I was born in Sungai Petani, Kedah seven years before ‘Merdeka’, but I remember British headmasters, bank managers, plantation estate managers, and even some military officers being part and parcel of the Merdeka Generation of Malaya.
Nevertheless, entering Universiti Malaya (UM) on May 11, 1969 for our first year was a special event. None of us knew about what was to come two days later, but which we only heard about another week later. But, those of us in Malick Natarajan’s Daihatsu sports even saw the DAP youth parade of protest about not being able to form the state government.
Some of the language used could be construed as very hurting, depending on the reader and the target audience. I was politically too naïve to fully comprehend the nuances of the real politics of those days.
I still cannot believe that we saw during that parade in Jalan Ipoh just next to Kampung Baru, near the KL General Hospital. On May 13, 1969 that is exactly where the sparking of the ethnic clashes erupted and then broke out. Please read Kua Kia Soong’s excellent record of one version of the narrative.
My version of Bangsa Malaysia
My dad, who turns 97 this April, first stood at the 1955 general election, the very last time we had local government elections. He stood as an independent against the Umno candidate for one of the local councillor seats in Sungai Petani and won.
Therefore, we were cultured to be proud nationalistic Malayans and Malaysians from then until today. In fact for the record, I have two forms of citizenship records; one by birth in Malaya before independence, and the other by registration of my father’s citizenship.
Consequently also, my father later joined the MIC and is considered one of the four original founders of the MIC in Kedah. But, as a son who grew up hearing all ‘the political noise in the background’, I grew up living in a multi-ethnic setting of the First Residential College and especially after education in Universiti Malaya, and having come to the conclusion that there is no room for ethnic politics in Malaysia.
Especially after post-May 13 ethnic animosity, and the carnage we heard about on the outside, and for which we donated blood, I left the UM having discussed and thought-through much about the root causes of real poverty in Malaysia. I majored in Public Administration at UM’s Economics and Administration Faculty, and then joined the Public Services in September 1972.
My conscious sense of nationalism was fully framed and nurtured in the then multi-ethnic and military-disciplined environment of the Federation Military College or FMC from 1965, which became the Royal Military College at our Sovereign’s Parade and our graduation of some of our classmates in 1966.
Therefore, in 1998, when a UTM professor visited Mimos Berhad and challenged me with a searching question, I desperately searched my inner recesses for my definition of nationalism; but, one which was inclusive rather than exclusive, I blurted this reply:
“Sir, I was trained in the RMC to salute the flag, and that flag does not have any faces, of the either-or framing of your question! In fact, it has no faces; either that of the Agong or even the PM, therefore I will continue to salute the flag and all that it stands for; with no faces included.”
My children are Malaysians; never Indians
Every one of my kids is currently eligible to become both Malaysians and/or Americans because of their American mother and my wife’s citizenship. But, they are definitely not ‘Indians’; but, what do I mean?
Each of them has a birth certificate which states their ethnicity, in which it is recorded that they are Malayalee. I refused the loosely used concept of ‘race’ as a form of ethnicity. Under the category of this question about parental ethnic origin, which is defined in Malaysia especially in our birth certificate, the law defines it as a father’s heritage and ethnicity.
Mine states Indian but that is categorically wrong, as that is not even an ethnicity, even if it is simply a nationality of one country in the sub-continent. The only Indians I know of are American Indians; which my children might even quality for; if we are ignorant about modern genetic science (pun intended).
Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia
Two of my very good friends, Haris Ibrahim and Jayanath Appadurai, both Merdeka Generation people, plus their friends, have started a voluntary but meaningful group called Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia or SABM. I joined them because it declares who I am and want to be identified as – a first generation Malaysian. After all, do we not each already have five onion layers in our personal identity?
Therefore, it is a reality that we feel more Malaysian when we are overseas because ‘suddenly we realise that only by speaking in Malaysian (or Malay) can we distinguish ourselves as unique Malaysians.’
For that matter, let us be absolutely clear, every one of even our royalty travels the world using the Malaysian passport and abide by global rules of the inter-national code of ethics and rules of human rights. They, too, are not above such global rules of conduct.
Then, each of us also has a religious identity, which began from our parents’ worldviews and beliefs, but which we inherit at birth. We also inherit a cultural heritage from our ethnicity, whether Malayalee, Tamilian, Telugu, or Bengali, etc, etc.
So also, with so-called Malays, they have an ethnic heritage which they can try to forget but when they do, they become more confused whether they are Arabs or whether the pre-Arabic pre-Islamic word for God Almighty is called ‘Allah’. This Arabic word has today also been declared a Malay word. Really?
Next, each of us is either an extrovert or an introvert by personality-type. You can study such personality typologies of various kinds and it can help each of us understand our true identity even better. Understanding our personalities defines our own limitations, too.
Finally, each of us is a human being and part and parcel of the human race; the only real race in the world. Because of this humanity, we do each of us have a sense of consciousness of who we are and what shape, form, or the particular formulation our personal identity; what it is and can be when fully realised and expressed.
Therefore, all those of us who still live in Malaysia, and those who still hold Malaysian passports but want to still remain Malaysians, regardless of where in the world we live, love, play, and make our living; we can learn to live a life of goodness and gratefulness to God Almighty for his care for us.
And we can learn to be grateful for all that He has provided for us, and for our families and the many curses we have successfully avoided together. We are part and parcel of Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia or SABM; and we will welcome each of you who choose to join us at SABM. May God continue to bless Malaysia richly.
