IN Malaysia, everything is politicised. Because race and religion has become the main rhetoric that delivers the votes, politicians have used these two platforms to play up racial and religious sentiments.
To gain brownie points for his party, Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) deputy information chief Mahdzir Ibrahim recently criticised the unity government by claiming that the Rahmah concept actually originated from former two-time premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
We have carried out some research with people who are in linguistic studies, and we decided to write this to show how even a single word can split us when politicians have their way.
Malaysians need to open their eyes to what is happening around the world instead of living in their own little cocoons.
Christians who study ancient Hebrew in order to read the Old Testament in its original language, for example, tell us that the word rahmah currently used in the unity government’s promotion of Menu Rahmah has its equivalent to the Hebrew word, רַחֲמִים which has exactly the same pronunciation as ‘rahamim’ (رحم).
This is given that both Arabic and Hebrew are cousin languages which explains why its root word רַחַם is also pronounced as ‘rahmah’.
The word has often been translated to mean compassion or mercy and because the root word (רחם) means a woman’s ‘womb’, it can also mean ‘brotherhood’ or brotherly feeling of those born from the same womb.’ In Malay, we have the word ‘rahim’ for a woman’s womb.
So, why fight over one single word without fully comprehending how languages evolved? After all, are we not from the same ‘womb’ of Eve (or Hawa for the Muslims)?
In a country now run by the unity government, we should stay united, and learn to appreciate each other’s culture, language and way of doing things.
For example, the teaching of khat (Islamic calligraphy) mooted by former education minister Dr Mazlee Malik can be taught in specially government sponsored events alongside with Chinese and other forms of calligraphy.
School children can also do learn the various forms of calligraphy during their art classes instead of insisting that khat must be taught in what is an already very packed and complicated Bahasa Malaysia syllabus.
Make Malaysia the melting pot of different cultures and traditions. After all, this was once a ‘cosmopolitan’ where the East and West met. If we agree that Malaysians should preserve our unity in diversity, we should tell our politicians to behave themselves.
When Malaysians sing a different tune, even the peacocks will transform into ducks to do a different dance. All that politicians are looking for is the votes. – May 11, 2023
Read prior articles in this series:
The collapse, collapse, collapse mantra that PN is capitalising on
Unity gov’t solid and strong despite chants of impending collapse
Man of the hour: Is Anwar’s anti-graft drive just a fad or a necessity in Madani Malaysia?
Never idolise any leader, Anwar included
Remembering May 13 and what it was not
Is there a psychological war being waged against the unity government?
R&R is for “Rest and Recreation”, not “Race and Religion”, please!
