— Dr Kamal Amzan
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 01, 2011
JUNE 1 — The country of nasi lemak, rendang, pasembor, rojak and yong tau hu.
A nation of colourful festivals and public holidays that dot the yearly planner, turning any calendar into a polka-dot collage.
It is where you find everyone is related. We are somebody’s “uncles”, “aunties”, “pak ciks” and “mak ciks”, akin to a super big family celebrating our differences in fashionably colourful ways.
A country blessed with pristine, tranquil mountaintops, sandy white beaches and whatever remains of our rich rainforest heritage everywhere.
A place where the east converges before greeting the west.
This is my country. My home, my heaven and my paradise.
I was offered many jobs with mind-boggling salaries and better working conditions overseas. To the cynics: I turned them down, not because I was stupid or short-sighted.
I turned them down because this country means more than just money to me. Its magic and splendour cannot be translated in terms of ringgit and sen. It is indescribable in words, and lost in translation should I even try.
That is the very same reason why I want my children and my grandchildren to live and grow up here. I remain to allow them to experience life and see all the cultures as I saw it, through their eyes and grow up into a being of tolerance and moderation.
Where else can they experience Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Christmas, Thaipusam and Hari Gawai under one roof and receive colourful green and red packets for luck?
My future children and grandchildren aside, I remain here on a quest to make my home, a home to my fellow countrymen who have been disillusioned by the politicians that pollute this beautiful country with racial ideologies for an inch of political mileage.
I want my countrymen to be my brothers and sisters, living in an environment that promotes respect, tolerance, and celebration of each other’s differences, and not one that antagonises, suspects and oppresses one another. This should be the country where we stand equally tall, speak equally loud and strive equally hard to realise each and every one of our dreams.
I remain to ensure that this fight continues, and that this beautiful country remains in the hands of Malaysians, and not those of the pirates who misinterpret our Constitution to justify their greed, which if left unchecked, will threaten to rip the very colourful fabric that makes Malaysia Malaysia.
I remain in this country for all that, and then so much more.
I grew up reciting the Rukunegara every morning. It was a pledge I made, and it is a pledge I plan to keep.
As long as I live, a Malaysian I will remain. So help me God.
#1 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Thursday, 2 June 2011 - 1:28 am
Dr Kamal,
I sure find what you wrote interesting save for 1 point.
When good men like you remain silent (as I read yr piece) on the socio-political devastation inficted by the likes of Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa fame under the patronage of some Dr on the house (good grief!), then evil and social ruin will flourish. Now that is good reason for excellent men to leave this shore, say what u like
No man of the 21st century can embrace so racially skewed and mindlessly ethno-centric views as Perkasa.
Speak, good Dr Kamal, speak whilst the sun still shines on the land before gloom and darkness sweeps over and engulf its brilliance and pristine beauty.
#2 by cemerlang on Thursday, 2 June 2011 - 6:39 am
Most Malaysians believe there is God or Allah. Since this is the very first national principle or rukun negara, then God is central to our lives. Not humans. If the king turns up today, I will shake his hands as a form of courtesy and respect. He is second in line in the rukun negara which means that God is the higher authority above him. Constitution exists so that the country will not be thrown into havoc. Since it is the third and under a human being, it can be transformed according to the present needs. That is why God created many human beings with computers aka the ability to think, solve and others. In another word, the king should think for the country. It does not say that he is assisted by politicians. It just says that we have to be loyal to him. He is accountable for the constitution and for the people, not the politicians though it is politics that determine the constitution. The constitution will determine the laws of the country which means it takes the laws to defend or oppose it. The constitution and the law stand side by side. In our everyday lives when interacting with people especially the ones we do not know, courtesy is important because it shows who we are. And if you want to change the constitution, you have to be polite before the king. The king will only think and regard you seriously when you are polite. Everyone loves a polite person. Morality is there because the temptation to sin is ever so great and we are constantly reminded not to indulge in morality sin. See what happen when there is immorality ? Our rukun negara seems to be able to prophecise that one day, some politicians will fail in the area of morality. Or some people.
#3 by waterfrontcoolie on Thursday, 2 June 2011 - 7:21 am
Do all rational Malaysians ever wonder why such scenario only began to appear over the past 30 years or so? It is when rational people like this Dr. Kamal had remain for silence for too long. We all know when rational Malays wanted to say their piece, they would be branded as anti-community by UMNO; as most Malays are deemed to have somehow gained from the lop-sided policy.; though in truth only a small minority actually did. It would take a while to realize the truth. Unless more rational Malays speak out, it would be easy for the like of Ibrahim Ali to vomit half truths as a mean to earn his keep at the expense of the whole nation. Though he had squandered millions given to him based on the current policy, he was never asked to explain his inability to become competitive and competent in business. It is hoped that many like Dr. Kamal will speak out before this pristine nation is condemned forever!