Perhaps it was just inaccurate translation. Or perhaps there was no really suitable word found in English. But it really irked me. “Supremacy” was a word that was continually bandied around at certain political meetings, with speakers screaming out for the recognition of their so-called supremacy status. It was supposed to be the translation for “ketuanan.” I decided to look up the thesaurus and the words associated with or explaining “supremacy” gave me no comfort either. It included ‘preeminence, primacy, superiority, domination, incomparability, hegemony and dominance.’ It also suggested words like – reign, rule, authority, power and control.’ To crown it all – the antonym was stated as “inferior!” So now, that begs a question – the rest of us are inferior?
No, it is not acceptable at all. Every man and woman is created in the image of God and there is a brotherhood of man that needs to be embraced. It’s a mindset and value that needs to be learned and taught to our children. Life on planet Earth requires a respect for one another that accepts the differences and celebrates the sameness. It’s our duty as fellow humans to see each other as God sees us. Sure, we may fail every now and then, but it’s a goal we need to work at. Together.
I may be reminded that our (Malaysian) Constitution provides for “special privileges,” but lets get this straight – that special privileges is just that, it is NOT supremacy. My feeling is that generally, the average man in the street has no great demands for supremacy and wants to just carry on his life in harmony with and respect for others. To be God-fearing would be to recognize that fact. Unfortunately, self-serving, ambitious politicians use any means to gain ground. The cry for supremacy creates a great divide and is that what we want? Let us be careful with the words we use. God’s call to us is to “love one another” as He has loved us. Who is supreme but He!
