ARE Malaysians born racially conscious or are we taught to be?
Do we really advance a notion of racial superiority or are we merely proud and protective of our own racial identity?
In Malaysia, terms like ‘racist’ are used frequently as political slurs. While there are many instances of individuals getting carried away in their 'struggle for their race,' few are willing to interrogate the implications and interpretations of such terms exhaustively.
This adds another dimension to the interplay of ‘race’ within the highly racialised Malaysian context – are Malaysians overly sensitive?
Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz – fondly known as Buzze Azam – is a practising lawyer and political activist who has been frequently embroiled in such disputes, and has consistently been branded a 'raging menace.'
“In fact, it is not only the non-Malays who misread me, even the Malays misread me.
“These are people who see me as too extreme, too racist, too much – so, if the Malays are biased towards me, what more the non-Malays?” he said.
According to Buzze Azam, he is engaged in little more that advocating – if too loudly at times – what is enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
In the second art of a six-part series entitled ‘Truly Malaysia?’ The Vibes speaks to Buzze Azam on how he views racial harmony in Malaysia and what he believes are the challenges Malaysians are facing in this day and age.
'I am not an ice cream vendor'
As such, it is unavoidable that some Malaysians will not approve of his actions and behaviour.
“I am not an ice cream vendor. Why do I say that? Because there is a saying – ‘if we want to be liked by the people, by everyone, go sell ice cream’. So, clearly I am not an ice cream vendor,” he said with a cheeky twinkle in his eyes.
When asked to comment on the numerous police reports lodged against him for his public statements, Buzze Azam explains that it does not trigger him, instead, he encourages those who are against him to continue making further reports.
“Go right ahead, by all means please, please help yourselves when lodging police reports against me. I have never acted blindly, attack anyone without reason or behave recklessly. I just defend what I believe is right – that is defending the law and the Constitution.
“So, what are they really trying to say?” he asks of his detractors. “Is it that only they can attack, but I cannot defend? ‘Banyak cantek’? Do I look like a waxwork’s statue in Madame Tussauds to you?” – The Vibes, October 23, 2021
Read the previous part of this series here:
