colours.

as most of my friends know, i can be quite vocal on my political stance. i'm not necessarily pro-whatever party but i think i just naturally tend to gravitate towards being more liberal. but then again, my dad is one of the most conservative-minded people i know (politics-wise, not much in any other aspect in life haha) so honestly i have no idea where i got my left-side tendencies.

time and time again, we keep hearing about "kalau tak suka malaysia, boleh keluar." up to the point, it's become somewhat a joke. and a fave of trolls everywhere on twitter. then after the 2013 election results unveiled itself, the catchphrase turned into "apa lagi cina mahu?"

honestly, this saddens me.

i feel like i have never disputed bumiputera rights in this country but let's not go overboard with it. if i see unfairness and injustice, i am not just going to turn and look the other way. i may not be the kind of person who will take to the streets to protest, but i fully support anyone's rights to hold a peaceful assembly (which is well within their rights of this country's laws).

the amount of racist words (hurled from all parties) post-election kind of depressed me. but most of all it made me angry.

sure, i was born malay. it was by pure luck; it's that simple. so when you treat my non-malay friends like they are 2nd class citizens just for being born as non-malays, it makes me very upset. these are the friends whose ancestors have come to malaysia to build a new life many, many years ago. malaysia is the only country they know. my grandparents migrated from indonesia many years ago; so how is that different? just because they had somewhat malay blood in them? if my chinese/indian friends are considered as pendatang, i stand with them and say, so am i.

look. there are bad chnese people as much as there are bad malays, indians, sabahans, and sarawakians. but i believe that for one rotten apple, there are also many great ones.

over the past few months, i have read posts that talk about how sad they are to see malays in disarray. how malays need to come together and unite. sure, but unite against what? don't confuse with being malays as being muslims. it's only exclusive to a country like malaysia.

i am always a muslim before i am a malay. and my religion teaches me of kindness, of love, of compassion. so if i see a malay that is full of hate and spews racist shit at every opportunity, i'm supposed to like them and vote for them just because they're malay? I REFUSE.

it's very disheartening to hear from friends who think i am not a supporter of my own race (although why it matters so much what race i am is beyond me - who is a pure malay anyway? we're all a mix of many things) just because i'm not an ultra-malay and don't agree to their concept of ketuanan melayu. well how would you feel if there was a concept like ketuanan cina or ketuanan india? i don't think malays would like it very much, would they? so pray tell, why should i support people who treat my friends as if they are unequal citizens of this country?

"biasalah, janji melayu."
"cina memang kaki penipu."
"india memang pemalas."

are these the kind of things we want to pass to out future generations? is this the kind of message i want to teach my future children? again, I REFUSE.

because i hear it all the time around me. i know as many of malay friends who make it a point to be punctual as much as i know chinese friends who are honest and kinf and indian friends who have worked hard and struggled to achieve the success and careers they have now.

malaysia is made up of many backgrounds, colours, and lifestyles. that is the beauty of our country. that is the heart of our nation. we're all malaysians. we're all in this together.

if you expect others to respect you and your choices, please give the same respect to others. maybe if you had more friends outside your own race, you wouldn't feel so threatened and sensitive all the time. if malays really feel threatened that their economy or identity is being taken away, then work harder. i don't think chinese people sit around plotting of ways to bring down malays. they're too busy working their asses off. and even if they were, then you gotta make sure you work harder than they do. compete on a level playing ground. how long do you want to be propped up with subsidies and benefits? change your own destiny. it might be hard, but it's not impossible.

i am thankful to my parents for giving me a great education, support and confidence. i want to raise my children as better human beings. nothing is impossible if they work hard for it. usaha, dia, tawakkal.

don't be afraid of what others think of you. be smart, be brave. struggle is a great teacher, you just need to be aware of its lessons.

before pointing our fingers at others, take a good look at ourselves in the mirror. look at our own weaknesses and own up to our own faults. work on being better every day. at work, at home, with family and friends.

don't be afraid of hard work. i want to raise my daughters to not be afraid to compete with my sons (and my sons to respect women). but most of all, i want my kids, irrespective if they are boys or girls, to always compete with themselves.

let's work on passing on a greater malaysia to our future generations.

call me naive. call me an optimist.

but i will always choose hope over fear.