PETALING JAYA: Chinese Malaysians are cautious over the fact that the dog is this Chinese New Year's zodiac animal, for fear of offending their Malay friends, for whom this could be taboo.
A Malay netizen defended his Chinese friend over an ang pow which carries the word "dog", saying that it should not be an issue at all.
He does not think his Chinese friend should apologise to him over the word "dog" printed on the ang pow.
Posting on Facebook, Masyerin Mohamad Nor said he does not see anything wrong with the ang pow cover which carries the word "dog",
He said: “To Malaysian friends, I received a beautiful ang pow from my good friend yesterday, telling me the ang pow is for my daughter. But when he handed me the ang pow, he kept apologising over the print on the ang pow.
“I was not sure what he was trying to say. The year printed on the ang pow, 2018, is correct. All words were spelt correctly. The ang pow looked perfect to me. But he said it was because the ang pow carried the word 'dog'."
Masyerin said he was shocked by his friend’s honesty, sensitivity and thoughtfulness.
However, he was more shocked to realise that after 60 years of independence, it was embarrassing to see there was bigotry in this multiracial country.
“Was this ever an issue? I don’t remember. So, please… stop the nonsense!!!” - Sin Chew Daily/Asia News Network
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