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If Chinese were to be like mamak, there would be thousands of mamak-like billionaires but of ethnic Chinese, dressed like Malays, speak Malay, profess Islam and marry 4 wives. Again, the Malays will be left behind.

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Mamakthir may not have pride in his southern Indian ancestry but many nons see no use for "assimilation". What is the point?

For one, what's the idea behind speaking Malay but yet remaining second or third class almost-citizens in an apartheid country where the monkeys run the zoo?

The blacks and Hispanics in the US assimilated into American (white) society, they speak English. But yet they remain outsiders and marginalised.

Mamakthir may think he's Malay, but spare us, every other person sees him as just another Indian.

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The response of the MIC president is brutal, but Gobind's is a soft landing.

Tun Mahathir promotes ethnic integration over Tunku Abdul Rahman's ethnic-unity principle, but Tunku's governing principle is not unique. In 500 B.C. King Cyrus pioneered a nuanced version of Tunku's principle.

Ask an Egyptian, Syrian, Jordanian, Iraqi, Libyan, Saudi or even an Indian, and they would ponder surprisingly that Persians once ruled over them.

In the historical process, Cyrus's ethnic-unity principle enabled ethnicities in the Persian dominion to remain recognisably distinct and nationalistic and safeguarded the flourishing of individual religions and cultures during and after his reign.

Furthermore, although Cyrus had the power to do so, there is no record of him forcing people of other faiths to convert to Zoroastrianism, the de facto Persian dogma. He recognised the value and effect of different religions and ethnicities and promoted them.

The point is, wittingly or otherwise, Tunku promoted Cyrus's principles. He kept religion out of the public domain and encouraged ethnic education, festivals, and politics under Malaysia's diverse and secularist umbrella.

Tunku's end goal is for races in Malaysia to reside side-by-side in a glorious fabric, recognisably distinct in features, mannerisms, food consumption, accents, and the icing on the cake, cuss words.

Peace!

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