"Gratitude" From East Malaysians

I was born in Kuala Lumpur and lived most of my life there. I confess that people like me do not frequently think about East Malaysia.

Not because we are malicious or have poor opinions of our fellow Malaysians who live across the South China Sea.

No. It's because we lead a completely different lifestyle -- and I had never been to East Malaysia until I hit my early 20s. You need a passport to get into that part of the country, you know. And you have to fly. There's none of that driving down, or hopping on a train or bus.

But there's one thing that East Malaysians need to know; if there's anything you need to know about us Peninsular-dwellers, us people of the Wicked West, it is this: we are in solidarity with you.

And it truly irritates us when the village idiots from West Malaysia patronise East Malaysians by stating that minorities, "should stop making “nonsensical” demands and just be thankful they are recognised as Malaysians".

I honestly have no clue where these people get a sense of entitlement -- to the extent that they feel they are being magnanimous by "allowing" the northern half of Borneo island to be Malaysians!

To begin with, you didn't even ask for it. The generation that accepted the deals enabling Sabah and Sarawak to be part of the union that is Malaysia is probably dead. Long dead.

And given that most inhabitants of Sabah and Sarawak -- from the Chinese to the pribumi -- were born there, who can be considered indigenous anyway? Given the proximity of Sabah and Sarawak to China, I would say that the Chinese were the first ever settlers on the island of Borneo.

But negligible things like solid facts, don't stop the donkey from braying.

"Those who refute Perkasa's role in defending the rights of the indigenous people are the real racists instead.

"All Perkasa wants is for indigenous Sabahans to unite and set aside their religious sentiments and demand their own rights."

He said the indigenous people in Sabah must demand their rights in many fields, such as business and education, adding that Perkasa would continue its efforts to be the catalyst of unity and wanted local ethnic groups to have a strong economic standing in the state.

“They should be getting more than the minority races. They must have control in all commercial areas, including economy and land.

“Sabah is resource-rich, and therefore, its administration must be controlled by locals, unlike in some countries, where up to 80% of business and administration is controlled by minorities.

"Sabahans should never become beggars in their own land.

I really am tired of people deciding who should own what. If you are willing to work hard, you should be able to control the business and the commercial sector.

The basic rule is that you should make it a level playing field, and be inclusive.

For your own good, you should recognise that nurturing the skills of those different from you and avoiding exploitation of any vulnerable group is only in your best interest.

I humbly ask one thing of you East Malaysians: that you unite with us in fighting the bullies and those who seek to disunite us.