Medic Gone Mad

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Of Races and The Country


Equality is not merely an equality..there must be a balance...
My second post would be related to the different races present in Malaysia.I was born as a Malayalee (muslim Malayalees are called Malabaris),a race unique to the west coast of India,known as the Malabar coast in a state called Kerala.
My grandfathers,both from my mom and dad's sides were from there.They came as traders and married local Malabaris whose parents came to Malaya in the same way.
Being a minority in Malaysia, i have been observant of the characters of the many races in Malaysia,mainly the Chinese,Indians and the Malays.
It is really a wonder how three major races could live in one country,without major fights (though some of them occured in the past and will occur if no preventive measures are taken )
I have been contemplating and reading quite extensively since i was a kid and noted some of the changes that these races have been through.I would say the British were very sly in bringing the other races to the
land, unequivocally owned by the Malays as the original settlers of the archipelagos.But who are the Malays really? Are they a mix of chinese and indians since the malay archipelagos became the melting-pot for the chinese
and indian traders alike,and not forgetting the arabs who came later during the halcyon days of Islamic Civilisation, to spread Islam.
I've read of the chinese civilisation, of the Indus civilisation,the greeks, the egyptians,the Mayans, the Incas and many more, but i have never encountered any written accounts of civilisation pertaining to the Malays.Could it be a combination of all the civilisations that created a race called the Malay.
Even the origin of the word Malay has been disputed from a number of sources.There are a few that i know of.According to the Indonesian scholars, the Malays are those people who escaped the tyranny of the Srivijaya empire, fled to the now Tanah Melayu.The word 'Malayu' in one of the many dialects spoken in Indonesia means 'to run away'.From another source, the 'Malays'came from the word 'malaise' as the British used to called when the country was under their colony.
The word 'malaise'means to be lethargic,listless and hopeless due to being sick etc.Which source is true and which one has been concocted will remain a mystery.It is up to my fellow Malay colleagues or any Malays out there to find out for themselves.
Maybe the time has come for the Malays to look back and discover what treasures they might have left behind.Undeniably, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British were very keen on wiping out any evidences of the Malay civilisation, if there were any.
When compared to the days, 30 to 40 years back,the times when Tanah Melayu was still a British colony, there were hardly any Malays in the professional fields.This includes professions such as lawyers.doctors,district officers,gov officers etc.All the businesses were
at the hands of the Chinese while most of the doctors and lawyers were Indians.I wonder why was the reason.Why the Malays were not in these fields?.They remained
in the village growing paddy etc.Realising that the gap is getting wider, politicians were on the run to find the solutions.Tun Razak came with the idea of setting up FELDA.
FELDA helped the Malays in an awful lot of ways.Settlers were given free lands.Subsidies were given and many more incentives were delivered.Mahathir set up the New Economic Policy which
purpotedly planned to favour the Malays.Mara Junior Science Colleges were instituted, serving as a springboard for the Malays to achieve greater success.
This issue of the gap between the races,in terms of socio-economic status is very crucial in maintaining the stability of the nation.And it is also a very sensitive issue to be discussed upon!!
However sensitive an issue might be, sooner or later we all have to face the facts.The suggestion by the Menteri Besar of Selangor, to open up UITM to other races, was something i deem as foolish.
Yes, being an egalitarian politician is not wrong but in the case of Malaysia, this will not do and will only bring disaster of unimaginable scale to the Malays.
Imagine, if this is the kind of mentality one has if he were to become the Prime Minister;what would happen?.It is true for the Chinese and the Indians to say that it is
unfair for the privileges to be in the hands of the Malays when it comes to; from buying a house,getting a loan to getting scholarships for further studies.
But bear in mind,the Malays have been kind enough to allow other races to dwell in this country, which was originally theirs.Thus, we should all be thankful.
I dont see concrete reasons for the Chinese or the Indians to complain.They have enjoyed wealth and the Chinese socio-economic status is far higher than any other races.
The economy, in addition is not controlled by the Malays but the Chinese and the Indians.Just look at the top 10 richest man in Malaysia.Well,having said so why there are quarters of the aforementioned races demanding more and more.We should help each other and not demand more than what is deemed enough.It is about tolerance.
It is about 'give and take'.They give us things,we give them things that they cant afford to achieve.There should be a balance.Irrefutably,some races might be good in certain fields,
but why can't we help each other.Let us think and act accordingly.
Think wisely.!!


Many thanks to the respective politicians for enlightening the public of what sodomy,sex vcds,and 'to strip naked' mean.Even primary schoolchildren are learning them very fast and making jokes among themselves.I guess we need no more sex education, as has been suggested to be taught in schools, as we have had enough of them!! :)

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Breaking The ICe


First of all,this blog being my first official one, i would like to remind you readers there, that my blog here would contain some remarks,critics and even insults if needed towards certain parties.Readers discretion is strongly advised (hell dont expect me to put a rating on each and every post,be it PG-13 or whatever)
Issues addressed in my blog would be related to the realm of medicine(the harrowing experience of being a medical student), of politics, of races and of religious issues.Personal matters would be chipped in occasionally,so that you guys would be able to yawn while reading them(pity me since this is the only avenue for me to express my feelings..and medic students would benefit from reading my blog since this would be the only way they are able to fall asleep and get some rest)
Still in Malaysia at the moment,on summer holidays, i have been inundated with the news of the political turmoil that our country is facing right now.Every now and then, confusion sets in.New allegations surface,malicious remarks are made,politicians are threatened and the whole domain of politics has gone topsy-turvy.Let me remind you my readers, i am neither supporting any parties nor am i against any of them.My views are purely independent from any influence whatsoever.I am expressing them out of what i feel is appropriate.My views might never be accepted by some of you, and i am more than willing to accept any comments and is happy if some of you wuld be able to correct my mistakes.
I guess, enough for me to write till this much for my first post,just as an introductory in nature i guess.So, for you readers out there, prepare for some shocking remarks and comments in the subsequent posts.Till my next post.Sayonara