The ordinary harmony of a Malaysian neighbourhood

MALAYSIA is inherently a peaceful, multiracial country. Unfortunately, some politicians constantly use racial and religious cards to stir up sentiment solely to gain political mileage. Even an honest, careless mistake like hanging the Jalur Gemilang upside down is routinely weaponised into an intense racial issue.

In 1993, I had a brief professional stint at a hotel in Miri, Sarawak, and my family and I lived alongside the local community there, which mostly consisted of Iban, Bidayuh, and various other native ethnic groups. Throughout our stay in the state, I never felt the presence of the ugly, divisive politics that constantly fractures the social fabric of Peninsular Malaysia.