Selamat Hari Raya to All Muslims From Sarawak - Sarawakian doesn't Need 1Malaysia Slogan. Keep it for the People Of Peninsular Malaysia

Sunday, 19th August 2012 
Kuantan, Pahang

1Malaysia Campaign or Slogan Is Only Required In Peninsular Malaysia.   Today is the 1st day of Hari Raya which is celebrated by Malaysians of the Muslim faith. It also marked my five months and three days of been working in the Peninsular Malaysia (or Malaysia) how some of the people here say it. The last time  that I worked in Peninsular Malaysia was in 1995. But the life in the Army Camp and outside it was totally different I guessed. In the camp, the spirit of brotherhood or "espirit de corp" among the soldiers was very strong . Malay, Chinese(few only), Indian and the Iban by then had no problem to visit each other during the religion festivals such as the CNY, Deepavali, Christmas, Hari gawai Dayak and the Hari Raya, or having the pot luck in the Officer Mess or the Senior Non-Commission Offices (SNCO) Mess. But  today, based on what I saw with my own eyes, I don't think the same social activities are still  being practiced in the camp. In the Peninsular nowadays, among Malaysian of different races, the Malay, Chinese and the Indian, the trust does not exists anymore. Try to talk to the taxi drivers, they will tell you about the racial divided or differences in Peninsular. Or if one working in a multinational company one will see that colleagues from the Malay race only mixed with the Malay, same goes to the workers of the  Indian and Chinese races who are only comfortable to mix with their  colleagues from the same race.

The relationship between these three groups had been divided by the religions. In Peninsular Malaysia, particularly in Kuantan,  you can't find any  eating place that sell Halal and Non-halal food under the same roof. Therefore it is impossible for the Malay who likes curry, the Chinese who likes pork and the Indian who likes the Indian Food (i.e Roti Canai, Nasi Beriani) to eat outside together.

But this problem does not exist in Sarawak. In Sarawak, the Malay, Iban and the Chinese colleagues can go for lunch together and still able to eat their favorite foods as there are plenty of eating outlets that sell halal and non-halal foods under the sames roof. But does it mean that the Muslims from Sarawak  are less Islamic than the Muslims from Peninsular Malaysia? The Mufti of  Perlis Dr Juandah is from Sarawak. This proven that the Muslims from Sarawak as Islamic or as devout as the Muslims from Peninsular Malaysia isn't it?

Talking about 1Malaysia slogan, I do agree with the implementation of the slogan but with one condition, that it is only to be implemented in Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak doesn't need the slogan. Using the slogan in Sarawak can  confuse the population there whose relationship among different races/religions are the best among all the other states in Malaysia.

For conclusion (first in 6 months), I would Like to wish my Muslims friends from Sarawak A "Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir dan Batin "

  

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