Who would have thought that a simple dish like chicken rendang could unleash so much passion and outrage among Malaysians?
Joined by celebrity chefs, the prime minister and former prime minister, Malaysians took to social media to vent their anger and disbelief over the comments of two British judges on the MasterChef UK competition.
Even the British high commissioner, who was brought up in Ipoh, and the US ambassador to Brunei came to the defence of Malaysian-born chef Zaleha Kadir Olpin. They joined thousands from Indonesia, Singapore and other countries in the global conversation on rendang.
With egg on their faces, the judges backtracked from their earlier claims that the rendang was inedible because the chicken skin was not crispy but instead smothered in sauce. They then claimed that the chicken was uncooked, but the damage had been done.
Such is the power of this simple dish.
When heads of government converged in Sydney for the Asean summit last month, they were met with protests from the Southeast Asian community.
The people were protesting against human rights violations in their home countries, particularly those said to be suffered by the Rohingya community.
They carried banners, some of which featured Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been accused of staying silent on the issue.
The Myanmar community was furious about the so-called Rohingya crisis, while the Cambodians expressed their anger over the rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who had threatened retaliation if they burned effigies of him. The Filipinos, meanwhile, were outraged by the drug-related killings in their country.
But there was no mention of any Malaysians who were dissatisfied with the goings-on in their country.
Of course, no one is proposing the organisation of violent protests in a foreign land. But this is perhaps just one example of the Malaysian malaise and general “tidak apa” attitude which affects our country. If each of us had shown contempt and disgust and had been unified in a show of anger over every wrongdoing committed, Malaysia might not be in the sorry mess it is today.
It is important for Malaysians who are overseas not to turn their backs on the country. Instead, they should take a strong stand against any wrongdoing, to show their friends and families at home that they care and have not forgotten.
If only the “makan duit” attitude in Malaysia sparked as much outrage as the “makan chicken rendang”.
With the general election just around the corner, let’s all get rid of our selfishness and apathy, and do the right thing.
Mariam Mokhtar is an FMT columnist.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.