I have lived in Malaysia for 20 years. For some, 20 years may be a long time, but for others, it may not.
For me, all I know is that throughout the whole 20 years, I have loved Malaysia, and there are still many discoveries about my country that I’ve yet to discover, and many things about it that never fail to intrigue me and remind me all the time why I’m in love with it.
However, it saddens me that despite our racial harmony and apparent tolerance for each other despite our differences, there are still many things that our country chooses to hide and avoid, for fear of inciting ‘racial hatred’ or ‘unnecessary problems’.
The recent hoo-ha about the Bar Council’s forum on conversion of Islam is one of the issues that make me sad, as I don’t think that we, as a country and nation, have succeeded in handling it the way we ought to have.
Freedom of speech has always been one of those things that has been somewhat lacking in our country.
Yes, we have a lot of freedom and many things to be proud of, but why is it that we have to carefully tread around the edges of supposedly sensitive issues, in order to avoid conflict among races and people of different religions?
Are we not civilised and mature enough to discuss important issues, as sensitive as they may be, in a polite, intelligent and careful manner?
When will we realise that sometimes, it isn’t only about us and our own separate beliefs, agendas and skin colour, and realise that everyone deserves their basic human right: to be heard.
I believe that some problems, such as the matter the Bar Council was covering, need to be solved not only because it’s a pressing and very real issue in many people’s lives but also because it deserves the right to be addressed and solved together as a community, a country and a nation.
The whole fiasco that came along with the Bar Council issue has raised many eyebrows and have made me realise how far we are from being the country I believe we could be.
Compromise is what we need, I believe, to make a change - to make a change in our country, in our multi-racial community and even as individuals.
The day we learn to compromise with each other, despite our differences, and learn to listen to the voices of everyone who want to be heard, that’s the day we are that much closer to being a country we Malaysians not only love, but also will be proud of.
No. 48, Jalan Kemuja, Bangsar Utama 59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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