27/09/2025

SATURDAY | SEPT 27, 2025

18 The unshakeable grip of superstitions M ALAYSIANS are a strange breed when it comes to superstition. Rational? Maybe not. Malaysian? something about feng shui , my father muttered something about ghosts and I muttered, “I’m the one living here. I just want a place with a decent kitchen!” is a no-no – apparently it stunts growth. My niece tripped over her cousin’s foot and immediately pointed at it like it was a crime scene, muttering, “ Aiyo , I kena already!” P O T T U O N P O I N T

believers while the younger ones treat it as half-joke, half-content for Instagram. But even the most skeptical teenagers secretly check their horoscopes or whisper, “Better not step on that crack”. Because Malaysian superstition is contagious. You may roll your eyes but you will still hesitate before sweeping after sunset. At the end of the day, superstition here is more than belief; it is culture, comedy and community rolled into one. From cats to numbers, horoscopes to house rituals, it is everywhere – at home, at work and even on WhatsApp. Rational? Probably not. Fun, chaotic and uniquely Malaysian? Absolutely. So, the next time someone warns you about a black cat or insists you check the stars before making a decision, just smile, nod and maybe do it anyway. These quirks are what make life here colourful, unpredictable and endlessly entertaining. Malaysians may not always follow logic but we follow our hearts and sometimes those hearts come with a healthy dose of superstition. Hashini Kavishtri Kannan is the assistant news editor at theSun. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

Absolutely. Walk down any street, visit a home or scroll through WhatsApp and you will see it everywhere. Our lives are a patchwork of good luck rituals, bad-omen warnings and very specific dos and don’ts that sometimes defy logic but never fail to entertain. Take cats, for instance. Black cats? Cross your path and suddenly the nasi lemak tastes too salty, the traffic jam feels longer and your phone won’t stop buzzing. We take this very seriously. Once, my neighbour’s cat strolled across my driveway and my mother immediately stopped me from leaving the house. “Better wait five minutes, don’t risk it,” she said. When the cat finally meandered off, my mom exhaled as though the universe itself had given its approval. Numbers, of course, come with their own drama. When I was in college, my father once refused to rent me a room with the unit number 44. “Too unlucky,” he said. We ended up taking the unit numbered 48. My mother muttered Its report, the culmination of a decade of tracking discrimination, raises a critical question for our leaders and parliament: What are they doing with this vital information? The report makes it clear that reacting hard to individual incidents of hate is not enough. Dialogue is essential but it is not a complete solution. It is time we moved beyond symbolic statements or warning and gave the National Unity Ministry the power it needs to tackle the root causes of division. Malaysia is a multiracial nation but our unity feels more fragile than ever. While leaders are right to speak out, talking alone is not enough. The Unity Ministry is seen as a “nice” office but it lacks the authority to stop hate and division. To make a real difference, we need to treat it with the same importance as the Finance Ministry because a united country is the foundation for all other successes. How do we give the Unity Ministry the “teeth” it needs? It is about taking specific, practical steps. 1. New law with real consequences We need to move beyond warnings and create a clear legal framework. We can do this by forming a National Harmony and Unity Commission under the Unity Ministry. This new body would have the power to: 0 Investigate all cases of hate speech and racial tension, based on a new law, called the National Harmony Act, a recommendation championed by Pusat Komas. 0 Work with prosecutors to bring legal action against people who

Astrology and horoscopes add yet another layer. I had a friend who refused to get married on a Saturday because it was “unlucky”. Another colleague won’t start a project unless the moon is in a certain constellation. And WhatsApp forwards? They tell you which days to wash your hair, sweep your porch or eat meat. Ignore them at your own risk because in Malaysia, that is practically tempting fate. Even money isn’t safe from superstition. Whether it is donating specific amounts, picking “lucky” lottery numbers or topping up prepaid cards with auspicious digits, we treat numbers like cheat codes for life. I once saw my neighbour carefully pay a bill with RM17.17 instead of RM17, proudly declaring it would bring him good luck. He swore the rest of the week went smoothly. Coincidence? Maybe. Malaysian? Absolutely. Daily habits come with their own list of rules. Stepping over someone’s feet

