The stakes could be high if something goes awry in such a
delicate setup. Malaysians are supposed to celebrate their āunity in
diversityā hallmark and proudly parade it to the world but today, we
seem to be drifting further and further apart.
Something is just not right somewhere.
I
do wonder at times if Malaysians are now pushed to the wall and forced
to partake in the Middle East conflict, having to stand with
Hamas/Palestinians and praying/hoping/wishing that the Jewish race will
be wiped off from the face of the earth.
Let me reiterate my stand as an individual and a Malaysian on this Middle East conflict.
My position, from day one (right from the start of this latest war in early October last year), is this and it has not changed:
If Malaysia really wants to help, let us play the peacemaker role and assist in finding solutions. By taking sides, we become part of the problem.
I
find it absurd that Malaysia had also called for a ceasefire later in
the conflict and also intended to join the UN peacekeeping force.
The
prime minister has declared to the world that Malaysia supports Hamas.
Once that stand is taken, who will listen to your ceasefire call which
contradicts your earlier support for one side in the conflict? Malaysia
should have called for a ceasefire at the very beginning.
Iām
also not sure that sending our troops for peacekeeping duties at this
stage is a good idea, especially after Malaysia has earned the wrath of
powerful allies connected with the conflict.
Donāt be busybodies
Now,
allow me to stress some points, as a Sarawakian. I can say for a fact
that in general, Sarawakians are poles apart from Malayans on certain
issues, particularly those related to racial and religious extremism.
No, Sarawak does not want anything to do with wars and conflicts involving terrorists, violence and deaths abroad.
As
far as Iām concerned, the Middle East crisis has nothing to do with us
in Sarawak. If two tribes 8,000km away cannot get along and are bent on
killing each other with no intention to make peace for decades, we say
good luck to them.
Let us not be busybodies and poke our noses into the affairs of others.
Iām
not sorry for sounding a little selfish by highlighting the Gabungan
Parti Sarawak (GPS) governmentās slogan of āSarawak Firstā in this
context.
Why, GPS leaders must have good reasons to think of
āSarawak Firstā, moving forward. Itās our way of telling Malaya, āEnough
lah. We have been taken for a ride for too long. Time to help
ourselves.ā
I have not heard of even one Malay/Muslim leader in
Sarawak talking about the conflict as if it were a matter of life and
death for Sarawakians. Shall I say that we are more sober and focused on
this matter?
No Sarawakian leader commented on the case of the
American professor who was deemed to have offended Malaysia with his
pro-Israel statements in his lecture at Universiti Malaya.
I like
to think that we, Sarawakians, believe that our students in UM and
elsewhere are intelligent enough to decipher whatever views or opinions
are thrown at them. Allow them the space to think for themselves.
Itās a disturbing phenomenon if our political leaders think that our young people are that paloi (stupid) and that they must always be āguidedā by those in power and their bungled policies.
Ever wonder why our education system is in one hell of a mess today?
No to violence
I
can agree for Sarawak to send humanitarian aid to the innocent victims
of war in Gaza just as we had contributed to those affected by other
calamities in different parts of the world in the past. That is the
right thing to do but we should know where to draw the line.
I
will conclude by stating that Iām very disturbed by our prime ministerās
declaration on April 15 that āMalaysia backs Iranian drone attacks on
Israelā.
Anwar has described the attack by Iran as a ālegitimate actā to the ābarbarousā attack by Tel Aviv.
As a Malaysian, Iām worried for my country as it seems that my prime minister has now descended into a warmonger.
I
wish to declare that the prime minister does not speak for me, a
Malaysian citizen, on this support for the drone attacks. I abhor
violence in all its forms and intents.
Somehow, I believe that the
majority of Malaysians are sober and realistic in their views about the
conflict. Only a section of politicians had gone overboard because Gaza
is an extremely popular issue and they know how to cash in politically
on the subject.
Let me leave with these words of wisdom:
āFor
great men, religion is a way of making friends, small people make
religion a fighting tool.ā - APJ Abdul Kalam, former president of India.
