We Need a Malaysian Family Association

Dear Reader,

This is the age of polarization. We quake at the thought of
campus students congregating in little groups of "birds of
the same feather". But in reality, it is logical for a
person to gravitate towards groups of peoples with similar
traits. Traditionally, that trait is ethnic identity.
Today, these identifying traits include similar interests,
political allegiances, and networking.

Yet in all of this, we neglect the fact that we all share
one common trait: We all eventually (I think above 90% of
the population) hope to have a family. And with the concept
of "family", comes the concept of "family values". The
concept of "family values" aim at developing wholesome
households, to create conducive environments for our
younglings, and foster better togetherness in our
communities.

There may be a wide range of what constitutes "family
values". In a pluralistic nation such as ours, there may
often be ideological and political clashes. Yet all of this
politicking can be set aside, if people learn to respect
each other. In the end, Maslow's hierarchy of needs proves
true. And we, being a community that is destined to evolve
together, must take cognition of that.

Traditional notions of what "values" permeate our families
may vary widely, given the fact that our communities are
largely different in upbringing and thinking. In this day
and age, it is undeniable that religion plays a strong and
pronounced role in shaping our young Malaysian families. In
effect, the concept of "family values" becomes more and
more slanted towards conservatism.

A good place to start with what are "family values" would
be wikipedia. Surf to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative

If we can identify what are genuinely capable of being
labelled "Malaysian Family Values", we may be on our first
steps to the creation of a Malaysian Family Association. In
my opinion, it is an idea worth looking into. The
beneficiaries of such an association would be myriad. These
may include:

1. YOUNG COUPLES AND NEWLYWEDS - They stand to profit from
the accumulated wisdom and experiences of those older than
themselves.

2. OLDER COUPLES - It is a great place to know more people
from the same age group, especially since most of their
"best pals" would be "migrating to a higher plane of
existence".

3. YOUNG CHILDREN - They learn culture, tolerance, love for
their fellow men (not promoting homosexuality), respect for
their elders, co-operation with all layers of society, and
the concept of their proper place.

4. SOCIETY AS A WHOLE - Such a family association would, by
its nature, cut across the definitions of race and
religion, and thereby unite the nation even better. We are
too young a nation to leave unity to the hands of
arbitrarily appointed civil servants. We need to take
positive action.

5. PRESSURE GROUPS - The family association would embody
and stand for "family values". As a collective body, its
opinions and views on various issues may be validly viewed
as a gauge of acceptable standards and behaviours. In
short, such an association would be capable of calling for
a boycott of products / services that promote values
hostile to the spectrum of values known as "family values".

Some people tend to be naysayers. It is not unjustified to
look at the negative side of things, thinking that if
nothing works out, at least -- you will get the benefit of
saying, "I told you so!" But the family association has
already been proven to be a workable idea. Just take a look
at:

1. American Family Association - www.afa.net

2. National Military Family Association - www.nmfa.org

3. National Family Association - www.familyassociation.org

4. Other Google results on the phrase "family association":
www.google.com/search?q=%22family+association%22

It is interesting to note that the AFA (National Family
Association) boycotts companies that support gay/lesbian
relationships, but the NFA (National Family Association)
supports such gay/lesbian relationships. The reasoning? AFA
thinks that such behaviour leads to the breakup and
downfall of the family unit, whereas the NFA believes that
such behaviour is an expression of "human rights" and
should be accepted.

The question is not so easy to dissect. Perhaps, an easier
version would be whether you would harbour your own
brother/sister if you knew that s/he was a murderer?

That question aside, Malaysians have a hard time creating a
family association that cuts across the invisible borders
of race and religion. I have not yet heard of a Malay
family association nor have I heard an Indian family
association. Perhaps it is only my ignorance and such
associations exist. I do know that among the Chinese, such
associations do exist among people of the same surnames.
These are known as the "clansmen" associations.

In the end, we may find that we already do have family associations in Malaysia, it's just that it is unfortunate that they go under the category of "political parties".