkifli Nordin against Hindus. Lastly has ever action neen taken against headmasters/ teachers who insulted non-muslim.

    Now, in all this cases no action was ever taken. Pray, may I ask if Muslims have an open licence to insult others while demanding others to be sensitive to them. So, its nothing bit coddwallap to cry that non-muslims are pricking the sensitivities of muslims and getting away scott free. The opposite is indeed happening.

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    1. You are obviously oblivious to the point this posting is trying to relay and unwilling to step back from hostilities. Continue on this path of tit for tat, that person said this, that person said that, and we will just escalate the tension simply to feed your wounded pride and ego in a never ending cycle of hatreds and hostilities.

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    2. No one want to engage in this tit for tat. Regretfully, the government is not prepared to act fairly. If the government can take a similar heavy handed stand against those insulting non-muslims just the same way it comes to the aid of muslims being insulted then scenes as is happening won't occur. As it stands, only muslims it would seem to have the open licence.

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    3. "An eye for an eye and the whole world will go blind"

      .. that is currently happening in Malaysia. Can we stop it? Not in so near future. The sleeping giant (read Malays) has just woken. You noticed that Malays are becoming more vocal post GE13. A lot of Malays feel that all these while dia orang dah banyak mengalah. Funny thing, the Cina feels the same too. So now both tak mahu mengalah.

      Will we revisit 1969? I pray not. I hope Malaysians are not that stupid to self-destruct BUT I doubt the animosity between the race will heal in the next two decades or so. Maybe it will never heal cause Malays post GE13 just realised how the Cina hate them all these years.

      If not, how can Cina-friendly Malay leaders like Ghani and Ali Rustam be stabbed by them? Most Malays only now realised that their Cina friends are just hypocrites! They are only friendly when they have use of the Malays.

      The problem is exacerbated when Christians vs. Muslims get into the equation. I just hope that all these animosity will just shimmer and not end with a bang.

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    4. Hapuskan Sekolah Vernakular9 August 2013 at 21:48

      Masaalah sebenar adalah kepimpinan Presiden UMNO yang lemah dan tidak berjiwa Melayu.
      Orang Melayu berfikiran mereka memberi orang Cina dan India sesuatu yang berharga dalam bentuk kerakyatan orang Cina akan terus jadi kuli di Malaya.

      Tetapi ini adalah salah. kerakyatan memberi mereka hak untuk mengundi dan membuat dasar. Jadi Tunku tidak sepatutnya memberi kerakyatan. PR mungkin tapi bukan kerakyatan kerana ini memberi kuasa kepada meraka seperti yang terjadi dalam PRu13.

      Adalah bodoh memikirkan cina dan india akan sentiasa berterimakasih seperti yang selalu yang dilaungkan oleh presiden UMNO. Hanya Malaysia yang memberi persekolahan bahsa Cina kata Najib dengan megah. Buat apa? Untuk membentuk masyarakat Cina yang anti Melayu?
      Bodoh bukan. Ya, begitu bodoh pemikiran Melayu dari Presiden UMNO kepada yang bawah yang mengiyakan.
      Bila Cina cuba merampas kuasa baru menangis Tsunami Cina.
      Sungguh sedih dengan kebodohan Presiden UMNO dari dulu sampai sekarang.
      Jika tiada sekolah vernakular maka orang Cina dan India akan berpindah balek. Dan ini sesuatu yang baik dari segi sekuriti malaysia dan keamanan.
      Mana pergi strategik thinking UMNO?
      Lepas itu membiarkan ugama Kristian berkembang di kalangan orang Cina dengan begitu bebas. Malah Najib memberi berastus ribu untuk membangunkan gereja dengan megah!
      Ini satu perbuatan syirik yang tak sepatutnya dilakukan pemimpin Melayu.


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  2. Lesson had to be learned , I believed !, if that what they want so be it . Nothing the government can do ,their game seem continue .

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  3. REF: "I beseech everyone to take a step back from the current hostilities, reign in our pride and prejudices, for the good of our society."

    One Kung-Fu Master's Intercultural Experience: Open Possibilities in the Great Ocean of Being
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=z9x9guTyqc0
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IwWOBk7QhUc

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  4. BC,

    Are you saying all these tensions are caused by non-malays sahaja?

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    Replies
    1. No, I am asking both sides to step back, and for the non-Malays to not try to push their luck trying to justify Maznah Mohd Yusof's case as is happening in a number of comments.

      Do not get involved in that one, as the Malays are already angry with Namewee, the New Village movie, the constant egging on by Lim the Father, Lim the Son and the Holy DAP Hordes aka the RBA.

