Malaysiana - Honourable Malays Poem by john tiong chunghoo

i love the old malays
the tunkus, the mahathirs,
abdullahs, razaks
who prove to us
you can be what
you want to be in Malaysia
without even what you call special rights
they win respect all round

i dislike young malays
who harp on special rights
day and night as if without these rights
they would be nothing, losers
yet when projects are in their hands
trade their rights away for money
what a shame!

i love the old malays
who achieve a world of success
with what little they had
in them is the spirit
of the famous kancil
that flung a dog into a river
with his killer kick
to inspire a great empire

i love the old malays
who never a single moment
think themselves inferior to any
legs, feet, hands, or grey matter
achievers who scale the ladder of
success the swiftness of eagles