LETTERS: Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, in a recent interview said: "When someone asks me where I am from when I'm overseas, I'll always say, 'I am Malaysian'."
Although taking pride in the Bangsa Johor concept that upholds the racial and religious diversity of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim said all races are seen as the same.
At some official events, he said he would see to it that there is mixed seating to allow people to mingle.
Interestingly, in the interview, it was reported that the sultan's great-great-grandmother is of Chinese descent.
"In my family, we have different bloodlines; we are of mixed heritage. That's why I never look down on any ethnic group. And this is why our foundation treats all ethnic groups fairly.
"The Chinese bloodline is part of Bangsa Johor. So, are the Indian and Malay bloodlines."
Isn't it true for many of us in this country? How many of us can say that we come from a 100 per cent pure racial lineage?
Moreover, with inter-marriages becoming more common, what guarantee is there that our descendants will forever remain pure Malays, Chinese, Indian, Melanau or Kadazan?
We need to get down from our high racial and religious horses.
We need to show more humility and be prepared to give and take.
In short, we need to show more empathy when dealing with fellow Malaysians.
Yet, we often extol the values of our own race, religion and language.
We sometimes even run down others, especially in politics.
We are in our 66th year of nationhood, so we should say, from the heart, that we are Malaysians first.
It's never too late to change our mindset and discard our prejudices.
If we succeed in doing that, it will make our lives less bitter and so much happier in this beautiful and unique country.
J.K. JOSEPH
Ayer Keroh, Melaka
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times