Let’s break the wall and build bridges

We have drifted apart, there’s no doubt about that. And, as a nation, we seem to be continuing on our divergent paths. But this is a month to cherish, when Malaysians can celebrate their nationhood, with sport and patriotism.

IT may have just been a storm in a teacup. But it’s just not my cup of tea.

A school administrator decides that children of one religion should not drink from cups used by those of other religions. So, they introduce labelled cups for the children – to drink water.

It borders on the absurdity and even religious leaders from all sides have decried the act. However, it shows where we are headed, slowly but inexorably.

We’re getting really adept at building walls and fences between ourselves, and it’s not just religion.

Residential areas are fenced up and topped with barbed wires, even the deadlier razor wires. There are those that have high walls, with glass shards atop them. It’s quite scary.

I can never get used to the idea of heavy barricades to “protect” homes. Do these people have millions stashed in their homes? A robber is not going to get much breaking into my house. Most of what I own is in the bank or in investments. The robber-burglar is welcome to the bank books and investment certs. I am sure the banks will give me fresh ones.

It used to be that prisoners lived behind barricaded walls and fences while citizens walked freely on the outside. Now, people live behind these walls, guarded by sentry guards. And the inmates who live in these little prisons nip out of their homes to shop, work and go to school before rushing home to again hide behind the walls.

What has become of our neighbourliness?

Those out there are not really the bad guys. They are neighbours, too. We live in little isolated plots of our own and refuse admission to others, fearing for our security. This, at a time when the Home Minister has announced that the crime index is down.

In our everyday lives, we are getting more and more fearful of the “outsider”.

In the case of the cups that may not be used by the “others”, we see even children being taught to draw a line between one another. There are those who refuse to share utensils even if they are well washed after each use; some places have separate lifts for “different” categories of food, and supermarkets have trolleys for “different kinds” of customers.

What happened to the 1Malaysia that we have been boasting about? The melting pot of different cultures that we so proudly proclaim to the world?

Now is a good time to relook our priorities. Because now is the time most of us will put aside our difference and hold hands as one. The SEA Games sports carnival is here.

For the next 10 days or so, Malaysians will be coming out in droves and joining ranks against a different set of “outsiders” – athletes from the rival countries. The Harimau Malaya T-shirts will be flying off the shelves. We saw glimpses of it when Malaysia beat Singapore in a football match on Wednesday. It was only a group game – and the Shah Alam Stadium was packed. The stadium roared as Mohd Nor Azam Abdul Azih then N. Thanabalan scored.

The target is 111 gold medals, and if that target is met, it will be 111 times that the Tigers will roar, and Malaysians will beam with pride. But what happens after that? Do we go back into our little cocoons and lament over our differences? We are divided along many lines – politics, religion, race, language, even the English Premier League teams which we support. Despite what some leaders may say, things are not as great as we would like them to be.

But we know we can share the space that is Malaysia, we always have.

The day the Games come to an end is the day we start our celebrations afresh for the birthday of the nation, over two weeks from National Day to Malaysia Day.

There’s a good month between the start of the Games and Malaysia Day. It should be a month when all of us reflect on where we went wrong and why, after 60 years of independence and 54 year of nationhood, we have drifted so badly apart.

It’s a month where we can think about – and actually experience – the wonder of actually being all Malaysians. The fences and walls can come down. Then, we can get busy building bridges instead.

The writer, who can be reached at raj@ thestar.com.my, will always remember the national football team of the 70s. It was a truly Malaysian team that united the nation. Will it ever happen again?

What happened to the 1Malaysia that we have been boasting about? The melting pot of different cultures that we so proudly proclaim to the world?