This Ain't No Sandwich.

Comments coming in like rain about NEP, Malays and English grammar are being posted by people who have been worked up pretty good by the kinda sandwich I make when I'm feeling all worked up inside especially in the stomach department, which is different from the heart department. And you don't need no medical degree to know that. You know where your stomach is and you gotta know where your heart is simply because you don't want the sandwich to get into the wrong department which I bet can cause a pretty nice heartburn or something like that. For this you gotta have a medical degree to know for sure.

I don't know who those people are and I am certainly not going to find out who they really are since you and I know that we can be anybody we want on the net. I can be the Naked Chef and you can be Nigella. No, I don't know why they posted the messages about all those big topics they talk about knowing very well that mine is a blog dedicated to garlic, onion, pots and pans. No, I'm not angry but I'm not sure if it is a good idea to post messages like that because it can get the Malays pretty worked up inside especially in the head department which is connected to the heart department and it is also connected to the arms and legs department which is pretty close to the parang and keris department.

It is common, I reckon, to assume that Malays can't speak or write English as well as the non-Malays. You know this is a fallacy. Just because the Malays don't speak as much English as the non-Malays, people have the tendency to jump the gun that Malays are hopeless at English. Quite frankly, it's not a big deal to be able to speak or write in English since here in Malaysia one can pretty much get by without English. Or Malay. So I don't see this as an issue. But you know as well as I do that the non-Malays don't speak and write all that good English either. You don't see the Malays making this into a big issue. The big issue is 13 May 1969.

And we all know it was started by a group of non-Malays going around in the open truck with the brooms chanting 'Melayu balik kampong', 'Melayu bodoh'. You'd get any Malay worked up if you do this. And now you are saying the government is behind all this? And you write a book about it accusing the government that they were the one who incited this 13 May to happen? You won't have me fooled there, mate. Not in a million years. I got a guy who posted his comment in a blog I can't remember. He said something like the non-Malays are not afraid of another 13 May, in fact he wrote something like, bring it on. I take that seriously. And this is the very reason silat classes are opening up like mushroom all over the country, especially in Selangor. Do you really think all this is for exercise?

I'm not angry. But there's no reason to bring this up in the month when we should all be proud to live in a country like Malaysia where you can have your tea, or beer by the roadside all night long without being bombed or shot by gunfire. Once again, and you can obviously see that it's not the Malays who is fanning up issues that can get the Malays angry. Even in this harmless blog of mine the non-Malays are coming in with comments that can get even the non-Malays irritated.

Please, we don't need another 13 May 1960. I was 10 when it happened but in Dungun nothing happened because how could we burn the houses of Awang Chia, or Mek Marang, Mek Sung, Mek Poh or Lichung Gemok when they speak like us, laugh like us, and most importantly, they were loyal clients of Aunt's batik sarung. But it's different now. The non-Malays and the Malays are drifting further and further apart. We speak different now. We don't laugh at the same thing anymore. We don't support the same team anymore. I don't think it's a good idea to widen that gap. What we gotta do is figure out a way to trust each other once again, since 13 May changed all that we had. Looks like the scars never really healed.

And the silat classes are opening up because when the bullets start flying, it's the common people on the street who have to pay the price. Your mom, or daughter, or dad could be out there driving or having dinner when it happens. Don't let it happen, mate. It's not good. It ain't good for you and it ain't good for me. Instead of harboring mistrust, why don't we leave that on-hold and focus on making this relationship works for us. Once that done, then we can bring out the mistrust and figure what to do with it.

Maybe you have the impression that I am one of those ultra-Malay kinda guy. It's not wrong if I am. And neither it is wrong if you are ultra-Chinese or ultra-Indian or Ultraman. You have a right to be proud of your race, heritage and culture. But I know it's wrong to start making comments or making fun of other's cultures, or religion. And I know for sure that you can get the Malays worked up with you keep on saying 'Melayu bodoh' 'Melayu malas'. Say something like this to Chinese, Indian, Italian, American, Indonesian, Blacks, Hispanic, Kadazan, Iban and I'd bet you my right ear on it that everyone of them will get angry too. You would too. Unless you are pretty thick in the head, or made of stone.