DEACON DR SHERMAN KUEK
  • About
    • Itinerary
    • Profile
    • Coat of Arms
    • Bibliography
    • Tribute
  • Mission
    • Talks
    • Resources
    • Pilgrimages
  • Media
    • Videos >
      • Deacon's Discourse
      • Deacon's Ordination
    • Photos >
      • Photos 1
      • Photos 2
      • Photos 3
  • Blog
  • Partners
    • Splendour Project
    • CHRISTE

The 'Chinese Tsunami'

8/5/2013

3 Comments

 
The recent “Tsunami Cina” and “Apa lagi Cina mau?” rhetoric has deeply saddened my heart. I have never in my life seen the Malay race as a race so segregated from my own daily life, and for the first time and on such an official basis, I am dejected by my own fellow citizens – no more and no less, by the highest ranking people governing the nation.

I live among many Malays who are peaceful and are, like my own family, trying to earn a livelihood and raise their children in the most honest way they know how. They are very religious people who consistently perform their daily solat at the surau just across my house, and for that, they have my utter admiration.
Picture
Pakcik carrying me
When I was young, some of the people who had most deeply impacted my life were Malay Muslims. As a child of four or five years old, there was an elderly man (I knew him only as Pakcik) who used to send my mother to school and fetch her back in his trishaw. And because he adored me so much, from the time he dropped my mother off at school until her dismissal when he picked her up, he would fetch me all around town in his trishaw together with his other passengers. I can and will never forget the cuddles and hugs he gave me every day. He would often also take me home to his house because his elderly wife too adored me. They were very poor, but whenever I went to their dilapidated house, a cup of hot kopi O always came out from the kitchen with a few pieces of square-shaped biscuits. Makcik would dip these biscuits into the kopi O piece by piece and feed them to me. Pakcik obviously had very little money, but he often bought me little toys and tit-bits.

Since I was too young to be accepted into a proper kindergarten at that time, Pakcik enrolled me into Tadika Islam which was willing to take me in, and my parents never minded it at all. I earned a nickname for myself there from both teachers and students who were ignorant – Cina Babi. Yes, that was what they called me every day. But when Pakcik realised that, he got very angry and protective over me. There are the good Malays, and there are the bad Malays. The same goes for Chinese. And Indians. And all humanity of all races.

I have always admired the Malay culture. There is a special unspoken tenderness in the way Malay families relate with one another that I would love for our Chinese families to have. I have always loved how children are taught to respect and honour their parents with great gentleness. The way children offer the salam to their parents, and especially when they seek forgiveness from their parents during Hari Raya, never fails to make me tear. Since young, I have also always loved the baju Melayu and have found as many opportunities as I could to wear it. I have often stood at the entrance of the suraus watching my friends say their prayers.

When I was in the secondary school, I was again very attached to a Malay family. This was a family which had rather high political links but were very down to earth and humane as people. The way their house was always open to visitors, and their concern for the poor among them regardless of their race and religion, left a permanent and indelible impression on me. Because I felt so at home there, I often spent days and nights over at their house enjoying their hospitality and friendship. I was so close to them it hardly occurred to me that they were... Malay. Sure, we were so different in our cultures, but this harmonious co-existence was precisely what I enjoyed so much.

I am today a minister of the Catholic Church. Much of what I have learned from the teachings of my Church, I had learned much earlier on in life from my Muslim neighbours. I have a great love and devotion for my parents because of how I observe the way the elderly are treated by my Malay acquaintances. I preach a life of openness and charity because I saw Malay homes being open to unknown hungry visitors to walk in to eat off their dining tables.

Of course, there are racialistic Malays. There are also racialistic Chinese and racialistic Indians. The worst of our races and religions practice a form of bigotry that even their mothers would be ashamed of. And unfortunately, many of them have risen to positions of political power they do not deserve.