And then there are the classics: don’t sweep after sunset, don’t cut nails at night and don’t whistle indoors. It is exhausting, absurd and somehow comforting. Even food and home rituals get caught up in it. My aunt refuses to cut bananas with a knife on certain days, claiming it brings bad luck. Neighbours warn against pouring water after sunset. Spilling rice? That means someone in the family will quarrel. I once saw a friend step onto a cracked pavement slab, then immediately backtrack and go around it, muttering, “Aiyo, better not, bad luck nanti !’ The beauty of all this? It is harmless, hilarious and utterly Malaysian. We may laugh at our own rituals but we follow them anyway. Often with a wink and a “better-safe-than-sorry” shrug. Superstitions give structure to chaos and a sense of control in a world that often feels random. And there is a generational twist. Older Malaysians are hardcore

B

R I

Y

H

T

A

H

S

S

I

H

V

I

N

A

I

K

“The beauty of all this? It is harmless, hilarious and utterly Malaysian. We may laugh at our own rituals but we follow them anyway.

COMMENT by Chin Yew Sin

A Unity Ministry with teeth: Why soft approach is no longer enough I WAS inspired to write this after listening to the Astro Awani programme, Consider This: Racism in Malaysia – A 10-Year Report Card , which featured the work of Pusat Komas.

break the law. 0 Make it clear that using racial slurs for political gain will have serious legal consequences. This would make the Unity Ministry a powerful player in protecting our social fabric, giving it the legal backing it needs to act, not just react. 2 . Smarter unity programmes and media engagement We need to make our unity efforts more effective by focusing on what truly makes a difference in people’s lives and on platforms where the public conversation is already happening. 0 Hard talk and p o sitive stories: The Unity Ministry can collaborate with popular and independent platforms like the “Keluar Sekejap” podcast to create a space for hard talk on race issues. This would be a place where politicians and public figures can reveal their inner thoughts with a positive motive: to build a more united country. At the same time, the ministry can launch a unity fund to give grants to young filmmakers, podcasters and online creators. This would empower them to produce creative content that celebrates our different cultures and pokes fun at racist attitudes. By supporting direct, honest dialogue and positive, engaging content, the ministry can replace broad, ineffective campaigns with a modern, two-pronged media strategy. 0 Change our forms : On many government forms, we are asked to state our race. We should reform this system so that help and services are given based on need, not race. Our neighbour, Singapore, has shown us a good way forward. There, children from mixed-race marriages can have a hyphenated racial identity, such as “Chinese-Indian”, giving them the freedom to reflect their mixed

We see our unity every day in simple, powerful moments. When our national sports teams play, we cheer as one. – BERNAMAPIC

most help. If one state has low scores on fairness, the ministry can focus its efforts there. This will turn the Unity Ministry into a data-driven force for change, not just a symbolic one. We see our unity every day in simple, powerful moments. When our national sports teams play, we cheer as one. When our police and firefighters respond to a crisis, they work side-by-side, without a thought for race. It is time we put that same spirit into our national policies. By giving the Unity Ministry real power, we can make our unity a permanent reality, not just a special moment we admire. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

heritage. This small change sends a big message: what matters is our shared Malaysian identity. 3. A unity report card with DOSM The Unity Ministry needs to be held accountable for its work. We can do this with a yearly national unity index, a public report card for the country’s social health. For this to work, the ministry must collaborate directly with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the nation’s most trusted data authority. The collaboration would use DOSM’s expertise in large scale surveys to track a series of concrete real-world metrics. This includes: 0 Friendship circles : It would track

how many of our close friends are from a different race. By working with DOSM, the ministry can get more detailed, granular data to understand where these friendships are forming and where they are not. 0 Fairness at institutions : It would measure if people feel they are treated fairly by government and public services, no matter their race. This is a critical metric for building trust in institutions, which is a key pillar of unity. 0 Community spirit : It would count the number of cross-cultural events organised by regular people, not just by the government. This would show genuine grassroots unity. By tracking these numbers, the ministry can see which areas need the