Why do we (or our press, specifically) celebrate successful Malaysian-borns who've long left the country?

Malaysian-Born Aussie Senator Set For Leadership Role MELBOURNE, July 3 (Bernama) -- Malaysian-born Australia politician is strongly tipped to win a parliamentary leadership role with the Australian Labor Party after the federal elections later this year.

Senator Penelope (Penny) Wong Ying Yen is only 38, yet she has impressed her parliamentary colleagues and political opponents, and more importantly, the agenda-setting journalists covering Parliament in Canberra, in her role as Shadow Minister for Public Administration and Accountability and Shadow Minister for Workplace Participation. (more...)

This isn't new. Let's not forget other instances... Guy Sebastian? The Malaysian-born Australian Idol. That Malaysian-American girl who won an American beauty pageant. A Malaysian who was celebrated as the face of multicultural Australia (the newspaper article was written about her during the Australian citizenship ceremony, btw). And a lot more, I bet.

Thing is, Malaysia prohibits dual citizenship. People caught with dual nationalities have their Malaysian passports revoked, usually. These people have been "disowned" by law, so why celebrate their "Malaysian-born" status? Isn't this hypocrisy? To be Malaysian is not a race, like being Indian. Being Malaysian is a nationality. So how do you become a Malaysian-Aussie? That's politically an oxymoron, isn't it?

This is just part of our false pride, isn't it? Or maybe it's our press' way of telling our clueless lawmakers and education policy makers how much we suck? Or could it just be "investigative" journalism, to unearth Malaysians who could possibly be holding two passports?

Whatever it is, I'd rather be proud that she's a female senator, proving that Australia isn't racist and are progressively moving beyond their White Australia policy. Instead of giving false pride that Malaysia boleh.