Will the real Malaysia please stand up?

WE all love praise and compliments, don’t we? Well, of late, I have been basking in my country’s reflected glory from the glowing accolades by foreign travel YouTubers.

Granted, some of these vloggers may not be entirely sincere because their experiences and encounters in Malaysia are superficial and they are merely waxing lyrical to get the numbers for their channels. But there are those who spent months traversing the country and genuinely wanted to understand and appreciate our Malaysian hospitality, culture and cuisine.

So when I see them going gaga over our religious and cultural diversity, I do sometimes find myself getting emotional even though what bowls them over is nothing new to us citizens.

I think that’s because I am like a needy person in desperate need of validation for my beloved nation – that it is doing fine and is living up its famous slogan, “Malaysia truly Asia”, and therefore, a vibrant, living testimony of multiracialism at its best.

It may be a tad ironic that I find comfort in the positive way outsiders view us. But that’s due to the increasingly toxic and frequent attempts by “insiders” – our fellow citizens aka politicians and extremists – who seem to take great malicious joy in dividing us by playing the usual race and religion cards to create doubt and suspicion between communities.

More convincing are the vloggers who actually uprooted themselves to live in Malaysia. That is a huge decision that really impacts a person’s life – and family if they are married – and these vloggers, who usually come from developed countries, take the trouble to explain why they chose Malaysia; their reasons are usually the same.

They love the people, whom they find kind, friendly and helpful; our food (obviously); that English is widely used and spoken; the high quality accommodations they can rent or buy; our modern transport infrastructure, especially in Kuala Lumpur; healthcare facilities; safety and security (in particular, no gun culture); the great beaches and nature; the more laid-back lifestyle and that everything is extremely affordable.

To them, it is also amazing how we seem to be a truly melting pot where different races can live together peacefully and harmoniously.

Indeed, we have lots to be thankful for. And I do recognise that the good stuff we have and these visitors laud didn’t happen by chance.

We were generally a well-governed country for the most part, for many decades, by leaders with integrity and vision until greed, corruption and moral decay crept in.

When the unity, trust and respect among our political leaders started unravelling, we got sidetracked down the road to racial segregation and polarisation. This has been our sad state for quite a while now.

The incredible thing is that despite this, we have endured as a nation. We have been incredibly lucky, but our luck will run out if we continue down this dangerous path of toxic and divisive politics.

But even without leadership by example, ordinary Malaysians are generally nice to each other, regardless of race.

I had a wonderful encounter in Ikea a few months back. I was in the food section where two types of chocolate candies were on sale. I wasn’t sure if they were any good and wondered aloud to my daughter whether I should buy them for my mum.

A woman with her family nearby heard me and she had bought both types. Without hesitation, she opened her packets and handed me a sample of each type of the candy. It was so unexpectedly kind and thoughtful. I thanked her profusely and she replied she hoped my mum would enjoy them. Oh, did I mention she was Malay?

I have long realised that it is up to us to make the effort to humanise each other. By that, I mean to see a stranger as a person, not just some nameless serving staff, for example. To do that, we must make the effort to make eye contact and start a conversation even if it’s on a mundane topic.

It has worked almost every time, whether it’s the cashier at the supermarket, the nurse at the clinic or the cleaner at my condominium. And regardless of race, they see me too, smile back and often give me better service.

My favourite bank is Bank Islam in Kelana Jaya after two very positive experiences there. The first was trying to get RM5 and RM10 notes for Chinese New Year ang pow. All the other banks in the area had run out of the notes. As a last ditch attempt, I walked into Bank Islam and was greeted warmly by the counter staff member who issued me all the RM5 and RM10 notes I wanted.

More recently, I needed small notes for my garage sale and again, it was the same bank and the very pleasant employee who came through for me.

At the end of the day, we all just want to live our lives peaceably without nastiness or conflict. Our nation and society is actually built on a pretty strong foundation of mutual respect and understanding.

That’s why our older cities like George Town and Melaka have their “Harmony Street” where houses of worship of different religions were built side-by-side centuries ago and are allowed to remain without offending anyone.Sadly, that kind of religious accommodation and acceptance seems to have dried up. Can we ever see that kind of gracious goodwill again?

I say yes we can but only with the right leadership.

Eleven years ago in this column, I said I fully accepted a Malay-led rule for our nation. That still holds true as it is a given. But it must be by leaders who respect the Constitution and abide by its provisions and not see it as a document foisted on them by the colonial government that can be tinkered with as they like.

This same document guarantees Islam’s position as the official religion, which non-Muslim citizens have no issue with. All they are asking for, as it is also enshrined in the Constitution, is the right to practise their faiths without discrimination, harassment or fear.

As Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim rightly said on Malaysia Day, Malaysians must reject religious extremism and hatred in all forms.

To this end, we need leaders who will not stay silent but are courageous enough to shut down those who preach hate and suspicion and punish these hate-mongers appropriately regardless of who they are.

These people are really the enemies of the state who cannot be allowed to destroy all the things that make this country so wonderful for us and in the eyes of foreigners.

Let’s make good that 1985 tourism song that the late great Sudirman sang with so much conviction:

“To know Malaysia, is to love Malaysia

People smiling everywhere, showing you how much they care

To know Malaysia, is to love Malaysia, it’s true

This land, so beautiful, it will steal your heart away

This land is paradise and it’s only, only a smile away.”

Happy belated 61st birthday, Malaysia!

The views expressed here are the writer’s own.