Malaysian Politics?? Sigh....

I heard on the radio that Obama won the elections and will be the first black US President. I don't really follow American politics but hearing about his victory made me happy. It represents a change in mindset regarding racial barriers. I watched Obama's victory speech online and I can sense such patriotism from the thousands who gathered there. If US can make history like this, voting regardless of race, why can't Malaysia do the same?

It saddens me that Malaysian politics is still very race centric. The problem with Malaysia is that we do not have good politicians. Malays politicians are too sensitive about protecting their Malays rights. Chinese politicians are too sensitive when they feel that their Chinese identity is threatened and try to make themselves feel better by insisting to put up road signs in their own language. And now there's a silly fight that those road signs will threaten the Malay language as the national language. Politicians get so worked up over little issues like this, but are they sensitive to the rakyat's real needs?

Honestly, if it weren't for Malaysia's sucky politics, I would think Malaysia would be a great place to stay. I love the fact that we are a country of many cultures. I enjoy going over for "rumah buka" during Hari Raya and Deepavali where all my friends of different races will gather to celebrate the joyous occasion. I enjoy learning about my friend's different cultures. I love eating Chinese, Malay, Indian food. We are spoilt for choice.

However, due to racial politics, we are always reminded by our politicians that Malays are the privilege ones and Chinese are the "squatters" in this country. Why can't Malaysian politics reach a more mature stage after half a century of independence? Why can't we put aside our differences and just accept that no matter our race, we are all Malaysians.

Even though I'm Chinese, I don't always agree with some the Chinese politicians. Neither do I agree with some of the Malay politicians. Both are too race extreme. I'm hoping that my generation, the younger more educated internet generation, will be able to see pass racial differences and see the real issues in this country. Though I do realize that even those of us who are educated still hold on furiously to their own race.

I went to a national school of Malays, Chinese and Indians and I've formed very close friendships with people of all races, which is something which I'm proud of. However, when I left school, I realized that not all people share this same opinion. When I entered college, majority of the students were Chinese educated and when they saw photos of me and my Indian friends, they were shocked that I my close friends are Indians and I remember one guy making fun of it. I feel sad for this kind of people because they are blinded by the love of their own race and are missing the chance to get to know all the different cultures we have here.

If I have children someday, I would want to send them to a multi-racial school. I would want them to be friends with all races. I would want them to judge a person by the person's real character and not by skin color. And I believe this is something which they need to learn from a young age. A 3 year old will see another kid of a different race as a potential playmate and wouldn't even notice the difference in skin color. In that sense, I wish we all could see through the eyes of a 3 year old. I'm hoping that when the younger generation eventually takes over Malaysian politics in the future, then maybe we could have an Obama victory here.