On Racial Tolerance and for Amy Cheong

I know I promised a personal post ( It's already written and scheduled to go live on Friday). But today I want to share my sentiments on the whole Amy Cheong saga.

I'm sure you're all aware by now.. but for the benefit of those who don't, let me briefly sum it up for you: On Sunday night, Amy Cheong, posts a rude status updates about Malay void deck weddings. By Monday morning, it went viral.  Today (Tuesday), she was fired by her employer NTUC. Today, she flew to Perth (presumably to seek refuge, and get away from it all).

I don't condone what she has done. In fact, I find her remarks distasteful and very malicious towards the Malays in Singapore. For this, she got fired by NTUC... which I think is fair. It is the prerogative of the employer whether to fire her or not over such poor conduct. Plus, as an assistant director at NTUC, I feel she should have known better than to conduct herself this way. 

But then... I see all sorts of characters (of all races ah) coming out of the woodworks... some trying to flame this fire, some making the most asinine remarks (like calling her "Amy chee Cheong fun". Woah dude, yeah.. I'm sure that cuts like a knife)...... some taking such umbrage and some others bringing politics and the PAP into the equation.

*My hands up in surrender* Ok, the Grassroots leader who made the police report against Amy Cheong for her comment, is a fellow grago (Eurasian).... De Souza some more (same surname as my Grandma).... I suppose if he did it in the hopes that they would give her a scare and she would stop making such remarks public in the future, then good. But if it was done because like... every little thing also call police... then *face palm*

And surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly)... now, some are saying she should come back from Perth so we can put her in jail. Ah?? Yao mo gao cho? More like, we should put YOU in jail for stirring shit and trying to cause more friction between the races.

If you're one of those people I'm speaking about, your behaviour reminds me of a bunch of young hooligans. When one person punches another person, and some random fool shouts FIGHT!!! Everyone starts joining in, swinging and kicking, not knowing exactly why or what they're fighting for.

Grow up a little, or at least try to. 

Having grown up in Singapore as an extreme minority, not to be smug or anything, but I can tell you what racial tolerance is. 

It is not just respecting other races and their practices (because you can never truly do this 100%)... but it is more about being self assured. Being so sure about yourself (and race) that you don't feel the need to lash out at others and don't feel the need to bring the roof down when other people say things that don't sound nice about yourself (or race).

You know, when I was sitting in Malay class in secondary school, the teacher (his name was Mr Rawi, but he's long been dead now), he singled me out and told the class, "Dia makan babi"... which translates to she eats pork. And the whole class of like 20 Malay kids went in unison- "Eeeee!!!"

I was the DIRTY girl. (I believe the word was Haram). No one wanted to touch my things for a while. (But kids being kids, it soon passed and was forgotten by them)

But imagine how it made me feel? A young Eurasian kid already struggling to learn a "Mother Tongue" which is not hers, just so she can get her required B, and get into college. Life was hard enough, without being singled out (by the adult teacher no doubt). 

On another occasion  I don't remember what made the topic surface... but it was something about toilets, or toilet paper.  And the teacher was saying something like- The Chinese don't wash their asses after shitting. 

And there was a gasp (of disbelief?) from the class. And then he said (in Malay, but I forget how to say this whole long sentence in malay lah)- "You don't believe, you ask her" (pointing to me, the only non-malay in class of course)... "When she shits she wipes her ass with paper" .....  (KERTAS!!) and then graphically waved a piece of foolscap paper in the air. I think because the translation of toilet paper (toilet tissue) in Malay is literally paper... as in no different from the paper you write on. 

I remember all this because it hurt and was very embarrassing for me. Did I survive it? Of course la. I'm so much tougher than that, even as a child. 

Did it cause me to hate all my Malay friends or the Malay race? No. In fact, some of my best friends are Malay.

But did it cause me to hate this teacher or complain about him to my parents or the authorities? No. 

Even as a child, my parents taught me to be sure of myself, and proud of my race. So what if there are things about me or my race which other people (including the Chinese and Indians and other races) will never understand. I don't need them to understand. I do what I feel is right and I can feel good about that.

Sometimes I too might unwittingly have bad thoughts or make bad comments about other races, because I cannnot understand them 100% either. But when that happens, I hope they will be able to find it in their hearts to forgive my ignorance... just as I have in the past overlooked theirs instead of making a big ass deal out of it. I hope they won't lynch me like they did Amy Cheong.

Is this how you want to define your race? Is this how you deal with such situations? Does this make you feel good?

Makcik in tudung proudly making fuck you sign.

Calling NTUC a CUNT and other uncouth gangster like posts. 

I don't wish to offend anyone, especially those who are finding it difficult to deal with the anger Amy Cheong has caused them, but I feel sad when I see my fellow Singaporeans responding this way.

Amy Cheong is an idiot. Yes. But you don't have to stoop to her level. You are so much better than that.