We did not erase our differences or pretend they did not exist. We did not aim to be colour-blind. We did not choose to be historically deaf. Instead, we embraced all the colours — every shade, every story, every tradition. We created a nation of many colours with the shared goal of becoming one Malaysian race, anchored in the land’s history — the Malay Sultanates and traditions with Islam as the official religion — while at the same time safeguarding the other cultures. We etched this commitment in our social contract through Article 153, which protects the special position of the Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak while also guaranteeing the legitimate interests of other communities.
This is what our Unity in Diversity truly means.
We decided we are many colours, but one race. Yet when we speak of the Malaysian race, we are referring to the word bangsa, not kaum. Bangsa speaks of citizenship. Bangsa Malaysia means our ethnicity remains Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Kadazan, Melanau, Senoi, Semang, Kelabit, Murut, Kayan, and so on — but our citizenship is one: Malaysian.
Take language, for example.
While Bahasa Malaysia is our National Language — our shared tongue that binds us — we respect the mother tongues of our many communities. We did not impose uniformity. Instead, we anchored ourselves in the Malay language while allowing and encouraging every other language to grow and flourish. This is why we agreed to and encouraged the vernacular schools.
To me, this decision to integrate, rather than assimilate, is not only wise but crucial for humanity.
Across the globe, more than 3,000 languages have already disappeared, and the number continues to rise. Each language lost is a piece of humanity gone forever. Here in Malaysia, we have chosen not to be part of this loss.
We are a nation that treasures culture — and by extension, the cultures of the world.
We want to preserve, promote, and protect the major languages and traditions — Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, English — while also ensuring that smaller and lesser-known ones like Kelabit, Kristang, and Temuan continue to be heard, spoken, and celebrated.
Every culture, every dialect, every dance, song, and proverb adds richness to the Malaysian story. We must never allow even one of our many cultures or languages to vanish — because the loss of one is the loss of all.
To lose a culture is to lose a whole conceptual understanding of a people. We would be losing thousands of years of knowledge and wisdom embedded in language, tradition, and practice. It is like losing a species of animal — only worse.
As a Star Trek kaki, I am reminded of Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). Captain Picard and his crew uncover a plan by the Federation and the Son’a to forcibly remove the Ba’ku from their homeworld to exploit its life-restoring radiation. Recognizing that this would mean the loss of the Ba’ku’s simple, agrarian way of life and the destruction of their culture, Picard and his team refuse to allow it. Even against Starfleet orders, they stand firm to protect the Ba’ku’s right to preserve their identity and way of living.
We too must be like Picard and his team. We must ensure that we lose none, and instead grow all.
“And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge.”
(Qur’an 30:22)
Peace.
Anas Zubedy
Penang
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