Ali and Ah Chong : The race conundrum

Everyone hates racism. But mostly, I believe, people are angry at racism towards themselves or their own race while belittling other race may be something common within one's own race.

 In this day and age, where last 50 years ago, no one would have ever imagined an African American (non racist term used) to be the President of America, anti-racism is a message that many feel compelled to drive home. Football clubs that have racist supporters are fined, racist organisations are slammed, people who puts up racist messages in social media are often degraded and hunted down, quite viciously nowadays too.

I agree with the notion that everyone of us should not differentiate another human being purely based on their race. After all, race is a social construct. There is no exact physical trait that defines a person is of what race. If given two babies, it is impossible to know exactly the baby is of which race unless more information of the parents are known.

On a smaller scale, in Malaysia, we face our own racist issues that crops up every now and then. I want to give an easier example that we can relate.

Lets take two stereotypical Malaysians, Ali and Ah Chong.


Ali is a Malay. His father is an UMNO member and his mother is a religiously devoted housewife. When he was growing up, his father told him that if he does not work hard to help the Malays, the Chinese will take over the businesses and Malays will not have a good future. His mother told him that never to trust person of another religious belief because the other religions are attacking Muslims and are trying hard to sway the believers to the evil side. When he went to school, though people of all races go to the same classes, Ali only hang outs with Malay students. Its not that he does not want to chill out with the Chinese or Indian boys, but he feels its easier because they speak the Malay language and think along the same line. When Ali graduates from a University with a scholarship that he had received from the Government from the Bumiputera quota, he went to work in a GLC which provides him colleagues of similar background and ethnicity. In their everyday discussions and conversations, they exchange examples of how the Chinese and the Indians are racist towards the Malays. He was told of that certain Chinese companies are hiring Mandarin speakers only, of Penang where Chinese are moving into aggressively, trying to push out the Malays. He listened to stories on how Chinese businessman provides a difficult entry to Malay businessmans and that Chinese gave special prices to other Chinese businessman but not to the Malays.


 Ah Chong is a Chinese (no prizes here). His father is a DAP member and his mother is a devout Christian. When he was growing up, his father told him of the unfair practises that the Government had handed to the Chinese by not giving them scholarships fairly, no discounts when buying houses and the difficult possibility of working for the Government. Ah Chong witnessed how his cousin, a straight A student did not get any scholarship and his other cousin's application for a Government grant was rejected though the same proposal was approved for a Malay friend. Both cousins received loan from their family associations and they have already started to pay back the loan when they started working. Their family had created the association a long time ago so they can pool resources without depending on Government aid. Ah Chong's mother complains that her church does not get enough funding from the Government compared to what the local masjid is getting.

Everytime Ah Chong deals with the Government or authority, whether at the Immigration, with the police for a parking summons, with the local authorities, he feels slighted everytime because they all 'seemed' to be favouring the Malays. 'Seemed' because he believes that the line he has to queue to, the waiting for the approvals, the failures of his applications/requests are because the fact that he is a Chinese. He does not know that Ali goes through the same procedures of queues, the same amount of waiting and the same failures. Because of what he had heard and what he have been told, he believes that he is treated unfairly.

Now, Ali and Ah Chong are neighbours since small. Their fathers exchange gifts during Hari Raya and Chinese New Year and they know each others' visiting relatives by name and they treat each other fairly well. Ali's father reads Utusan while Ah Chong's father reads Malaysiakini on the net and subscribed Chinese newspapers. The two neighbours are basically nice to each other but when left to their own world, they have a  mutual hatred for each's race that they don't display openly.

 In his life, Ali witnesses the kindness of other races too. He knows a Chinese uncle that often gives him discount when he brings his car to his workshop. In school, a Chinese teacher helped him with Add Maths even after school hours. His boss is a nice Chinese guy that listens to his complains and rewards him adequately.

 On the same note, Ah Chong went through periods in his life where he experienced the kindness of Malays. Ali's father helped his family in 98 when Ah Chong's father's business went tumbling down. In school, Ali helped him to get through his Malay language classes. In University, a Malay girl helped to call the ambulance when he crashed his motorbike into a tree. Now, although they lived next to each other, their world is so far apart.

Although both had witnessed the kindness of the race they are supposed to abhor, they tend to forget these experiences due to the overwhelming message that they receive from their respective world.

Our different life experiences makes us believe different things. Our biases make us have skewed judgements. I can't blame either Ali or Ah Chong for what they think of the other race. 

Now, Ali and Ah Chong are both getting married and they will get their own kids soon. What will they teach their kids to believe in? 1Malaysia? 

I don't have the solution but what I wrote here is what I observed. The fault may not lie within the Government, the politicians or even the races themselves. It probably lies somewhere deep in our consciousness, in a spot that all of us refuse to acknowledge.