Malaysiakini : Some folks may have missed this but Malaysia recently experienced the passing of one of our great sportspeople - M Dattaya. He was a gold-winning hammer thrower and a silver-medal discus thrower at several international meets.

A gentle giant who left an impression on his fellow athletes and whose passing reminds us of the complex bonds non-Malays have for their beloved country. He was also a freelance journalist in the 1980s for a couple of national publications.

Even in his day, the spectre of racism brought him to rage but he soldiered on.

Pervasive racism in sports

As reported in the press by the great former sports journalist George Das in 1973, Dattaya’s career suffered a blow - “… the late sprinter Sabapathy told him the then Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union president Ghazali Shafie was not happy that the team was made up of all Indians, calling them the Madras team.”

Dattaya was so furious that he brought down the door to his room in Maba House. His brutal punch knocked the door down, said Das.

Sabapathy wrote in an article - “All of us were angry, totally dejected and offended by the racial labelling. We felt let down and rejected by our own country.”

Depending on what you believe, things are supposed to be different now, or are they? What are we talking about when we talk about diversity? Is diversity really celebrated here in Malaysia or is it really just propaganda meant to justify political and social paradigms?

Just last year, football coach B Sathianathan highlighted pervasive racism in sports after the whole conversion to Islam fiasco that was highlighted in the press.

He said: “Since 10 to 15 years ago, I have been getting complaints from parents, usually ethnic Indians or Chinese, saying their children are being sidelined from joining football teams.

“Most of them would say that teachers only picked Malay students to join the team, even though their own children have talent and potential.

“Such issues did not occur during my childhood. This can be seen in the national hockey team of the past, which was led by various races. There was even more non-Malay participation.”

Was it all just a mirage?

Keep in mind what Yeoh said when she was castigating the admittedly racial and religiously provocative statements of former Malaysian badminton player Bong Guang Yik (for which he has apologised).

“I believe that religion has never disturbed the performance of athletes and sports. This has never been a problem in Malaysia.

“I repeat my position - sports must be free of racism and politics. All national athletes are a source of inspiration for the country and are advised to be careful with their social media content.”

So I ask you, is diversity of any kind a foundational value in this country or is this all merely propaganda?

Now, of course, this may not always have been the case, as many old timers like myself like to point to, but are our experiences reflective of the reality of how things are or were? Was all this diversity just a mirage?

So in a way, this Malaya outfit reflects what Malaysia truly is.