KUALA LUMPUR – Ethno-religious bigots have abused the word “sensitivity” to limit cultural freedom and to influence followers to demonstrate subservience to them, said Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau.
“We must reclaim the word ‘sensitivity’ that has been abused by ethno-religious bigots as the all-season excuse to restrict the freedom of others and demonstrate subservience to them,” he said in his Chinese New Year message today.
“‘Sensitivity’ should be a quality that we nurture in ourselves, instead of demanding of others to suit our individual or collective ego,” he added.
Tangau included an example where drinking rice wine or palm wine is customary during festivals in Borneo’s indigenous cultures, yet the communities do not offer them to Muslims out of respect towards religious restrictions.
Similarly, in the statement, he added that Muslims there will not presume that serving alcohol will be limited during these celebrations, as they respect the communities’ cultural freedom, stating that “two-way traffic of sensitivity is the real meaning of sensitivity”.
The Wisdom Foundation executive chairman also advised Malaysians to instil resilience in themselves, as they will otherwise be overpowered by their insecurities when other people are different from them.
“It is a human impulse to feel insecure when we find others to be different from us or (when they) disagree with us,” he said.
“If we lack resilience, then we constantly feel threatened (over) our faith, culture, or institutions, simply because others do not think, speak, behave, or dress like us,” he added.
With resilience, Tangau opined one could then gain the confidence to be different from others, while still learning to be compassionate and respecting each other’s differences.
“Resilience teaches us that we can be one loving family without being the same,” he said.
Tangau’s Chinese New Year wish came with more words of wisdom, as he reminded Malaysians to always have empathy towards one another.
“To build a stronger and more cohesive nation, we indeed need more respect and compassion towards each other,” he said.
“We should be empathetic and accommodating of each other’s reasonable needs, not just during festivals, but throughout the year,” he added.
Tangau concluded his heartfelt message with the wish that all communities are able to celebrate their festivals this year without being disrupted by “egoistic, insecure, and uncultured” individuals or groups, whether such disruptions are politically driven or otherwise. – The Vibes, January 21, 2023
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