Views on Malaysia Unity by Sharyn Lisa Shufiyan (Tunku Abdul Rahman’s great granddaughther)

Views on Malaysia Unity by Sharyn Lisa Shufiyan (Tunku Abdul Rahman’s great granddaughther)

I came across this interesting article and would like to share it with you... written by Tunku Abdul Rahman’s great granddaughter Sharyn Lisa Shufiyan, 24, Conservationist – Conservationists advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment.

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Both my parents are Malay. My mum’s heritage includes Chinese, Thai and Arab, while my dad is Minangkabau. Due to my skin colour, I am often mistaken for a Chinese.

I’m happy that I don’t have the typical Malay look but I do get annoyed when people call me Ah Moi or ask me straight up “Are you Chinese or Malay”

Like, why does it matter? Before I used to answer “Malay” but now I’m trying to consciously answer Malaysian instead.

There’s this incident from primary school that I remember till today. Someone told me that I will be called last during Jud gement Day because I don’t have a Muslim name. Of course, I was scared then but now that I’m older, I realise that a name is just a name. It doesn’t define you as a good or bad person and there is definitely no such thing as a Muslim name. You can be named Rashid or Ali and still be a Christian.

I’e heard of the 1Malaysia concept, but I think we don’t need to be told to be united. We’ve come such a long way that it should already be embedded in our hearts and minds that we are united. Unfortunately, you can still see racial discrimination and polarisation. There is still this ethno-centric view that the Malays are the dominant group and their rights must be protected, and non Malays are forever the outsiders.

For the concept to succeed, I think the government should stop with the race politics. It’s tiring, really. We grew up with application forms asking us to tick our race. We should stop painting a negative image of the other races, stop thinking about ‘us ‘ and ‘them’ and focus on ‘we’, ‘our’ and ‘Malaysians’.

No one should be made uncomfortable in their own home. A dear Chinese friend of mine said to me once, “I don’t feel patriotic because I am not made to feel like Malaysiais my home, and I don’t feel an affinity to China because I have never lived there.

I know some baby Nyonya friends who can trace their lineage back hundreds of years. I’m a fourth generation Malaysian. If I am Bumiputra, why can’t they be, too? Clearly I have issues with the term.

I think the main reason why we still can’t achieve total unity is because of this ‘Malay rights’ concept. I’d rather ‘Malay rights’ be replaced by human rights. So unless we get rid of this Bumiputra status, or reform our views and policies on rights, we will never achieve unity.

For my merdeka wish, I’d like for Malaysians to have more voice, to be respected and heard. I wish that the government would uphold the true essence of parliamentary dem o cracy. I wish for the people to no longer fear and discriminate against each other, to see that we are one and the same.

I wish that Malaysia would truly live up to the tourism spin of Malaysia truly Asia. Malaysians to lead – whatever their ethnic background.

Only ONE NATIONALITY MALAYSIAN.
No Malays, No Chinese, No Indians – ONLY MALAYSIANS…….

Choose whatever religion one is comfortable with.

MERDEKA
MERDEKA
MERDEKA

Let’s not forget our true value and spirit when we celebrate our Independence.

Merdeka!

Manglish

i was at cuteLittleAngel's blog and saw this interesting article on MANGLISH, or rather Malaysian English.. super hilarious... believe it or not, many foreigners are interested in Manglish, but sometimes, it takes a Malaysian to understand what another Malaysian is saying. There is no special rules or classes for Manglish, it's a language all Malaysian pick up along the way. Very Malaysian indeed... Manglish is a very expressive language... proud of it~

i think it's okay to use Manglish, as long as you can also switch to proper English when you want/need to (eg: in formal events) :)

Malaysia scored a victory when 'lah' was finally introduced into the official Oxford English Dictionary. However, most Malaysians were less happy to see the entry listed its usage as Singaporean English, rather than Malaysian English.

oh, i'm feeling sooooo Malaysian today~
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Lah
(/lɑ́/ or /lɑ̂/), a multi purpose magic word used at the end of a sentence

Lah is often used with brusque, short, negative responses:

• Don't have, lah! (Brusque response to, "Lend me some money, can?")
• Don't know already, lah!(Brusque response to someone fumbling with an explanation. Mostly by Chinese.)

Lah is also used for reassurance:

• Don't worry, he can do it one lah - Don't worry, he can [do it].
• It's okay lah - It's all right.

Lah can also be used to emphasize items in a spoken list, appearing after each item in the list.

• They got sell Nasi Lemak lah, Roti Canai lah, Chapatti lah; Everything got lah!

