I'm proud to be a Chinese-Malaysian, and nothing more!

Najib: I am proud to be Malay but I can still relate to others
By TEH ENG HOCK (e-mail: enghock@thestar.com.my)
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/3/nation/5990033&sec=nation

Well, for me, I'm a Chinese but I'm proud to be a Malaysian. I'm born a Chinese-Malaysian, and I'll die a Chinese-Malaysian; unless my country doesn't want me.

I can relate to others only if the country and its administrator treat me equally, without discrimination and disrespect in all fields of the society.

I accept with open-heart the plurality of our society - multi-racial and multi-religion, and vow to build a new Malaysia together with all the ethnicity.

I'll share my culture values and systems to any ethnicity without reservation as I believe in sharing and exchange for the betterment of our society, a new Malaysia culture or 1Malaysia culture will be deemed 'perfect'.

I want to help the needy groups regardless of their ethnicity, and I only see them as another human being, and not their colours or descendant.

I don't see them (other races) as a threat to me or my 'group', rather I see them as my fellow Malaysian who should be living or growing up equally, deserving mutual help from one another, and as Malaysian, we only responsible to Malaysia, nothing but Malaysia.

For those Malaysian who have strong sense of its origin, I respect wholeheartedly their eagerness to keep their 'belongings' without reservation as it's the right thing to do to preserve its root and identity. But, there should not be any favoritism, or causing anxiety, among all the other Malaysian at the expense of the ethnics as it had happened numerous times in the history since independence.

The time has now arrived that we have to make sure that favouritism meant to help the disadvantageous is not being abused by some unscrupulous quarters to advance masses of benefits at the country's wealth, resources, and our 'misfortunes'.

The arrival of 1Malaysia, and its derivative - the New Economic Model (NEM), is designed to overcome the shortfalls of the old system of New Economic Policy (NEP) started in 1970.

The 1Malaysia in its true sense should not harbour the doctrine of 'Master-Slave' or 'ketuanan something' as there shouldn't be anyone borne to be master of some Malaysian in the first place, but merely as an ordinary Malaysian who might one day rise to the top to lead.

But all these honours and respects must be earned through proper steps as they must show to me that they are just like me, has to work harder appropriately and not through the special privileges or handicaps accorded to them dating back to the early years of independence which is 53 years ago!

It's really funny that just when I was about to have forgotten my root and origin, and is in the midst of assimilating into the 1Malaysia, some of my fellow Malaysian could not wait to remind me of my origin and showing their non-acceptance of my status; why?