Don’t question or criticise the Malaysian Chinese cultural right to use chopsticks for meals

DESPITE being in his 90s, and having witnessed life during colonisation, Japanese Occupation, post-Merdeka and the modernisation of Malaysia, it is disappointing that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad has not moved away from his narrow and racist mindset – values which have no place in Malaysia’s multicultural society.

Despite the full awareness of Malaysia’s multiracial composition and having served as our nation’s premier twice, Dr Mahathir remains besotted with inciting differences in the rakyat’s ethnic culture, language, and lifestyle as his political capital. How ironic and contradictory from a disposition expected from Malaysia’s most senior political figure.

His remarks betray his preference that other ethnic groups must assimilate. This time, he cites “don’t eat with their hands” as a specific symbol of not having assimilated into Malaysian society.

Dr Mahathir needs to be reminded that he is mistaken here. Undermining national unity and instigating racial sentiments by stirring one against another (in this aspect, taking the examples of eating with hands versus eating with chopsticks) is un-Malaysian and unhealthy in forging inter-ethnic ties.

To enhance harmonious co-existence, mutual respect and goodwill among the different ethnic communities are our nation’s greatest assets. However, in the eyes of Dr Mahathir, it appears that racial sentiments are easily available for him to manipulate as a political bargaining chip. In fact, as early as pre- and post-14th General Election, he had intentionally or unintentionally stereotyped the Malaysian Chinese as a threat to the Malays who would displace the latter of their lands.

Whether the Malaysian Chinese eat with their hands, chopsticks, or forks and spoons or knives, our identity as Malaysians along with our citizenship cannot be changed or denied. This is our cultural identity and heritage which we are proud of.

Malaysia stands tall as there is no compulsion on ethnic minorities to relinquish our cultural identities. Our mutual appreciation and goodwill enable all ethnic groups to retain our identity. The respective cultural and traditional characteristics are resplendent of Malaysia’s long extolled values of unity in diversity.

We are very grateful that in his 22 years in power under Barisan Nasional, the coalition has been able to contain his ideas for a mono-identity. Irrespective of how powerful he was, he was not able to destroy our nation’s plural society. We are also very grateful that when Dr Mahathir was in power with Pakatan Harapan for 22 months, he resigned on his own, thereby enabling the continued preservation of Malaysia’s diversity.

Datuk Tan Teik Cheng

MCA vice president