Practice of Unity in Diversity-Part 1

Apart from introduce myself, this is my first blog in STEEMIT. I would like to express one phrase always talked by many politicians.

“Unity in Diversity” – by the Prime Minister of Malaysia (2013)
"Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-religious society. Its people and its government face long standing social challenges and not always positive patterns of co-existence and accommodation. We face, as do all countries, increased pressure and scrutiny created by global trends beyond the control of any single nation" More

Is it just a SLOGAN or something can really be PRACTICAL?

Lim Guan Ying said after he was elected to be Finance minister in 12 May.

I’m sorry, I don’t consider myself Chinese. I’m Malaysian.

This phrase seems more meaningful to me that I consider myself as Malaysian in a whole rather than as Chinese for a self-centred race.

My experience with Unity in Diversity

I remember the time while I was studying at Seminary Theologi Malaysia (http://www.stm.edu.my) in 2008. Other than Malaysians, I met a lot of classmates from different countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, China, Pakistan, Japan, and Korea. I had an Indian roommate, Pastor Yesus Das. We had different living habit. I always slept earlier before 10 pm but he was a night owl. I always used to simple and casual outlook but he would spend long time in dressing himself outstandingly. I afraid of cold but he is opposite that he could turn on the ceiling fan in our room to its maximum 5 level. Thanks God we have developed an mutual understanding and tolerance through acceptance of different cultures. I learnt from him to speak simple Tamil as he could speak Mandarin to me. For examples, we used communicate in manners like Naṉṟi 谢谢 (Thank you) and Kālai vaṇakkam 早安(Welcomed).

Even though I come from a traditional Chinese background and consider Mandarin as my first language. But I tried to use English and my limited Tamil and Bahasa to say hi to classmates with different cultures. In those years of studies, I attended wedding of my classmates that a Korean girl married to a Japanese, an Indonesian married to a Malaysian, an Orang Asli from small town married to a Malaysian who lived in city, etc. WOW, it is a mixing celebration of colourful platter. After my graduation later, I also invited my classmates from different culture to attend my wedding. Thanks God again I did not scolded by my tradition father as I married a girl who don’t speak Mandarin.

Story to be continued…