Malaysian First

I am Malaysian first. I am Malay, Chinese, Indian, etc second.

If I am Malay first, then I will mete out justice not based on universal principles but based on racism.

If I am Malay first, then I'll worship Allah not as a Muslim who recognises universal justice but as a Malay chauvinist.

Being Malaysian means striking an equitable balance between the special position of bumiputeras and legitimate interests of different groups. If being Malaysian comes second and being Malay comes first, this equitable balance would be unattainable, because priority is not given to the importance of being equitable.

The issue is not the special position of the Malays that are supposedly under threat. The special provisions for Malays and other bumiputera are enshrined in the constitution and, hence, cannot be challenged; not without dire consequences to the nation's well-being.

The issue remains the equitable distribution of wealth and opportunities. This requires transparent processes that allocate scarce resources and opportunities based on needs and merit.

If all politicians focused on assisting Malaysians who draw from the bottom 40% of household incomes, then the imperative of being equitable would be addressed simply because bumiputeras make up roughly 78% of these Malaysians (the rest are non-bumis) (see National Economic Advisory Council report, "New Economic Model for Malaysia (Part 1)".

So, everyone should stop churning racial sentiments and get back to work. This goes double for politicians who appear dead set on jeopardising interracial racial harmony and cohesiveness.

We elected you politicians to office not for you to aggrandise yourselves. You are there to serve the rakyat. So, serve!

-------------------------

Addendum: In the end, we cannot be other than who we are. I'm born a Muslim. My father is part Chinese, my mother is Chinese.

I was brought up as a Malay because Muslims in Malaysia have been mostly Malay.

When coming together as a nation, we need to overcome our differences for the common good. If this means putting aside my interest (not my identity) as a Malay or a Muslim for the common good, then I would be well justified.

I would not be less Malay or less Muslim if it is for the common good. In fact, it is because of my grounding in the universal teachings of Islam and my upbringing as a Malay that I can forge ahead for the common good with the confidence that what I'm doing is in line with the teachings of Islam and my values as a Malay.

When the Holy Prophet Muhammad forged the historic Hudaybiya Treaty, the Quraish negotiator haughtily told the Prophet to remove Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim from the preamble of the Hudaybiyah Treaty because the Quraish do not recognise those "two gods". The Prophet did so graciously.

Consider the fact that the Prophet has been commanded to spread the teaching that God(Allah) is Ar-Rahman (Most Gracious) Ar-Rahim (Most Merciful). For the sake of the common good, he removed Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim from the preamble of the Hudaybiyah Treaty.

It didn't make the Holy Prophet less of a Muslim.

Also, new converts to Islam in Makkah were forbidden to migrate to Medinah, whereas those who renounced Islam were allowed to return to Makkah. The Prophet agreed, despite the fact that those who converted to Islam would have suffered at the hands of the Quraish if they remained in Makkah.

And there were other seemingly unfair provisions (unfair to the Muslims) in the Hudaybiyah Treaty.

In the end, the Hudaybiyah Treaty lead to the peaceful capture of Makkah - peaceful because not a single drop of blood was spilled in the process.

My upbringing as a Malay also tells me that I need to respect my elders. Does it matter that they happen to be Chinese or Indians, or non-Muslims? What matters is that they are human beings. What matters is that they are fellow Malaysians.

My upbringing as a Malay also tells me that I need to concern myself with those who suffer from poverty and disease. Does it matter that they happen to be non-Malays and non-Muslims? What matters is that they are human beings and they are Malaysians.

Hence, I give equally to Muslim charities and non-Muslim charities, because my money would find its way to those in poverty and the downtrodden.

Somehow, with the increased racial tension, many appear to have lost focus on overcoming differences for the common good. The overcoming of differences for the common good has been the formula used by Malaysia's founding fathers. We depart from it at our peril.