Few Malaysians got their knickers in a twist last week when a (much disgraced) US conservative TV personality was dismissive of China president Xi Jinping’s visit to Vietnam, Cambodia and good old Malaysia.

According to him, we’re all very poor countries! We don’t have money!

He said “the Malays” but presumably meant us Malaysians, although for all you know he could be sowing seeds of disrespect of actual Malays, from which name came the word Malaysia. You never know with these people.

However, before you get all excited and start sharpening krisses, hold your horses and consider the matter thoroughly.

By the time the description of “the Malays” was bestowed upon us, the Americans (strike that word, technically it refers to anybody on the American continent) or rather, the USians, through their smoky-eyed vice president JD Vance, had also already labelled the Chinese of China as peasants.

Those hardworking, rich, enterprising and presumably generous people, but peasants still. Like our own Jinjang Joes. Or like those from where the “jin bertendang”, places on the periphery of civilisation, such as where I came from, where the djinns gather to battle. Or perhaps like the hillbillies. Or, you know, people from the other side of town in the ghettos, the favelas, the shantytowns, the setinggan areas. Places which are like schools at midnight – they have no class.

Mature responses

I’d thought of joining the outrage against the USians, but decided not to. I noticed the tone of the responses from many Malaysians to be quite chill. Many find it hilarious that the Americans – sorry, the USians – actually have such thoughts about us.

The reactions show a certain amount of maturity and emotional intelligence among “the Malays” of Malaysia, regardless of race. It wasn’t so long ago the typical reaction would be that of some idiots going berserk at this perceived slight, nay, an outright insult, on us.

This time, no politician went nuts, or nuttier than usual. There were no demonstrations against the US Embassy or a McDonald’s outlet (nope, they’re not the same thing). No burning of effigies anywhere from the top of the Peninsula in Kota Bharu extending south to…Pasir Mas and Gua Musang and Dungun…and even other less excitable places such as Jasin or Muar further south.

So, from sea (the Straits of Malacca) to shining sea (the South China Sea that laps both East and West Malaysia), the reaction was – meh. Perhaps we’re too busy in the hustle and grind of earning money to worry about this slight and insult; or perhaps it’s just a slight insult.

I would imagine the Chinese (of China, not the Chinese who are also among “the Malays” of Malaysia) would be more insulted. But their reactions seem to be quite benign, with an amazing amount of trolling of the USians, the vice- president JD Vance in particular.

I’m impressed. I hope it’s because we – “the Malays” of Malaysia, who are Malays and Chinese and Indians and many others who call this fair land home – are good people. Poor, perhaps, but good people nevertheless.

There’s poor and there’s poor

And I hope the Chinese of China – perhaps we should call them Chins – have attained a certain level of maturity and security and comfort in themselves. too. Their reactions certainly support that. Or perhaps it’s because the USians have fallen rather low in our regard. Or perhaps because of both reasons.

I personally wasn’t insulted at all. I think being called poor is one step up from being thought of by USians as living in trees. Or having to explain we’re next to Singapore or Thailand.

Thank heavens for small mercies. But are all “the Malays” of Malaysia really poor? Of course not. Some are downright destitute, only kept alive by free healthcare, subsidised petrol and any combination of affordable nasi lemak, roti canai and chicken rice.

Some in our land are actually immigrant workers, who unfortunately are often treated like dirt by many Malaysian people and authorities, almost as badly as how the immigrants in the US are being treated.

Some of “the Malays” are quite rich, too. There’s enough wealth in Malaysia such that when our politicians steal them, their thefts create world records. Not in the Malaysian Book of Records unfortunately, but still in some other books of records.

So, yes, we have all types. We’re not all poor, and neither are we peasants – we have mostly left agriculture behind, even if we’re still feudal in many ways.

No longer from the ‘ulu’

“The Malays” of Malaysia who are Chinese (distant cousins of those whom Vance called peasants) are no longer “Cina Bukit” or Chinese hillbillies. Nope, they’re now mostly Cina Bandar (urban Chinese). The Indians were never peasants in Malaysia, and are now mostly urbanites too. They used to be poor indentured plantation labourers, though, and if indentured is too big a word for many USians, I’ll be happy to elucidate. Hint – it’s not false teeth.

And there are the Malay “Malays” of Malaysia. Many had come from the kampungs in the ulus, the villages and hamlets from upriver, to the towns and cities downriver themselves.

Not all “the Malays” of Malaysia (the Malays, Chinese, Indians and the famous “dan lain lain”) are rich. Certainly, many don’t have enough money to buy fancy American products and have to settle for cheaper equivalents made by Chinese peasants.

Perhaps that’s what was meant by “the Malays” of Malaysia being poor: that we don’t buy fancy US products. Hence why the Vietnamese and the Cambodians were also similarly disrespected for being poor.

Manners and decorum

So, let’s just chill. Misery, and perhaps poverty too, loves company, and we very much love our “poor” Cambodians, Vietnamese and our other Asean cousins, even the not-so-poor Singaporeans, regardless of the size of their bank account.

What we seem to be rich in is “budi bahasa” – manners, courtesy and decorum. As we strive hard to go from being poor to being not poor, we don’t want to lose that. It’s part of our culture, one that “the Malays” of Malaysia (Malays, Chinese, Indians and the “dan lain lain”) all value highly.

The USians and others in the west aren’t without their own similar principles. There’s something similar in the English proverb manners maketh man.

East and West seem to agree on this, for without it, what are we? I’m at a loss here, as I don’t want to be disrespectful to some of the usual suspects I can name – the peasants, hillbillies, savages, beasts etc.

I, a Malay “Malay” of Malaysia, may be “poor”, but I still care about my budi bahasa and respect for others.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.