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nah
- Used when giving something to another person, often in a rude or impolite way.
- eg -Nah, take this!

meh
- Used when asking questions, especially when a person is skeptical of something.
- eg - Cannot meh?, Really meh?

liao
- Means "already"
- eg- No stock liao; i makan liao; angry liao?

ah/ ak
- Used at the end of sentences, unlike meh the question is rhetorical.
- Also used when asking a genuine question.
- Besides that, some people use it when referring to a subject before making a (usually negative) comment.
- eg Why is he like that ah?, Is that true ah?, My brother ah, always disturbs me!

lor
- Used when explaining something.
- Like that lor..

d/dy/ady/edy/ridy
- Derived from the word "already".
- Often used in online chatroom by the youth in Malaysia, although in speech, speakers will often pronounce as 'ridy'
- eg I eat 'd' 'loh', I eat 'ridy'

le
- Used to soften an order, thus making it less harsh, sometimes can be persuasive.
- eg Give me that le; come here le..

one/wan
- Used as an emphasis at the end of a sentence.
- Why is he so naughty one ah?

what
- Unlike British/American English, the word 'what' is often used as an exclamation mark, not just to ask a question.
- eg What! How could you do that?, I didn't take it what.

got/have
- Used as a literal translation from the Malay word 'ada'.
- The arrangement of words is often also literally translated.
- The use of this particular particle is widespread in Manglish, where 'got' is substituted for every tense of the verb 'to have'.
- eg You got/have anything to do? (Kamu ada apa-apa untuk buat?), Got or not? (Really?), Where got? (To deny something, as in Malay "Mana ada?", and also in Chinese "Nali you?" as spoken in Malaysia)

table from wikipedia

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some other Manglish terms i use

de
- revive from the Chinese word
-eg- i don't want de; go where de?

dapau
-means take away, comes from the Chinese word
-eg- can help me dapau?; i'll like to dapau

makan
-means eaten
-eg- makan liao? Wanna go where makan?

yaka?
-being skeptical about something
-like the term 'really?' in English

jom!
- requesting someone to join or participate or go somewhere
-eg- jom makan!

eiyerrr....
-often expressing grossness or disgust
-eg- eiyer, so geli....
-eg- eiyerrr, don't like this lar...

syok/syiok
-feeling happy beyond words, awesome
-eg- so syok!, syoknya!

terrer/cun/power
-
- cun can also used to describe a sexy girl

yamchar
-direct translation from Cantonese means 'drink tea', but in Manglish, means socializing with friends and having supper in a mamak store, usually at night.
-one of Malaysian's culture, is order a drink, eg: teh tarik (tea) or milo, and chat till past midnight, till the odd hours of the morning...
-eg- jom, yamchar!

mamak
-from the term mamak (a slang for Indian or Indian Muslims), it is used to refer to Indian restaurants in Malaysia, usually selling roti canai (fried flour) and satay.

minum
-revive from the Malay word which means 'drink', but in Manglish, usually alcoholic related
-eg- let's go minum!
tumpang

Gostan
-To reverse, especially in the context of driving motor vehicles.
-eg- i need to gostan my car.

pai-seh
- ashamed, embarrassed/embarrassing. 'pai seh' is of Hokkien origin
-eg- I kena punish lah... very pai-seh eh!

die
- a very interesting work used in tight situation, when facing a difficult problem. it does not means that he/she want to commit suicide.
-eg- Die-lah!

action - show-off

aiksy/lan si - arrogant, overconfident. 'Aiksy' possibly derived from 'acting up'; 'lan si' is of Cantonese origin.

blur- confused, out-of-it. Roughly equivalent to "spacey" in American slang.

slumber - relaxed, laid-back; possibly a conflation of the Malay "selamba", meaning nonchalant, and the English "slumber".

here are few more terms, and no, they are NOT proper English!
pass up – to hand in "Pass up your assignments"
rubber – meaning eraser as in "Can I borrow your rubber?"
spoil – to be damaged "This one, spoil, lah."
chop – to stamp (with a rubber stamp), as well as the stamp itself.
outstation - out of town
photostat - photocopy
mee - noodles

apa gui?
-i especially like this term, neologism invented by shinLoo, apa-in Malay language, gui-in Mandarin, basically used in frustration... a milder version of 'wtf!'...


references: wikipedia,
cutelittleangel

beyond it all, love our country, we must....

The news on Raja Petra, Teresa Kok and Sin Chew reporter arrested under Section 73(1) of the ISA for allegedly being a threat to security, peace and public order had shocked the nation, or rather shaked the nation.



Arrest of journo is a test case: Press Institute

PETALING JAYA: The arrest of Sin Chew Daily News journalist Tan Hoon Cheng is a test case for journalists all over the country to know how to approach similar situations.

Malaysian Press Institute chairman, Datuk Azman Ujang, said it was a rare case of a reporter being arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for repoting an event.

“We are anxious to know how the ministry will react considering that the newspaper had explained that it was straight forward reporting.

“Journalists themselves are also anxious to know so that they won’t make similar mistakes,” he said.

Meanwhile, the National Press Club expressed sadness at Tan’s detention.

