migrains, and its nothing to do with econs

One of the DU blogs that Ive read since before I even met the author is Han Shengs blog

One of the posts made me realise how STUPID I am....

Or rather, almost all Cempakans, cause NO ONE HAS WRITTEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE (especially the comments...)

The only comment my simple mind could understand was this :

yo yo yo yo ...
hmm well written.. but..
DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE?

chill bro=)

and this

very patrioticcccc.
salutes*

and possibly even this

HI Han Sheng!!!! Oh my GOD, this is the first time im reading something a peer has written that has conviction and depth!!! Its not ranting, it came from the heart!! im not just writing this and agreeing because im your friend or outwardly patriotic!!! seriously!!! and i dont totally agree with the rukunegara, but i know i accept it as a msian... what i wanna say is, the most important thing in yur article is that we accept ourselves as malaysians, whether we r m, c, i or lain-lain..the country is us and we are the country... im not saying give up our racial pride or culture but im saying learn to love and accept other cultures as your own at the same time!I think we're very lucky to be here in msia and wherever u go (to the east or west), there will be racism anyway.. the most important thing is that We are not racists ourselves right????? and yes!! this is a democratic society so we should and we will make this a better place! Hats off to u dude!!! and yes, WE have to improve our country and let those who wish to leave, leave...Let's see whether u can live and be treated better outside!!!

and then, the migrain started

- said...

i read your article after a friend of mine recommended it. here's my take on it ,

for your question about when are we going to stop seing "them" as an outsider and start thinking of "them" as "us"?
well i ask you this,
when have "they" thought of you , and me as "us" ??
one scenario ,
pak jamil and koon seng are neighbours. best of friends too! they're both fishermen , go out to the sea together , come back together etc. one day they decide to buy a proper house instead of the shack they're living in. of they go to those low cost flats. pak jamil gets a 10% discount , whereas koon seng/raju/"lain'lain"
has to pay the full price.
han seng , the very existence of such a scenario shows that a "bangsa malaysia" , an "us" will never FULLY exist until such scenarios change. for me , i think that in towns atleast , we see each other all as friends. no difference ma , whether c, i , or m. however, eventually you do see reality , and in my opinion , this is our government's biggest flaw. in. this race based aid would be the one causing rifts as we do accept each other. and however patriotic i may feel, theres always this nagging fealing that my race does matter in these times. though i'm a freaking MALAYSIAN , no , thats not enough. what race are you first before you can get into mara , get that scholarship, get that discount , get that whatever.
but, oh how i love thee malaysia...

and continued

hashie said...

Er, - , hi. Nice name =D

You will notice i completely left out mention of racial quotas and other similiar "systems" in my post. I simply, er... didnt want to touch on it, knowing the amount of potential abuse/comments i would receive had i done it. I'm not THAT hard up for comments =D

Yes, you are right, the other "non-preferred" people will feel unhappy about not getting scholarships and discounts. Unless this feeling of being neglected can be alleviated, for sure this section of Malaysian society will feel oppressed, angry, and un-patriotic.

But, i think this is something we're going to have to live with, simply because when the Constitution was drawn up, everybody at the time agreed to such clauses in the system, provided everybody could get citizenship. In the past, that was all that mattered, you see.

Now, times have changed, and people are now more aware of the injustice that this racial-quota system brings about. You will notice i myself was a "victim" in the race for JPA scholarships. Yes, this is our biggest flaw. Yes, this is our biggest problem, because not only does it encourage "hate" within some, it encourages others to take things for granted.

I must admit, "just live with it" is not a very good solution. Maybe things can be changed by our generation. But this change can only be brought about if we care enough for the country. If everyone is going to leave this country because it's "unfair", who is going to be the catalyst for change? What good is complaining when no action is taken? Everyone's so confident that Malaysia is lame/sucky/terrible/horrible/etc etc, but aren't you confident enough to take part in our nation building process? To try and create a better nation?

