Kicking down the race barrier
(The Malay Mail Online) – In Subang Jaya, a football league initiated and run by volunteers has been building a community that cuts across the ethnic divide, long before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak came up with the concept of “1 Malaysia.”
While the issue of race remains a contentious one in Malaysia — just look at the various headlines and comments in the media — civil society is ready with a raft of suggestions.
These range from community football to more inclusive government policies.
In Subang Jaya, a football league initiated and run by volunteers has been building a community that cuts across the ethnic divide, long before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak came up with the concept of “1 Malaysia.”
Subang Jaya Community Youth Football League (SJCYFL) co-ordinator Zaini Mazlan told The Malay Mail Online that it was started 13 years ago by an American named Douglas Ladner and his friends to bring the community together through sports.
Zaini, a Shah Alam resident who has two sons playing in the league, said it is not bound by geographical location, with some parents coming from as far away as Kajang, Cheras, Mont Kiara, Klang and Damansara Heights.
“We have Americans, English, French, Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban, Bidayuh… you name it; we have everything. It’s the best model of community.
“We have no politics, we have no racial barriers, we are one community, and we are purely run by volunteers and self-funded. We’ve been around for 13 years so the formula works.”
The team of the season is the team that stands united, not necessarily the champion, says SJCYFL coordinator Zaini Mazlan.
The lawyer said the league saw participation by people from all walks of life and from various income brackets, saying that there were no class barriers among the parents who mingle together.
“A lot of friendships are made in the league and they go on to become friends even after the league ends,” he said, saying that such ties go beyond the league’s season that runs from January to May each year.
The league, which runs on weekends in SMK USJ 4’s football field, has 270 schoolchildren in four divisions, namely the Under-8, Under-10, Under-12 and Under-14 divisions, with each division having six teams.
The players are carefully divided after a skills assessment so that all teams are “equally represented in terms of skill, age and race”, Zaini said, later adding that those who play in the league see each other as friends without looking at race.
The government at all levels must be colour-blind… No one should feel like a second class citizen.” — Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria
“Children, they don’t care about the results. They don’t care who their teammates are or who they play against. They just care about making friends, having fun. That’s why I love this league so much. When I see the kids, they run around, they don’t see colours, to them everyone is a friend. By seeing that, I know we’ve achieved something,” the father of five said.
Read more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/kicking-down-the-race-barrier
