Between Two Malaysias

I can't remember the first time I heard the word Malaysia. It had come into existence many years before I was even born. When I was forced to learn geography or Ilmu Alam as it was then called and memorise country names, the name of this country had already been in use for almost two decades. Although the spelling was universally accepted, saying the word is still not settled. Now, even after half a century, I still hear people pronounce it in various ways. The kampung folks would say Me-lei-sia, while the hard-tongued Mat Salleh can be excused for choosing Me-lei-zia. The more urban Malaysians meanwhile, go with Me-lei-sye, presumably stressing the “sy” makes them sound closer to the Mat Salleh’s tongue. Whatever three syllables that they utter, it is understood as Malaysia, that federation of states formed at the South Eastern corner of the Asian continent and the northern part of Borneo Island separated by a shallow body of water that is South China Sea. I was born and bred on the side attached to the bigger landmass but work has taken me to the island part of the Federation.

I must admit that people from the part of Malaysia where I was born are largely ignorant of their fellow countrymen from the part of Malaysia I am living now. Perhaps because they are attached to the biggest landmass on the planet, or may be because the sight of the tallest twin buildings in the world is blocking their view, the West Malaysians have wrongly assumed that they are mainstream and that those living in the small towns at the edge of the jungle along the many rivers on the Island side somehow matter less in the making of Malaysia. One of my East Malaysian colleagues once told me how East Malaysians are deeply offended when visitors from West Malaysia keep saying they are from Malaysia when asked where they come from by Sarawakian or Sabahan as if these two states were not part of Malaysia.

Being Malay and Muslim which represent more than half of Malaysians, we are also guilty of insisting that everything has to be done our way. We assume people with such names as Idris bin Jala is a Malay Muslim and are embarrassed to find out later that he's neither Malay nor Muslim. While it is safe in Peninsula Malaysia to say Assalamualaikum and invite somebody who looks like a Malay to pray at one’s local mosque, one should be more sensitive and neutral here lest the invitee may be offended. He might just politely decline and tell you that he usually meets his God on Sunday. And while he may also call Him Allah, he meets Him not in the mosque but in the church. I once worked with somebody who kept a goatee and looked indistinguishable from a Malay. He had a smile and soft demeanor of a deeply religious man about to ask you to go to the mosque. But when he took off his work coverall, I was shocked to discover that he had tattoos on his arms and legs. Only then did I know that he was an Iban. For the Iban tattooing is part of their culture and tradition. Later I found out that a colleague who had Muslim name and appearance was actually a Christian Melanau and somebody else who had a Christian name was, to my surprise, a Muslim. While the Iban use anak in their name, some non-Muslim who are native tribes here use bin or binti to mean son or daughter of. Those are instances of the culture shock that I experienced when I first got here a few years ago.

I thought I knew Malaysia, my country of birth and my home for more than four decades, but arriving here I discovered how wrong I was. What I thought I knew was only the mainstream Malaysia, the narrative that’s presented in the mainstream media and even textbooks. Many people here would argue that while we say that this country is multi-racial, multi religious and multi cultural, our actions are not reflective of it. The mainstream narratives are still one sided. Our political parties from both sides of the political divide, our unions, associations and clubs are still largely Peninsular-centric. Development projects are still largely associated with the Peninsula. While it is understandable to bring more development in West Malaysia because of the denser population and the resultant economies of scale there, many East Malaysians feel that they are being neglected. Although the two states of Sabah and Sarawak contribute much to the federal state coffer through incomes from their natural resources, the infrastructure here is still second class to what is being enjoyed by West Malaysians. Even after 50 years they are still waiting for the long promised Trans-Borneo Highway linking the towns along the coast of Sarawak and Sabah. May be they are too polite to tell us West Malaysians directly but I can’t help but feel their resentment at West Malaysia who seem to suck out the riches from their land and pipe them all to the West.

The status quo for the last 50 years has to change. The people from West Malaysia should understand more about the ways of East Malaysia. The mainstream media should be truly inclusive in educating and making us all aware about East Malaysia. Our leaders from West Malaysia should care and look more towards the East. We cannot truly celebrate 50 years of our coming together knowing there is growing resentment among our East Malaysian brothers and sisters towards the West. West Malaysians would not want to be labeled as neo-colonial masters. The early leaders of Sabah and Sarawak did not kick out the White Rajah and the British only to be replaced by colonial master of their own kind. Let’s celebrate this Malaysia day as equals.

Happy 50th Malaysia Day!