Race: Whatever

Race: Whatever
By T.K.

People at first meeting often ask, where are you from? I suppose my answer would logically be, Malaysia. It is the place I was born and the country that I have lived in for 23 years of my 29 years of life. It is the place my family resides and where most of my friends are, or from at least. If the question was asked anywhere in the world, outside Malaysia, people would generally be surprised with the answer. I look Indian, or South Asian, and they would probably expect answers like, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, I don’t know, Timbuktu (in Mali)?

That’s the thing isn’t it – I am Indian, not by nationality but by race. In fact, my ethnicity is Tamil, which is South Indian. It is obvious that I come from a long line of immigrants who moved to Malaya (as it was known then) to work in plantations during the British occupancy.

Outside Malaysia, I feel Malaysian. I do not have any link with India except for my forefather’s who are dead and probably some distant cousin in some village unknown to me. I would share more things in common with a Chinese Malaysian or a Malay Malaysian than an Indian Indian, (an Indian from India that is).

However, when I am in Malaysia, within its borders, I feel Indian. Why is that? I think it is largely due to the fact that Malaysia is very race-oriented. Since birth, your birth certificate would clearly identify your race – Malay, Chinese, Indian, Others. As you grow up and go to school, suddenly you realise that you are “Indian” rather than “Malaysian” because of labels. Labelling by school authorities, teachers, and other students even.

If you apply for anything, identity card, passport, bank account, anything at all in Malaysia that requires personal information it would almost always have the column, race on it. How can you not help but feel that you are “Indian”.

I find this strange indeed for these reasons. Firstly, I am not Indian, nationality-wise. I suppose ethnicity would be more accurate, which would mean I am Tamil. However, in Malaysia there are a large number of Tamils who originally came from Sri Lanka. Are they Indian or are they Sri Lankans? Perhaps they rather be called Ceylonese, which is again strange because Ceylon does not exist anymore. The fact of the matter is – Indian Tamils and Ceylonese Tamils have more in common than an Indian Tamil and an Indian Punjabi. This is because of language, culture and religious similarities. However, certain factions of society still cling on to their differences rather than their similarities.

Which is my second reason. Outside Malaysia, I have more in common with a Malay or Chinese person from Malaysia than an Indian from India, or even a Tamil from Sri Lanka. It is this strange predicament that makes me wonder why Malaysia is so race-oriented. Isn’t it time to call the race column off and just label ourselves Malaysians?

My third reason for finding this identity crisis strange is that there are many Malaysians today who are of mixed parentage. Half Chinese and Half Indian perhaps, and what do they put on the race column? What if a person was half Malay and half Chinese? Half Indian and half Malay? Well, you get the idea. It is all too confusing and ridiculous.

It seems like a charade to be calling myself Indian when I am in my country of birth and then calling myself Malaysian when I step outside. It would be like the black people of the USA calling themselves African in America and American in Africa. Oh wait a minute that is the case isn’t it? Perhaps this is a worldwide phenomenon. People just like to accentuate their differences. It makes them feel unique.

Another amusing thing to consider is, the race status of Malaysians who have emigrated abroad, and have taken up other nationalities. For instance, a Malaysian Chinese who has now become Australian, would be Australian Malaysian Chinese? What if the same person now lived in China – would he be Chinese Malaysian Chinese?

Okay, so labels are labels, and we call ourselves whatever we please. So maybe the world will witness many more thousand immigrations, so that people have moved so many times that we shall all call ourselves Human, or Earthlings, or Whatever.