Editor’s Note: We hear our readers who feel that we have overstepped our boundaries loud and clear. We have no malicious intent to sow racial discord as claimed by some readers. What we want to see is that Malaysia continues to thrive as a cultural melting pot of Asia where different ethnic groups can live in peace and harmony. For this reason, we have taken measures to amend this specific paragraph: “But given how some political parties seem to turn everything into a 3R (race, religion and royalty) issue, one wonders if such festive cheer can continue to be preserved in time to come.”
AN American content creator has expressed amazement at the extravagant Christmas decorations at Kuala Lumpur shopping malls.
In a TikTok video that has already garnered over a million views and close to 4,000 comments, @lillithinkl is flabbergasted that Malaysians seem to “go harder” at creating festive cheer at shopping complexes compared to her home country.
She asks how it is possible for a country with a mere 9% Christian population can “kill it” against the US which has an overwhelmingly Christian majority at 63%.
A local netizen responded in the positive to her observation:
Many netizens also proudly reflected on Malaysia’s ethnic and cultural diversity:
But given how some political parties seem to turn everything into a 3R (race, religion and royalty) issue, one wonders if such festive cheer can continue to be preserved in time to come.
Will it be any surprise if some politicians use this as an example of western propaganda to further the conspiracy theory of dark, evil forces that are hell-bent on turning Malaysia into a gasp, “Christian country”?
The growing conservatism in society mean that such celebrations must never be taken for granted. There are those who see such decorations as an affront to their sensibilities and Malaysians must do their utmost to ensure such a culture of inclusiveness is maintained. – Dec 14, 2023
