PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian writer and actor who named his children with Malay, Indian and Chinese names in the spirit of Malaysian multiculturalism is going viral on Reddit.
The man named Kee Thuan Chye named his daughter Soraya Sunitra Kee Xiang Yin and his son Jebat Arjuna Kee Jia Liang.
“Me and my wife always call them Soraya and Jebat. I gave them names from the three major races because it’s my political contribution to the idea of a Malaysian race.
“It’s also to remind them that they are Malaysian,“ he said in a video.
Kee’s friends, in the beginning, thought he wouldn’t be able to get those names registered in their birth certificate but he did and there was no problem.
Kee doesn’t think there’s anyone in the world named Soraya Sunitra Kee Xiang Yin or Jebat Arjuna Kee Jia Liang and he’s proud of it.
“I’ve always believed that we should have multiracialism and that we should be able to exist as Malaysians with a Malaysian identity regardless of our race.
“And to be all part of this place and have a sense of belonging and be able to work together, to realise a harmonious and prosperous nation,“ he said.
Netizens were praising Kee for his patriotism, @WarrieUndercood saying that he isn’t just a random person but a well-known Malaysian dramatist and writer.
@DudeYumi praised Kee’s son’s name saying Jebat Arjuna is an awesome name.
@nakduitkau said he has a Chinese friend who has a Malay name too, Lestari Ophelia Ong. She said her father picked a Malay name to reflect her Malaysian roots. Her middle name denotes her Christian faith and her surname represents her Chinese heritage.
Another user @UncleMalaysia also has a friend who named his kid Jo Han because they liked the Malay word “Johan” aka “champion”.
@Mental_Seat9721 was surprised by Kee’s children’s names and said if he ever met a Chinese person named Jebat Arjuna he would be so confused and think he had misheard the name.