“We believe that it is not right to use ISA on a journalist who was merely fulfilling her professional duty,” president Mokhtar Hussain told The Star on Saturday.

Calling the detention improper, he added that arresting reporters would not augur well for the journalism industry in Malaysia.

“Journalists will then be working in an environment of fear when reporting the truth,” Mokhtar said, adding that the club hoped for Tan’s release as soon as possible.

BLOGGER's COMMENTS: A test case?? you must be kidding, right? and Datuk Ahmad Ismail comments?

BLOGGER's COMMENTS: it's sad to see what is happening to our country.... the once 'politically stable' nation we were all proud of.... all messed up! politicians are suppose to be good lawyers... crap something good enough to pacify everyone.... not create things with many loopholes, only to be criticized by the people... the people are getting smarter... u need to find a better pacifier.... a better plan..... focus on improving the country... moving ahead.... rather than remaining stagnant, blaming one another, searching for loopholes, isn't that too exhausting?

HERE'S a message from Dr Hsu...

Dr Hsu: I would like to call upon all Malaysians to do these:

1. Remain calm

2. Do not do anything rash

3. Do not take to the street

4. Do not be instigated by people to demonstrate

5. Just voice it out in your blog, your comments to the blogs, and inform your friends and relatives about the situation

6. Call your Aduns or MPs and voice out your objection about these arrests and urge your representatives to voice out

7. Members of political parties, sms your leaders to pressure them to voice out

We shall object to these draconian acts by using civility and do not fall into the traps of giving the big brother a chance to declare emergency rule……



BLOGGER's COMMENTS: Perhaps, this is one of those times, we just have to love our country, no matter what the politicians do... whatever the outcome on September 16, we still have to remember, beyond all those political games, beyond all the hoo-ha, the ridiculous whateva, we NEED to have something stronger.... we need to love our country, and remember of those things which make us Malaysian... risking it all? - it's not worth it!

Here In My Home..

oh yes, here are the lyrics and the chords for you to sing and play along ^_^





HERE IN MY HOME

Verse 1
Hold on brother hold on
The road is long.
We’re on stony ground
But I’m strong. You ain’t heavy

Verse 2
Oh there’s a misspoken truth that lies
Colors don’t bind, oh no.
What do they know? They speak falsely.

Chorus
Here in my home
I’ll tell you what its all about
There’s just one hope here in my heart
One love undivided
That’s what it’s all about
Please won’t you fall in one by one by one with me?

Verse 3
Push back sister won’t you push back?
Love won’t wait. Just keep pushing on.
Yes I’m strong. You ain’t heavy.

Verse 4
Oh don’t you worry about that…
What we have shadows can’t deny
Don’t you know it’s now or never?

Rap
[Bahasa Malaysia] Bertubi asakan berkurun lamanya
Hati ke depan mencari yang sayang
(translation: Years of fears and years of tribulation The heart keeps searching for that endless devotion)

[Mandarin] 手牵手大家一起走，我代表华人开口未来就没有丢走
(phonetics: shou qian shou da jia yi qi zou wo dai biao hua ren kai kou wei lai jiu mei you diu zou)
(translation: Hand in hand we’ll march like blood brothers I speak for my people we’ll find peace forever)

[Tamil] இந்த பயணம் பயணம்.. என் வெற்றி தாகம், அந்த கனா காலம்.. நம் வெற்றி ராகம், நண்பா.. நண்பா..
(phonetics: inthe payanam payanamm yen vettri thaagam anthee kaana kaalam naam vetri raagam...nanba nanba)
(translation: May the road ahead quench my thirst for success May the road behind echo a song of the blessed)

[English] Yes I feel it in my bones and I will let it be known No matter where I roam this is home sweet home Sing!

- Words & Music by Pete Teo featuring rap by KLG Sqwad & Altimet -
Reprinted by permission. © 2008 Redbag Music. All Rights Reserved.

COA MALAYSIAN MS - Here In My Home

dear all, i would like to share something very Malaysian today.

i remembered the time, i went overseas for a vacation or for conferences, ohhh.. how i missed MALAYSIA... the people, the food, even the weather!! when you are frezzing cold, wrapped up in rolls of clothing till you're round, degrees -5... how you'll miss the sun in Malaysia... and when you have had enough Kim Chi to last you a life time,.. all i could think of was satay, roti canai and nasi lemak!! my friends from abroad was very impressed that we could speak many languages and dialects fluently... my Hong Kong friend was commenting : They can speak cantonese to me, speak hokkien (similar to Tai Yu) to the Taiwanese, speak Mandarin to the China people, speak English at presentation, and suddenly speak Malay to the Indonesian, and they all sound TOTALLY different!! haha!

and yeah, i am glad to be a Malaysian, this is after all, home~

Here's a songtrack sung my Malaysian Artistes for Unity... it's a very nice song~ great job to Pete Teo and the crew! gee, i love this song!!



check out the making of this video clip at :