What is it to be a Truly Malaysian?

           In daily life, we are exposed to various slogans or advertisements which promote about patriotism, like “Malaysia Boleh”, “Cuti-Cuti Malaysia” and “1 Malaysia” around of us. However, had you ever wondered about what actually make us, Malaysian to be so unique and able to stand out from the rest of world?
Shyu Chai:

          I would say, “Yes! Being a Malaysian is my honor and it is a pretty special thing! I am happy of my country!” We are the one of a kind, from our cultures, habits and customs. Yet, what is it to be a TRULY MALAYSIAN?? Let me figure out some points and if you are “bingo” with them, HAH! You’re definitely a truly blue Malaysian ^^

1. The “beautiful broken” language (Got meh??)

Whenever you ask me “What is our national language?” I will answer you with no hesitate, “Bahasa Rojak!” What is it? Come on lah, it’s our slang ma! This language, “Manglish” can only be understood by our own and our closest neighboring countries such as Singapore.

Haiyo. Really ah? Can lah. No lah. Have you see that? "Lah" is as adaptable as we Malaysians are. We can just use it anytime, anywhere...LOL! As conclusion, if you're Malaysian, just say “lah” :)

2. The power of hands

Want to cross a road with busy and heavy traffic? Oh, just by holding up your hands and in front of you, the incoming car, van, motorbike, bicycle and lorry will obey the hands! They will definitely stopped (**no matter how fast is it**LOL!) In the other words, raising the “powerful magic” hands is a distinct Malaysian communication way. (Chong, 2014)

3. Hope for a public holiday whenever we win at sports

Whether it’s our badminton stars at the Thomas Cup, our football team at the AFF Suzuki Cup, or our athletes at the Olympic Games – you hope for a public holiday if we do well. When Lee Chong Wei won in the recent Thomas Cup Final, Malaysians jumped with so excited, waiting for a public holiday announcement. So, we can see that, win in a sport game is a big deal for all citizens.

4. Your phone eat first before you

Don’t tell me you’re not (myself included.LOL) It was like a mission in our daily life, “We have to let the world know what is our breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner and even supper! (Adui~) We take pictures of every food we eat and upload them to our social account like FB, Instagram, Twitter and blablabla. (Just to get LIKES from your followers hah!) Whether we’re at the mamak or a fine dining restaurant, whether we’re eating Asian or Western cuisine, whether we’re with friends or alone – pictures are a must. In short, we just want to show that “We are food hunters and fod lovers!” (Choo, 2014)

So…how many points are applied to you? :)

No matter what, just don’t forget one thing; we are Satu Malaysia! Let’s remember that we’ve got more in common, as Malaysians, with each other than we even know. ^^

References:

Anon (n.d.). 10 ways you know you’re Malaysian. [Online]. Astro.com.my. Available from: http://www.astro.com.my/negaraku/ArticleDetails?articleId=2389&catId=92. [Accessed: 19 March 2016].

Chong, A. (2014). 13 Signs You Know You're Truly Malaysian. [Online]. 2014. Thesmartlocal.com. Available from: http://thesmartlocal.com/read/signs-youre-malaysian. [Accessed: 19 March 2016].

Choo, W. (2014). Ten top special traits that make people say they are proud to be Malaysians - Community | The Star Online. [Online]. 2014. Thestar.com.my. Available from: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2014/08/30/top-special-traits-mob-looks-at-things-people-say-make-them-proud-to-be-malaysian/. [Accessed: 19 March 2016].

Hoe Choon:

            I love my country which is Malaysia, even the country now is under internal rebellion. But there is still a beautiful country and my hometown is at Penang.  Also, Malaysia is a cosmopolitan country and we have three major races, which is Malays, Chinese and Indians. Indeed, Malaysia is a country of varied cultures and traditions.  Here, I met many people from different cultures and we able to join and play together. we choose to live in a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere. For the most important reason which is Malaysia is a food paradise. Malaysian food is the best in the world. The best of the best in my opinion is the food from Penang .I can eat a lot of Malay food, Indian food, Chinese food and my personal favourite is Chinese food. For example, Lasak, ClayPots and etc. for Malaysia food Nasi lemak is one of my favour too. The price also is cheaper, it was incredibly affordable to eat, sleep, travel, and explore in Malaysia. So I encourage more foreigner come Malaysia to travel and average daily expenditures were the cheapest compare with other country. In Malaysia we have a lot of good place to travel such as Langkawi and Penang. If for some jungle trekking, hiking mountains, exploring a tea plantation, checking out cool bugs and wildlife, and all sorts of stuff that nature buffs can go for Cameron Highlands. Then Kuala Lumpur is our country capital and there a lot of inside air-conditioned shopping malls and it’s were many locals shop for fresh produces, cheap clothes and street food in Melaka.  Furthermore, Malaysia It can be crushingly hot at times, but overall the weather here helps me understand why people from England showed up and decided to stay. Moreover, Malaysia also have Great festivals are a direct consequence of cultural diversity. Between January and February, and we had the chance of witnessing two great celebrations which is Thaipusam and Chinese New Year. Every month there are festivals around the country; religious or secular, sports and cultural events we can enjoy and also welcome all of foreigner to join our culture. 

