Nationhood & Identity

Alicia Ho | AIC1003 Aspects Of Poetry | Blogpost #4

Language is a big part of a country

And ours is no different

But does yours have a mixture

Of 3 completely different ones?

In Malaysia, we memang have la.

But in Malaysia

Language sets us apart at times,

Language becomes a barrier,

Language becomes an obstacle,

To overcome and fear.

Some words sets us apart from others

Some words are used against our brothers.

But in Malaysia, we follow the order

And in Malaysia, we learn not to bother.

Because in Malaysia, Kita Jaga Kita ma.

This poem is centred around the many different races and languages that are present in our very beautiful multi-racial country. Though we are undoubtedly rich in culture, at times it becomes an unspoken issue that many chose to ignore. Many of us usually speak one language more, either Bahasa Melayu, English, Mandarin or Tamil, and because of this, certain boundaries are created as the method of communication we use differs from one another.

In addition, we often have several words we use in every language to discriminate others in another culture, which puts us against each other even more.

However, most Malaysians are very civil and prioritise harmony. We do not generalise each other by our races and cultures, and accept each other despite coming from different backgrounds, and that is what I believe to be incredibly beautiful about our country as a whole. #KitaJagaKita