Most of those Negroes have been given those jobs by the white political machine, and they serve no other function other than to, as window dressing.
– Malcolm X, American Muslim human rights activist
CONTROVERSIES are nowadays part and parcel of the Malaysian way of life.
It would be shocking if a week went by without at least one controversy, real or cooked up.
Another firestorm erupted in Sabah and Sarawak in recent weeks but was triggered in Malaya.
The catalyst this time was a series of disparaging remarks made on June 23 by a lawyer named Asiah Abdul Jalil on her Facebook about Sabah and Sarawak.
To summarise, she more or less made the following statements.
Asiah stated that if she were a public servant asked to serve in Sabah or Sarawak, she would resign within 24 hours.
My take on this is that many Sarawakians would love to get the government jobs that Malayans now hold in Sabah and Sarawak.
She also believes that Sabah and Sarawak are not attractive places for a career, impractical for family life and raising children, and not worth the mental and emotional risks.
I have friends from Malaya who practically spent their entire civil service career in Sarawak, got promoted many times, and educated their kids here until tertiary level at universities such as Curtin University in Miri.
In fact, they were so sad that they had to return to Malaya upon retirement.
Asiah also commented that after 60 years of joining Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak are significantly behind Malaya in terms of development despite their vast geographical areas and abundant natural resources.
On this point, she, like many Malayans, still doesn’t understand that Sabah and Sarawak helped to form Malaysia, not joined Malaysia. In fact, there would be no Malaysia without Sabah and Sarawak.
As to being behind Malaya, whose fault is it for stripping us of all our oil and gas revenues if not Malaya?
She also said that sending public servants from Malaya to Sabah and Sarawak is seen as a form of punishment.
Well, yet again, it is the faulty mindset of the Malayans for treating Sabah and Sarawak like a penal colony.
She further said that Sabah and Sarawak still depend on people from Malaya to survive and fill job vacancies due to a lack of locally qualified individuals after six decades of independence.
You would agree that the so-called lack of qualified individuals she mentioned is due to the deliberate lack of federal funds for education here, so much so that the Sarawak government had to step in and start investing in setting up its own educational institutions.
Many Sabahans and Sarawakians share the perception that the practice of sending individuals from Malaya to work in Sabah and Sarawak is seen as a way to prioritise the employment of Malayans over the local population, thereby depriving Sabahans and Sarawakians of the much-needed job opportunities.
She further implied the dependency of Sabah and Sarawak on Malaya to survive.
Asiah ended by urging people here to stop threatening to leave Malaysia.
She needs to understand that many Sabahans and Sarawakians have struggled and thrived despite all attempts to keep us down by usurping our revenues.
The so-called threats to leave Malaysia would not happen if MA63 were implemented as intended.
Instead, Malayans like her and their politicians are pushing Sabahans and Sarawakians away from Malaysia with their negative attitudes.
Her opinions and comments reflect many Malayans’ wrong and vastly distorted thinking about Sabah and Sarawak.
This is often due to a false sense of superiority, and the prejudice is often based on stereotypes and ignorance.
These opinions also send a message to the people of Sabah and Sarawak that they are not valued members of the Malaysian nation. It ignores their contributions to Malaysia and their right to be treated with dignity and respect.
These stereotypes also discourage people from moving to or investing in Sabah and Sarawak, which can harm their economies.
Such negative attitudes remind us that we still have a long way to go before achieving true unity in Malaysia.
There have been calls for her to be banned from Sarawak. However, I beg to differ.
In fact, she should be encouraged to come here and see our way of life and unity.
In the meantime, it is essential to call out this kind of prejudice and demand that everyone be treated with respect, regardless of where they come from.
I have occasionally raised concerns about prejudice and discrimination within certain organisations I am a part of, where the word unity and multiracial is merely window dressing.
Although there are negative consequences and reactions, it does not deter me from pursuing the right thing. I will write more about this in the future.
Perhaps overall her intentions were good, but whatever her reasons, Asiah Abdul Jalil’s statement were deeply offensive to many people in Sabah and Sarawak.
It is important to remember that generalisations about entire groups of people can be dangerous and that judging individuals based on their ethnicity or place of origin is never fair or accurate.
Asiah’s statement is a reminder that we need to do more to promote understanding and respect, not only between the races, but also between the regions of Malaysia.
Under our Premier’s leadership, importance and emphasis are continually placed on unity and respect amongst all the races ensuring stability.
Let’s continue with our harmonious and civilised lives here.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