      Step away from confrontational situations, ignore the incendiary statements, blog postings, facebook entries, etc. by agitators.

      And for heaven's sake, stop "mengungkit" of what is seen as past sins of transgression into sensitive territories and try not to take everything as racial insults and religious slurs.

      Ignore these agitators as I view them as shallow attention seekers and mentally disturbed individuals with nothing better to do with their lives.

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    2. You should read SIS comments on these or even Nuraina Samad who kept dogs.

      Some things are ingrained in the Malay minds but it is never too late to learn something new.

      Sometimes it is even better to just let things flow and see where it goes.

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  5. For those non-Malays who think that they are winning the battle of perception, continue battering the Malay Muslim psyche, and you will find a much stronger reaction than the defensive stance you have seen in the Sri Pristana case.

    Strange that you should say this because my perception is that the non-Malays are also being bashed and asked to swallow it. In the case of Sri Pristina - I don't think it was racial in the first place. Even Malays and Muslims I know were offended by the situation where students were asked to eat in a changing room. Who is making this racial now? In the case of Alvivi I believe these two deserve whatever punishment they get; and even Chinese and others were upset with them. Who made it racial seems to be pro-BN/UMNO bloggers who then blamed the Chinese "as a whole". What seems to be wrong here is when we blame a whole race for the actions of individuals. Let's stop doing that and let the Government show that it is fair to all citizens by taking action against any offenders without fear or favour - not just selected persecution.

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    Replies
    1. If you insist on seeing it that way, carry on.

      I have no time to entertain people who keep on justifying their escalation of that person did this, that person did that, etc.

      If you can't even see this as something in the line of back off, stop seeing things only from your perspectives, colored by your own prejudices and your own values, then so be it. I will not waste my time explaining anymore.

      Maybe some people just lack the ability to see anything positive in anyone else deemed as "the other party".

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    2. I agree with your stance that we should all back off. I was just letting you know that not only are the Malays feeling persecuted but so are the non-Malays. maybe the biggest culprits are the media - both the MSM and Alternative Media (including bloggers) which like to blow things out of proportion.

      If you can't empathise with my side of things how then can you expect the other side to empathise with you?

      By the same token aren't you also lacking in the ability to see anything positive in anyone else deemed as "the other party"

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  6. "Malays are already angry with Namawee, in The village movie, the constant egging by Lim the father, Lim the son, the holy DAP hordes aka RBA".

    Really ? Only the Malays are angry and entitled to be angry.

    How about the Malays also admittingthat the Non- Malays are angry with Zulkifli Nordin, Redzuan Tee, Ibrahim Ali, Perkasa and Pekida, the al-Islam journalist, the Mufti of Perak, Utusan Malaysia and many others. So how about acknowledging and admitting these guys are also making non-Malays angry.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, we can continue naming names, continue slagging each other off, continue insulting everyone else associated with the various races, continue bringing up all these insults all the way throughout the decades to justify further insults because of these past indiscretions and stupidities so that it give you every excuse to continue pandering to your pride and prejudices instead of trying to repair damages and nurture greater understanding between us all.

      I can do the same too, but I am not going to, so I will stop pandering to your inability to see things from my perspective and stop responding to your obvious effort to justify continued hostilities.

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  7. A lot of people still in the lala lang BB. They think thatcoz everything was there, it will still there until they die. So, it shock them if they realise that not everyone share their though. Lala land is safer for them right now and everyone elso who is currently not sharing their perception was considered pariah. Pride and Prejudice hmmmm

    ;D sarah

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    Replies
    1. Hmmmm, what exactly are you trying to say? Your ideas and language are so badly structured.

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  8. You said Malays are angry. That's the tone and slant you took. You never had the gall to also blame Malays for making Non-Malays angry too.

    So, stop pontificating and start admitting that your kind too are responsible for some of the worst kind of insensitivities and racial abuse. The only difference, it is tolerated and accepted by the government. When did the police ever take action ?

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  9. The best of humans are those whom others feel themselves to be safe from their speech and their actions, or their bad intentions. None shall enter into heaven who has a tiny seed of arrogance in his being. Make up for your wrongdoing by doing a good deed, and realize that no one is so perfect that he will be admitted into heaven by the strength of his own merits; call instead for the intercession of the blessed Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. through the salawat.Amin. Peace be with you all bros.and sis.

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  10. Good intention n good try BC.
    But as u can see, there are no takers from 'the other party'.

    Takkan kita je nak mengalah?

    The middle way is dead. The moderate way is dead. Let the game continues. Things wont change without a proper purgatory, it seems.

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