阿旺，我欠了你甚么？

出处　　∶星洲日报
作者　　∶郑丁贤
发表日期∶2009.06.03

我不认识阿旺士拉末（Awang Selamat) ，但是，他老是阴魂不散，紧跟著我，说我欠了他。

除了银行，我没欠人甚么东西。我所有的一切，从出世时的报生纸，12岁时领取的身份证，22岁买的车子，30岁买的房子……，都是清清白白得来的，包括我的尊严。

更何况，都说了，我根本就不认识阿旺士拉末，我怎么可能会欠他东西？

但是，阿旺士拉末在《马来西亚前锋报》写了一篇文章，题目是《马来人遭到背叛？》，指大马华人是外来者，有欠於人。

我是大马华人，六百万之一；他说华人欠了这个那个；作为华人，我就必须问：“我欠了你甚么？”

还有，我不是外来者。我的报生纸和身份证，以及我的所有资產的文件，都说我是马来西亚公民。

宪法保障我的地位，保护我的权益和財產。我如果做了任何犯法的勾当，也同样受到马来西亚法律的制裁。

当然，我很光荣的说：我有缴交所得税，分文不欠。

况且，我也没有背叛我的马来朋友。我们坦诚交往，平等对待。老友加化请我喝拉茶，我就请他椰浆饭。虽然椰浆饭比拉茶贵了20仙；但是，並不是我有欠於他，而我也不认为是他佔了我的便宜。

对了，阿旺说，308大选之后，马来西亚华人的要求愈来愈多，而且愈来愈种族主义。

大选之后，华人有甚么要求，或者说，有甚么非分的要求？

奖学金？地契？华小？民主？公平？

我所知道的是，这是每一个公民的合理要求，只要符合条件，就应享有，和种族无关。

如果是因为种族肤色而拿不到，必须苦苦爭取，那才是种族主义。至於以种族眼光来看待这种爭取的人，如阿旺，才是种族主义者。

虽然我不知道阿旺是谁，但是，我知道他躲藏在《马来西亚前锋报》的保护网之下。

他可能是一个人，也可能是一群人。他这么针对马来西亚华人，可能有他的隱议程。

律师朋友说，他把大马华裔公民说是外来者，就已经有煽动之嫌。警方应该去查一查。

或者，该有人向警方报案吧，尤其是声称600万华人的代表人物。

**********************************************
Do I owe you anything, Encik Awang?

By TAY TIAN YAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily

I do not know who Awang Selamat is, but he keeps haunting me, claiming that I've owed him something!

Other than banks, I don't think I have owed anyone anything.

All the things I've had, from the birth certificate when I was born, to the car I bought at the age of 22, and my house at 30... have all been acquired in a clean way, including my self respect.

Moreover, because I do not know Awang Selamat at all, as I said earlier, how could I possibly owe him anything?

But in an article entitled The Malays are betrayed published on Utusan Malaysia recently, Awang Selamat said Chinese Malaysians were immigrants, and were indebted to the Malays.

I am a Chinese Malaysian, one in the six million. He said the Chinese owed this and owed that, and as a Chinese, I can't help but ask: "What have I owed you?"

Some more, I am not an immigrant. My birth cert and IC, along with all the documents of my assets point to the fact that I am a rightful Malaysian citizen.

The Constitution protects my status, my rights as well as my properties. If I've done anything against the laws, I will be bound by the Malaysian laws, like anyone else.

Of course, I can say proudly that I have paid my income tax and owes not a cent.

Moreover, I have never betrayed my Malay friends. We treat one another sincerely and fairly.

When my old friend Ghaffar buys me teh tarik, I'll get him nasi lemak in return, even though nasi lemak is twenty cents more expensive than teh tarik.

But that's not because I feel I'm indebted to him; neither do I think he's trying to take advantage of me!

Right, Awang said Chinese Malaysians were getting more and more demanding, and racist, after the general elections last March.

What demands, or should I say what excessive demands, have the Chinese voiced up?

Scholarships? Land titles? Chinese primary schools? Democracy? Equality?

All I know is that these are reasonable requests from each and every citizen. As long as they are eligible, they should possess them.

It has nothing to do with race.

If we are denied of these things because of skin colour, then we must fight for them. This is not racism either.

Although I have no idea who Awang is, I know he is hiding under the protective net of Utusan Malaysia.

He may be an individual, or a group of individuals. And he may have his own hidden agendas for his displeasure with Chinese Malaysians.

A lawyer friend told me, it was an act of sedition just to brand ethnic Chinese Malaysians as immigrants, and that the police should probe the incident.
Or perhaps there should be someone making a police report, in particular those who claim they represent the six million Chinese Malaysians.