Is there a way to measure how Malaysian one is? It is a matter I never gave much thought to until recently. For me, I am about as Malaysian as any Timah, Danapackiam and Hock Seng. Or heck, as any Gurdev Singh, Timothy anak Boniface or Ignatius Anthony. Yes, I am Chinese, but being Chinese AND Malaysian isn't mutually exclusive. I am Chinese because it is in my genetic makeup. It means that I have a predisposition to certain medical conditions associated with this race. It means that I have less melanin in my skin, that I burn more easily in the sun compared to my other fellow Malaysians. It means that someday I will probably visit the country my ancestors came from, and try to feel a spiritual connection with that place. It means that I will celebrate an age-old tradition associated with ang-pows and firecrackers and all things red and that my mother will chide me if I wash my hair on the first day of that said celebration. It means that I am expected to know how to speak in a tongue that is the tongue spoken by my mother and father and their mothers and fathers. And well, I think it also means that I am more likely to have slanty eyes and stick-straight hair (you pretty Chinese lasses and lads out there may beg to differ). And so, being Chinese, does that make me any less Malaysian? I was born and bred here. I never knew any another country other than this to which I belong to. I learnt to write in Bahasa Melayu and English way before I could write in Chinese. I went to a national school, where I fought with, befriended and played football with Kai Sian, Nurizam, Vengadesh and Yan Ni - and they were just as they were, friends with tan variation because their genetic makeup dictated it (unless you were Michael Jackson). I cheered for our team in the SEA/Asia/Olympic Games, whichever country they were up against. I pay my taxes; I serve my people - my patients have consisted of Malays, Chinese, Indians, Punjabis, Ibans, Bidayuhs, Melanaus and various other "minority" races, and in this context race only mattered in predicting what kind of illnesses they were more likely to get. I speak fluent Malay, English and a handful of Chinese dialects, and a smattering of Indian and Iban which is extremely helpful in my work. No big deal, I agree. Most of you are like me - there isn't really any need to declare how Malaysian you are, because we already are! So don't confuse me by telling me that I am a "minority" race, that I was blessed to be granted the right to live in this land that was not the birthplace of my ancestors. Like I said, I know of no other country to which I belong. Recognize that we all have differences, just as there is heterogeneity within a family or a racially homogenous group, but please, don't make such a big deal out of it. I am as Chinese as I am Malaysian. That's how Malaysian I am.
*some names have not been changed
