If youre a Malaysian, you

I grew up singing Negaraku every Monday during school assemblies.I learned how to draw our
national flag when I was in Year One. Next to the crescent, I traced the outline of a 50 sen coin
and then carefully drew 14 spikes around the circle.And until today, I can still hum the tune
of Sejahtera Malaysia, a patriotic song that was aired years ago on RTM..Honourable judges,
teachers, fellow friends and ladies and gentlemen, good morning I bid you. When we say we are
Malaysians, we say it with a tinge of pride but if we dig even deeper, what are we actually proud
about. Based on the type of audience we have today, Im sure many of us have been to many
overseas trips and usually on these trips we would see another Malaysian. At that moment, you
could either feel excited or endangered. But the first instinct is always based on how they look,
judging a book by its cover and then confirmation comes in when you finally approach them.
Its very easy to overlook the smallest things that makes us Malaysian.
Weve read countless of articles about our diversed food in the STAR newspaper making
headlines while drinking our standard morning fix,tehtarikor milo panas. We Malaysians will
admit that our food is simply the best and odds are we are defensive about it. Yes, we may have
NasiLemak, Satay, Char KueyTeow, Roti Canai so on and so forthTo no surprise, Malaysians are
born a foodie as majority of us have remembered the menu at the mamak by heart. Legend
says that instead of remembering the Rukun Negara, we Malaysians remember the menu at the
mamak.. But what makes us truly a Malaysian, is the ability to differentiate milo aisand milo
dinosaur. To some people, the term milo and dinosaur sounds unconventional, until you see how
it looks like. Basically a cup of iced milo and its powder overflowing the surface of it. Were
very creative and innovative in our food.
We live in a world where everyone is at pace meaning that the people around you are always on
the way to a certain destination.. This is probably the most obvious characteristic that
Malaysians have. We have our own system for time management. Yes. We run on Malaysian
Timing. Generally speaking, our punctuality is impeccable. Im not sarcastically saying that all
Malaysians are always tardy. For example, If I was living in USJ, Subang Jaya and tonight Im
planning to hold a party. I will ring up all my friends to inform that it starts exactly at 9 PM. It
doesnt matter whether my friend lives in Klang or beside me, if my party starts at 9 PM, thats
exactly the time they will start moving. Oh, and the answer we get from them when they say on
the way , actually meanstheir on the way, yes, no lies, but to the car. And if your friend answers
that they will arrive at Malaysian time, means that they know the protocol meaning thats when
all the kids arrive, 20 minutes late.

Two years ago, I lived in Beijing for 2 months as an expatriate. I felt very lonely and you know
the comfort we get when we are surrounded by our people, there was none of that. It was not
until I took a cab with my fellow coursemate did I realize she was Malaysian. She knew I was
one but never did she tell me she was Malaysian as well. I didnt bother to ask because she had a
strong English accent. Moving on, I realized we are very minimalistic with the words we use.
She told the driver to gostan. You audience would know what it means but imagine the
confusion the taxi driver had. And then she asked me got money o-not?with the most
stereotypical Malaysian slang you can possibly imagine. I shared the same baffled face as the
driver. I met up with her back in Malaysia at a mamak stall and she ordered her tosai with the
most fluent broken English. So right yet so wrong. Where did that accent disappear?

Speaking of mamak stalls, its a place for everyone really. A mamak stall can fit any occasion.
One corner youll see a business meeting and another corner youll see people shouting at the
projector screen because of a yellow card given by the referee. The truth is, no matter how many
campaigns are done to unite the many races in this country, we Malaysians ourselves dont buy
it. We know where the real unity starts, right at the mamak. Face it, if youre Malaysian,
mamakis the answer to all problems. Dont believe me? Not enough money? Mamak. No place
to study? Mamak.Cannot find a place to eat? Mamak. Its an economical and convenient place,
what more can you ask. Any big events are better at mamak stall. A badminton face-off between
Dato Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan can cause a crowd in the mamak. Disregard all the racial
divides and political instability because if youre Malaysian, chances are you are going to
politicize everything that happens. You blame the Prime Minister for a puddle of water in front
of your houses. The word government is our scapegoat.
Another thing that some Malaysians will never admit to, is to lie about their race and I know
there will be some guilty people in the audience.This is common in the younger generation. I
have a friend, and Im not going to say who. When I asked her whats your race. Oh, Im half
Chinese. and half Malay! My great grandfather was Portuguese and his cousins were from
Germany so that makes me half Portuguese and German as well In my mind, doesnt four half
races make 2 people, of course it makes perfect sense. Some Malaysians try to pull the most
distant races and proclaim them as theirs and I know why. If youre Malaysian and you are
mixed race, you are rich. Im not talking about financial background but during festive seasons
you get money from your uncles during Hari Raya, Deepavali and Chinese New Year, you get
the whole package.

During our primary school days, English teachers hated us, we hated them. It was a love-hate
relationship. As much as they try, they cant seem to eliminate your lahs prefixes during class.
Its colourful twist on English and we apply it with the other three main languages in our
country. We call it the bahasarojak , a useful language which suits every purpose. Besides
having the skill to use three languages in a sentences, we Malaysians are the ones to go for to
search for parking in a full parking lot. Im going to repeat myself a full parking lot. We
Malaysians specialize in double parking.. I swear Malaysians are a definitely a different breed,
we were born dare-devils. Overcoming the fears of getting a parking fine we still do it. Another
skill we managed to develop over the years is follow that guy , this is very common with
Malaysian parents. For those who dont understand, it means to follow a person who looks like
they are going to their car to go home.

During my stay in Beijing, I realized that theres no place better than Malaysia and its people.
Yes, we constantly judge, fight and complain but that happens in every country. Sometimes its
not the good things that make us Malaysian but the bad habits that prove were all the same. The
little gestures, such as placing ones left hand on ones right forearm when receiving or offering
something, speak volumes about Malaysians pleasant disposition.When I made my return to
Malaysia and arrived back home. I opened the top fridge and opened the ice-cream tub only to
find frozen chicken. Every Malaysian mothers cruel trick, but in that moment, I knew I was
home.Ill end my speech with a phrase which my coursemate said You can take the Malaysian
out of Malaysia, but you cant take the Malaysia out of a Malaysian. Thank you.