So “apa lagi Cina mau?” What does a Chinese like me want? I want back my Malaysia you every so often threaten to rob from me. If the Chinese have voted against you, it is not because we are Chinese. It is also not because you are Malay. If we voted against you, it is precisely because you have shown yourself to be capable of such bigoted rhetoric. And your post-election reaction, in spewing such hideous words, merely reinforces that we have voted correctly.

3 Comments
Sara Lasa Andrew
8/5/2013 01:19:00 pm

Great article & well said. I spent 7 years amongst the Malays, alone in one SMK in west M'sia under the Yayasan Sarawak program. Am a pure Sarawakian, a Christian who is not prejudice against any races or religion. As you rightfully mentioned tat the support/not towards the govt is not against race/ religion....

Reply
Angela Wong
8/5/2013 01:37:05 pm

Deacon Sherman, Thank you so much for sharing your childhood story. I am very sure a lot of us have very similar story to share. Mine is a little different. I remember studying in a mission secondary school in 1980's. When I was in Form 4, there were about 40 students with only 1 Malay girl classmate. Our class were so called "cream of Form 4", so all the students were "smart". Our Malay classmate had no problem, mixing with us & vice versa. She became one of my best friends with my other 2 friends and we would called ourselves the 4 musketeers. We studied, played and ate together. Our race and religion were never an issue. After Form 6, most of us went to further our studies overseas. She went to further her studies in the States on a government scholarship whereas the rest of us were on the "scholarship of our parents". We never resented her for this, she deserved the scholarship as she was really smart. We lost contact until we all find each other and other classmates again thru' FB a few years back. We still reminisce about our school days even though we are now in our 50 years living far away from each other in USA, Australia, Brunei and Malaysia. How I wish I can have back the Malaysia that I once knew. The good old days, where have you gone?

Reply
Rokiah
10/5/2013 05:19:55 am

When I read this article, it makes me wonder what has happened to our 1 Malaysia which has been amongst us even way before. I too was from a mission both primary and secondary schools and there were very few Malays then in our school. We never had any racial issues. I even used to go to the Chapel with my Christian friends and temple with our Indian friends if we felt like having vegetarian 'daun pisang' lunch. During festive seasons, it used to be like everyone looking forward to going to each others house either for duit raya, ang pows or just having nice home-made thosai. These I think most of us have gone through and we still miss them. And it has never made me a lesser Malay but instead it made me understand their culture and respect them more. Though it has been more then 30 years, we are still in contact. Nothing has changed. Even now, I always encourage my daughter to do the same. To enjoy each others company, to respect other cultures and befriend them no matter what race they are. We are not perfect - None of us are. So appreciate the beauty of friendship and treasure them.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Announcements
    Catholicism
    Ecumenism
    Events
    Homilies
    Liturgy
    Malaysia
    Miscellaneous
    Reflections
    Spirituality
    Theology

    Archives

    December 2021
    December 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    January 2019
    June 2016
    December 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    January 2014
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    August 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    January 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    June 2010


    RSS Feed


    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

ABOUT
+ Itinerary
+ Profile
​
+ Coat of Arms
+ Bibliography
+ Tribute
​
​​MISSION
+ Talks
+ Resources
+ Pilgrimages



MEDIA
+ Deacon's Discourse
+ Deacon's Ordination 
+ Photos
​

​
BLOG
​
​​PARTNERS
+ Splendour Project
​+ CHRISTE

FOLLOW DEACON SHERMAN
DEACON'S FORMATION FB GROUP
© 2021 Sherman Kuek. All rights reserved.
Picture
  • About
    • Itinerary
    • Profile
    • Coat of Arms
    • Bibliography
    • Tribute
  • Mission
    • Talks
    • Resources
    • Pilgrimages
  • Media
    • Videos >
      • Deacon's Discourse
      • Deacon's Ordination
    • Photos >
      • Photos 1
      • Photos 2
      • Photos 3
  • Blog
  • Partners
    • Splendour Project
    • CHRISTE