We are glad that some UMNO leaders are beginning to realize that we are living in dangerous times and that it is necessary to put an end to the worsening divisions in the country. This threat to Malaysia in our view is mainly driven by populist and opportunistic politics based on notions of racial or religious dominance and superiority.
The PM’s remarks that “[A] true Malaysian patriot loves Malaysia and all Malaysians” needs to be embraced and put into practice by all politicians – especially those from his own party. As the PM has also rightly re-emphasized, we are, deep down, all Malaysians. This is etched in our psyche, irrespective of ethnicity. However, it is undeniable that our common sense of Malaysianness has been deeply eroded. If the nation’s leaders took time to ask our young people the root causes of the disunity and discontent, we are sure that many of our young – if not most – will point to the country’s political leadership.
Meanwhile, UMNO Vice President, Muhyiddin Yassin, has reinforced the PM’s message by calling for a new national consensus and by reiterating the need for a renewal of national unity.
Sobriety seems to be finally returning into the national debate. What Malaysians, regardless of their racial backgrounds, want is responsible and sensible discourse and outcomes in keeping with decency, fair play and justice.
We share the view that the new national agenda cannot be designed solely or mainly by the Barisan Nasional. Everyone, not just politicians, has a stake in the present and future of the country. In this context, an agenda or consensus imposed from the top or by a single racial group with token participation will not receive the support of Malaysians.
The new consensus and renewal of national unity should be on the basis of the spirit and letter of the Constitution and the principles and objectives of the Rukun Negara.
As a start, we must all recognize that over the last decade or two the Government has weakened and undermined the vision of our founding fathers, in particular the Tunku who was a strong advocate of compromise and accommodation to nurture a sense of Malaysianness. The Tunku realized that Malaysia can only succeed on the basis of partnership among all races.
What was also well understood was that the Malay leadership should lead, but not dominate. This was the secret behind the success of the Tunku’s Alliance and the initial Barisan Nasional concept. Our political and socio-economic stability was based on power sharing and consensus in decision making, not on a “winner take all”, “victor-vanquished” or “master-slave??? mind set.
Since then Malaysian political and socio-economic development has come at great cost. There has been rampant race-based populism, misuse of resources, increasingly strident race-based politics, a breakdown in the rule of law, environment degradation and social ills. Greed and opportunism based on partisan self and racial interests has become the creed of our day and the popular weapon of mobilization by politicians.
Worse, religion has been brought into the political fray and abused. Although Islam is the official religion, freedom of worship is written into the Constitution. All Malaysians should accept it. It is a small minority of politicians and civil servants who have made religion an issue for their own ends.
We welcome the Prime Minister’s call for Malaysianness and Muhyiddin’s reiteration for a participatory dialogue aimed at examining the sensitive issues of our time and at arriving at a new national consensus based on the enduring principles of the Constitution and the Rukun Negara.. We, and other Malaysians, await with great interest to hear the details of when and how this participatory dialogue will be set up, and the various ground rules that will be observed to make it a truly inclusive and representative event, and not as some cynics fear, a manipulated happening.