yasmin on unity

New Straits Times interviews Malaysian film director Yasmin Ahmad concerning her latest ad which has stirred much emotion amongst Malaysians.

The gist of the interview points to the notion that Yasmin intended to capture what was closest to her heart, and that was the Malay culture, and the black and white side of the Malay race, or what she likes to refer to as Melayu. And if certain parties couldn't see it for what it was, i.e. a parody on the Malaysian manners, then it was no fault of hers to portray what was truly Malaysian.

Interestingly, she has a few views about unity.

A: You know this Satu Bangsa Malaysia thing? I'm really not interested in seeing us as a homogenous society, as if we are all the same. Don't want all this (stuff) about integration. I don't want integration. I want Indians and Chinese to stay as they are. I love them as they are. I don't want them to be like me, and I don't want to be like them.

Q: So if it's not integration, then what should we seek?

A: Harmony, not homogeneity.

Q: What about tolerance, then?

A: It's terrible. Tolerance is "I don't like you but I will bear with you." But if tolerance is all I can get, then, okay-lah, I'll settle for it. You can't force people to like people.

So in the end, harmony and acceptance is what trulyUnited means. We can still be Chinese, Malay, Indian at heart. But as long as we learn to live in mutual harmony and accept each other for who we are, we can be great Malaysians