Back home in Malaysia, multiculturalism has never been an issue. Sure, I read about Malaysia being a multicultural country all the time in textbooks, but nobody really pays much attention to it. Multiculturalism has always been just a part of life, so easily overlooked. That is how it should be – part of everyday life, not just something that you talk about, but do nothing about.

Multiculturalism would only occur when people of different races are able to live together in harmony, while still able to maintain their own culture. It is so much more than just different races living together in a community. In Malaysia, we have Malays, Chinese, Indians, and various native groups. Each and every race speaks their own language, lives their lives differently, has different beliefs and practices different traditions. Yet, at the same time, almost every Malaysian speaks more than one language. I speak Malay, English, Cantonese, Madarin and a bit of Hakka. People are surprised when they hear about this. I am surprised that they are surprised. Most Malaysians speak at least two languages.

We celebrate Hari Raya (for the Malays), Chinese New Year (for the Chinese), Deepavali (for the Indians), Christmas (for the Christians) and Gawai (for the natives in Sarawak). We have holidays for all such occasions and more, and people visit each other, because more often than not, one would have at least more than a handful of friends who are of a different race. Because of this, we know and respect each and every culture different from our own. I know more about Islam than it being Osama Bin Laden’s religion. I know more about Indians than that they cook good curry. We are all very different, but we are all the same. We are Malaysians.

Australia Brief

Capital: Canberra
Population: 20,090,437 (July 2005 est.)
Ethnic mix: Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%
Languages: English, native languages
SOURCE: CIA Factbook

My parents, although open minded in many ways, made sure that we grow up knowing our roots and culture, and also made sure that we be proud of who we are. We celebrate all sorts of Chinese festivals, and I know the story and meaning behind each and every one of them. I know the origins of lion dance. I know why we eat mooncakes. I know why we play firecrackers during Chinese New Year. I do not know how to read or write much in Chinese, but my parents made sure I know how to speak at least Mandarin. I was taught the importance of family values. But again, all these I did not pay much attention to while growing up. And then I came here, and I realised how important my culture is to me. How it makes me unique.

To me, Australia is not a multicultural country – it is just a country where many different races are living one culture. You either fit into the Australian culture, or you are left out. That is perhaps one of the main reasons why most of the Asian Australians that feel the most acceptance are, unsurprisingly, ones that have chosen to give up their own culture. That is perhaps also one of the main reasons why international students, due to our strong cultural backgrounds, find it hard to blend in.

There are endless discussions and debates about promoting multiculturalism here in Australia, but that is where the efforts stop. Each year, universities’ international student organisations across Australia organise Multicultural Week - a feeble attempt to promote and celebrate the various cultures in Australia. However, it usually means nothing more to the local Australians than just another week of ‘fun, food and freebies’. By the end of the day, all that they know about our culture would be confined to what food we eat, or perhaps what traditional costumes we wear. But culture is much more than that – it’s in our beliefs, the way we think, act and speak. A speaker at a multiculturalism forum once said, “The majority of Australians say they ‘don’t mind’ other cultures coming into Australia. I find this amusing, because to me, there is a big difference between ‘tolerance’ and ‘acceptance’. ‘Don’t mind’ appears to me as more of ‘tolerance’, like ‘I don’t like cockcroaches, but I don’t mind them.’”

There is just so much that we, the obvious minority, can do to encourage multiculturalism. In my opinion, unless the government is willing to take an active role in promoting multiculturalism, it will always remain just an Australian dream.

Jane is a Contributor