"Why do you love Malaysia?"

References:

Chew, T. (2014). 30 reasons to love Malaysia. [Online]. 2014. ExpatGo. Available from: http://www.expatgo.com/my/2014/05/06/30-reasons-to-love-malaysia/. [Accessed: 19 March 2016].

Vanessa:

Malaysia is a beautiful country consisting of Malays, Chinese, Indians and numerous indigenous people. In 1957, Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman declared Malaysia’s birth, where “10 million people of many races, now join hands in freedom and unity”. What makes us unique from other countries is that we are able to live together in harmony despite our multiracial culture. It does not matter that we have different skin colour, beliefs, or religious, there is only one thing we all have in common - We are all Malaysian and we see no other differences.

All the wonderful things about being a Malaysian

A pro of growing up and living together with people of different races is that majority of Malaysian are able to speak more than two lauguages and we do not even need to pay for lauguage classes to learn them. Many foreigners assume we speak our national lauguage, most of them also did not know that Malaysians are at least bi-lingual. It is a fun experience to see their awe upon learning about how well Malaysians command their English. Since we speak so many different lauguages, it is also entertaining to see the confusion on other people’s face while guessing our originality. Sometimes we would pretend not to know a lauguage in public so that we can listen to other people’s conversation for entertaining purpose. However, we would also pretend not to know a lauguage so that it is easier to just shake your head, give a shrug and do not have to talk to someone but this is a bad habit so kids, do not learn this!    

As I said earlier, you may be Malay, Chinese or Indian but we are all known as one which is Malaysian. A true Malaysian is passionate and always ready to help anyone in need. There are always many stories that were shared on social media that showed how united all Malaysians are. There was a heart-warming story posted on Facebook last year about an old Chinese man wolfing down four packets of nasi lemak at a coffee shop as if he has not eaten for days. After this man finished his meal, the owner of the coffee shop offered him an additional packet of Kuey Teow for free which the old man eagerly accepted and devoured. The entire situation was witness by an Indian guy, Balamuraly which he later decided to pay for the hungry man’s total bill but only to be informed that the old man’s bill has been settled by another customer.  The best part of this short story is the poor man is a Chinese, the generous shop owner is a Malay and the witness, Balamuraly is an Indian. Balamuraly later shared this touching story to his Facebook, stating that instead of bickering and politicising the dengue and “bantuan banjir” (flood relief efforts) issue, we should be more concerned about helping needy people, no matter what their race.

Even though sometimes racism issues will surface the society, but that does not really define who we are. To me, when we all stand up for each other no matter what our race, that's when we can proudly call ourselves Malaysians.

References:

Anon (2016). 9 Things Only Us Malaysians Who Are At Least Bilingual Will Understand - World Of Buzz. [Online]. 2016. World Of Buzz. Available from: http://www.worldofbuzz.com/9-things-only-us-malaysians-who-are-at-least-bilingual-will-understand/. [Accessed: 19 March 2016].

Anon (2015). What it means to be 'Truly Malaysian'. [Online]. 2015. Free Malaysia Today. Available from: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/03/27/what-it-means-to-be-truly-malaysian/. [Accessed: 19 March 2016].

Noor Syafiqah:

Why we are proud to be MALAYSIAN?

As our country celebrates its 57th year of independence from the British, the MOB team looks at some of the things people say makes them proud to call themselves Anak Malaysia. (malaysiandigest,2012) The Star Online had listed out some points that make us feel proud to be Malaysian:

1. Food

Malaysia has been well know for their delicious food.Most Malaysian favourite food is roti canai.Usually in Malaysia,when people meet,the general greeting among them is always is asking sudah makan?(have you eaten?) and people are willing to travel for hours just to get a good food.Malaysia’s melting pot of cultures, with mainly Malay, Chinese and Indian influences in its cuisine, has earned us a place among food lovers. From asam laksa, roti canai to nasi lemak and char kuey teow, when it comes to food, all arguments will be forgotten.

2. Religious Diversity

Mostly visitors that come to Malaysia have commented on our unique religious diversity where people from different faith lives together in harmony.Malaysia can be known as one of the harmony country which all the church,mosque and temple can be located within the same neighbourhood.Growing up in this environment, most Malaysians are mindful of our conductso as not to offend friends of different faiths. For example, during the fasting month, some would avoid eating and drinking in front of Muslim friends; while most would know not to serve beef to Hindus.

3. Beautiful destination

From nature to historical sites and shopping outlets, our country has it all. In Sabah and Sarawak, there are pristine islands such as Pulau Sipadan and Pulau Gaya, while Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in South-East Asia is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

References:

malaysiandigest. (2012). so,what makes you proud to be Malaysian?. [online] Availableat:http://www.malaysiandigest.com/archived/index.php/12-news/local2/12176-so-what-makes-you-proud-to-be-malaysian.html [Accessed 19 Mar. 2016].

thestar.com. (2014). ten top special traits that make people say they are proud to be malaysian.[online]Availableat:http://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2014/08/30/top-special-traits-mob-looks-at-things-people-say-make-them-proud-to-be-malaysian/ [Accessed 19 Mar. 2016].