The speakers present were YB Lim Kit Siang (Ipoh Timor MP), YAB Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin (Bukit Gantang MP), Khalid Samad (Shah Alam MP), YM Tunku Abdul Aziz (DAP Vice Chairman and former Transparency International Chairman), K. Ragunath (Bar Council Chairman), Dr Azmi Sharom (Faculty Law Lecturer from UM), N.H. Chan (retired Judge), Tricia Yeoh (Researcher for MB Selangor) and lastly Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to grace the function with an opening speech.
Most of the speakers said that it was great to see people from different races gathering in the hall. Have Malaysians really dumped the idea of racial difference and adopted the identity of Bangsa Malaysia?
It is certainly a meaningful topic to discuss about. What has been the barrier to the progress of our beloved Malaysia? The only and one answer to it is no other than Racial based politics and policies.
The political tsunami in March 2008 has certainly depicted the willingness of the people in Peninsular Malaysia to move forward, each and every envisaging a new dawn. However, it is sad to see that some politicians are still playing the racial cards, trying to divide us (in particular the people from Sabah and Sarawak).
Though I am a hardcore supporter of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), but I have to say that none of the political parties in Malaysia have actually achieved the multiracial platform. Not even Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) where it was claimed by the former secretary to Tun Abdul Razak, "I see PKR as the closest component party of Pakatan Raykat in achieving it". Why do I say so?
Let's recall the recent two by-election in Bukit Selambau, Kedah and Bukit Gantang, Perak. Both the seats were contested on a PKR ticket. Try to think meticulously, if Bangsa Malaysia factor was really instilled, they would not have chosen the candidates based on the racial majority. Even though it is learnt that there were increase in votes from the Chinese and Indian communities. If we are really Bangsa Malaysia, we will not be talking about which community voted for which candidate.
It would only be a Bangsa Malaysia voting for a candidate of Bangsa Malaysia!
I came across a few notions regarding the grievances on the recent scholarship matter which is indirectly correlated with racial issue. An alumni of Chung Ling High School Penang appeared to have emailed a letter to National DAP Advisor cum Ipoh Timor MP, YB Lim Kit Siang about the matter mentioned above. In his letter, he touched on the sensitive racial issue, viz:
"Well, I can see this happens every year. Every year, to the same victims (Chinese Top Students), at the same time(after SPM results released), the same thing happen continuously in our country. Every year, I see the problems occur non-stop, it seems like unsolved cases even though those ministers, parties promised it could be solved. I have lost my confidence over their creditability, how can you give scholarship to someone, who his/her result is poorer than the others, just because of the skin colour."
Through the Rage by the Star, I found out this question: What will it take for you as the youth to think 'Malaysian' first and Chinese/Malay/Indian next? by Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, CEO of Air Asia.
A Malaysian citizen from Petaling Jaya named Meng Yean responded "Start with getting rid of the RACE column which appears in nearly every form across the country. If you do so, we’ll probably adapt to Bangsa Malaysia, rather than the Melayu/Cina/India/Lain-lain mentality."
The May 13 tradegy has taught us valuable lessons. Have we not learnt from it? It is time for everyone to pack up the mindset of being diverged into racial components and bury it.
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