A Dark Day Passing for Malaysia

When I started the day with a status tweet of “Barbs is looking out at the sky and feeling dreadful, simply dreadful” little did I think how far that statement would go as this 8^th day of the New Year unfolds.

There has been recent uproar in the country, over prohibition of certain quarters of the community on a certain word of the Malay language. Something that should never have started, escalated over the course of the day to a near boiling point, fueled (pardon the pun) of course by both tunnel vision and a lack of vision.

Being a Christian (and a Catholic for that matter), of course it angers me that my house of worship, my sanctuary was violated (Yes, I’m an Assumption parishioner). It angers me that my dear Father Voile, in his state of immobility could have been hurt if the attack had really worked. It angers me that there are folks – individuals who could be neighbours, friends, dudes from the next table at the mamak, audacious enough to think that my faith would be weakened, threatened by a few bottles of petrol.

But most of all, it angers me that both parties had allowed this to come to head as it did over the course of time.

The first – the powers-who-be at the helm of the publication Herald. Fine and well that they are transcending beyond the lines of religion and playing their part in racial unity by wanting to bring the word(s) of God closer (in a communication context) with the insistent usage of a “sacred” word. But I think that entire nobility behind the idea lost its steam when its insistence made it way to the corridors of law. That, my friend, to me stinks of nothing but ‘personal assertion’ and egotism.

Mind you, these are learned men (even if they are men of the cloth – do you know how many PhD holders there are in the realm of the Church??!!) and so they must know that the sociological impact of such a move. It would be shameful if they wake up tomorrow and read the papers then go “Oh I didn’t know that bit.. hmmmm…. What should I do now?”

The second – the powers-that-be in the running of this country. Fine and well that by virtue of majority, we are a Muslim country. Yet, if we prided ourselves extensively on the fact that we are a multi-racial society, then the issue of language falls out of the scope of religion and comes under that multi-racial unity bit. If this were not true, then why did we then in the 80s (or was it the 90s) change the naming of the language from Bahasa Melayu to Bahasa Malaysia, just so that citizens not of the Malay race would feel encouraged to use the language more extensively?

Add to that beef, people in office should bear in mind that everything they say and do, reflects on the running of the office, the country. Having individuals come out with nerve-jarring statements – did you really pick the right person for the job there?

The papers have termed this as a dark day for the country, for the nation. They have categorized these acts of violence and violations as taking a step back from progress and development. And I agree. People – we’re no longer in the deep dark ages. Education is now compulsory up to a reasonable level. It may not be a great one, but being able to read and write does bring one a big step further than being held at ransom at what others tell you. Attacking one Christian place of worship every 4 hours is not gonna get you anywhere – not when there are over 3000 denominations of Christianity in the world. (At this point, I must applaud the perpetrators for being impartial and not just targeting one denomination. Thanks for spreading the luv mates!) It is nothing but a simple act of cowardice and puts your learning (regardless of the level you stopped) to shame.

Christianity is no longer a repressed religion. Hell – the Catholic Church has our own state for crying out loud – what more advancement can we ask for? Heaven on earth? God playing a round of golf with you on Sunday morning? And honestly, if you know your Holy Book well, you would know that the Old Testament speaks of a race being oppressed. Their religion was not the cause of that oppression. So don’t turn this into a song and dance about our basic rights being repressed in our country.

As my long, Long, LONG day ends and an even longer month begin, I hang my head in shame. Not because of who runs my country. Nor is it because of who leads the order of my faith.

I hang my head in shame for the loss of rationale and humility in my community.

I hang my head in shame for the loss of solidarity among friends, among neighbours.

I hang my head in shame for the emptiness of words that I should hold in high esteem from persons whose office I respect (I may not respect them but hey, it’s the chair that matters.)

But most importantly, I hang my head in shame at the flagrant breakage of the commandment – Thou Shall Not Use the Name of the God in vain.

I don’t know about you. But I for one know that I have solid reason to ask for forgiveness from Abba / God / Tian-zhu / Allah as I stand contrite for letting emotions of fear and anger overshadow my fear of His commandments.

And I will take comfort in knowing that regardless of what I call Him, God listens to the language of the heart and the soul. And that He will overlook the bout of temporary insanity and know in our heart of hearts, He is all that matters.

With that, sleep tight Malaysia. The dark day has come to an end. Tomorrow is yet to be written. And it's all in our own hands, how we want it to end.