MALAYSIA is one of those countries that about 30 years ago, very few people outside her shores knew little about. Geographically, it is that leaf-shaped peninsula that sort of adds an exclamation mark on the island of Singapore.
It can be quite disconcerting to hear foreigners say "Malaysia? Never heard of it." "Singapore,yes."
Luckily for us Malaysians, our country has gained a little stature over the decades and is now fairly well known. Several reasons have boosted our image and left our mark on the globe. One, Malaysia is one of the few Southeast Asian nations to ride the crest of the recession wave back in the late 90s. Second, Hollywood has included Malaysia in several movies, namely The Entrapment and Anna and the King.
The Formula 1 racing circuit has added a touch of glamour to our tropical land and the Petronas Twin Towers has pushed forth our image skywards.
But it is not in these things that tugs my heart-strings about Malaysia. It is the teh-tarik stalls which are open 24 hours, if you know where to find the right ones. It is the humungous-sized shopping complexs. It is the ability of the various communities to laugh at each other's expense.
Yes, we do crack racial jokes but we do so in the right spirit and without malice. This way, it helps to diffuse the racial tension, if any. We all learn from each other's culture. We all love food relished by the other communities and we are always making excuses to have food parties and open houses.
That's what makes up the description called Malaysian. We are into this "rojak" thing. Outsiders may think we do not have a system or we are just plain disorganised. But no, we are highly organised except that we are in a constant state of wanting everything in the same pot. Thus, the word "rojak."
So it is no surprise to have rojak as part of the Malaysian cuisine. Some of us have managed to speak a smattering of each other's language over the years. We first learn all the foul and swear words. Then, if we are really keen, we will make it a point to master the formal greetings.
Indians and Malays have been heard speaking Mandarin, and dialects like Cantonese and Hokkien. Chinese have been heard speaking Kelantanese dialect or possess Kedah accent.
It's a wonderful life in Malaysia. Sometimes we join in another's community's festivals and revel in it. We do not forbid anyone to partake in another race's cultural practices.
Malaysia is perpectually hot and humid. The sun is almost shining daily and rainfall can be a pain at times when it floods the roads in the city. However, there's nothing like a gentle shower from the sky that sweeps clean all the foul air that has accumulated through the day and from the mid-day traffic.
Malaysia is endowed with some great natural resources. We have oil palm, tin, rubber and lots of tropical food. Our beaches are lovely but many of us don't want to take advantage of them.
Our skies are constantly blue, our water clean and our women are beautiful generally. This country suffers few of the problems that are plaguing other nations in the region. Malaysians do not want to suffer unnecessarily. We are more into sharing what we have in the kitchen with the others.
Malaysians are always asking strangers who enter our houses if they had eaten. Why is eating so important? This can be traced back a couple a hundred years when the Chinese migrated mainly from southern China where famine and wars took place. The Indians came from various impoverished parts of India.
Thus, it was important to ask "have you eaten" of another person you meet on the street or along the way somewhere. In those bad, old days, hunger was a constant headache. To eat was a sign of being blessed. Hence, from then having eaten simply means your life is on the right track.
Five or six generations later, the descendants of Chinese and Indians are enjoying the good life that their forbears had helped ensured. We are all grateful. If not for our hardworking ancestors, we would still be wallowing in filth and purgatory back in our own native lands.
Malaysia is blessed with good weather, fine scenery and good food in abundance. Our population is around 24 million and we think we can take another 40 million without rocking the cradle, so to speak.
Our people are generous to a fault and we are constantly praying in our own temples, churches and mosques. This is a nation that built its foundations on holy ground.
We like to believe that God is on our side. For the spiritual ones, we know He has never left us, only that we have wandered off on our own accord from time to time.
Now where was I? Yes, this country has lots going for it. We sleep in peace on most nights. We are not in the path of any malicious hurricanes or typhoons. Tornadoes are strangers to our land and earthquake is something that we only feel if our neighbouring country gets the tremors. Other than that, we are more than okay. In fact, we are downright fortunate.
Truly, this land has been blessed by the Almighty in more ways than one.
Foreigners love our country. They think we are among some of the nicest people in the world. We are not braggarts, even though we like to blow our own trumpet now and then. That's only human of us, I guess.
We are not afraid of hardwork, nor are we averse to lending a hand to those in need. Our churches and temples are always filled with worshippers. It shows we have not forgotten the spiritual aspect of our existence.
Malaysia can be described as a little corner in God's vast hacienda. Luckily, we don't take all these wonderful and natural gifts for granted. For all these and more, we are truly grateful.
Yeah, Malaysia's a great place to live.
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