Yes, this system is unfair, but is that any reason to be completely unpatriotic? I posted my post, just hoping i could open some eyes, hoping that we could see past certain "uncool" aspects of Malaysia (like the national anthem or the Rukunegara), as we all seem to have taken this country for granted. I admit our country isnt perfect - politicians come to mind - but it is good enough for me, and i appreciate and love Malaysia for that. There are other better places to live in - Singapore comes to mind - but i wouldn't feel at home there.

If Koon Seng and Raju are going to break off their friendship with Pak Jamil, and move to Australia just because they couldn't get that 10% discount... well, think about who loses out in the long run. Is Australia any better than Malaysia? If you think so, go right ahead. I'll be happy for you.

Basically, this is MY opinion. Feel free to disagree. But please, don't hate me for being a patriot. Just pity me for being stupid, if you like.

- , it *would* be nice to leave your name...




On another note, I feel that there is nothing wrong with singing patriotic songs. Why, i ask, is it such an embarrasment to you? And singing Kelly Clarkson or Coldplay isnt?

~hashie

and culminated in this :

belianer said...

On the contrary, my dear, I never mentioned that I hated my country; nor indeed did I say that it sucks, by implication or otherwise. Why the fervour to jump to that conclusion? Are you trying to prove something? If no, please have the patience and wisdom to understand the words carefully before jumping to make accusations or conclusions. Perhaps a second reading of my comments is required.

I mentioned that I believe HS's views on patriotism and misguided. And any person of more careful thinking can point out to you that staying in a country for years would not necessarily equate to your knowing the country well. If your reference to knowing the country constitutes knowing the Rukun Negara, singing Negaraku every week and reading our history textbooks... well, let me just say that that is not the knowledge I had in mind.

Indeed, being born in a country means that you are a citizen of it, undoubtedly. Yet is that really a reason to be unquestioningly loyal to it? Are you remotely aware how many Malaysians go overseas to give birth, all for the sake of their children acquiring citizenship through this concept? The fact that your citizenship is inherited, not acquired, would probably not be an argument to be proud of. Just as a child will 'inherit' its family's religion all because he/she were brought up with it, so goes the issue of nationality.

You believe that I have not done enough to show patriotism? Well, perhaps you are right. I have fulfilled the minimum requirements such as singing the Negaraku every Monday, but in terms of doing something specially patriotic for the country... then well, I can't say that I have. Does writing a patriotic blog entry on Merdeka count? Then perhaps if I insincerely wrote 1, I would be as patriotic as HS? But by the same logic, would that mean that writing 2 would make me MORE patriotic than my friend here?

A person who voices his patriotism does not necessarily make him patriotic. Neither is the people who agree with him. By the same token, that does not mean that those who are quiet on the issue are unpatriotic. Tell me, does having an article I wrote about Merdeka published in the papers make me patriotic? Perhaps you could list me some special examples of what you have done for Malaysia, that might qualify you pose that question to me? I could learn something from you.

All I enthuse here is moderation and rationality. I think HS is too jaundiced and misguided in some of his ideas; and if I have poured cold water on your patriotic fervours, then I beg your pardons. Doubtless you are seething as you read this as the battered Jalur Gemilang flutters indignantly on your car's windscreen. I apologize if the thought of me angers you as you sing the Negaraku every morning right after you get out of bed.

For you see, in my shallow opinion, a patriot could be a person who merely waxes lyrical about Merdeka, or one who demonstrates all outward appearances of patriotism; but the ideal MALAYSIAN is a well-informed, rationale, unbiased citizen who does his thinking with his mind, not his mouth. But of course, if you still desire there to be more patriots in this country than MALAYSIANS, well..then I guess have nothing to say, except that you seem to have already gotten your wish; and to tell HS that his wish to make Malaysia a better place would soon be necessity.


CW

OH MY FREAKING GOD