NOV 8 — It is undeniable that Chinese Malaysians went all out for Pakatan Rakyat during the recent GE13. In the meantime, the just-concluded Sungai Limau by-election showed that Chinese voters have returned to BN’s fold.

Is this an isolated case or is it real that Chinese voters have actually turned in favour of BN?

With political parties engrossed in infighting, it is inevitable that they have overlooked the changes in the political inclinations of the public as well as their emotions. As a matter of fact, the political environment this moment has been delivered out of the emotional outbursts we witnessed during the election campaign.

The enthusiasm at the street level has cooled considerably. As politics often require continuous introspection and retrospection, it isn’t a bad idea for all parties to seriously look into such a shift in political trends.

These days, there are voices from the people, in particular the intellectuals, hitting at Pakatan. The behaviour of some Pakatan leaders are being questioned while internal conflicts within Pakatan parties begin to surface, an obvious turnaround after the May general elections.

During the general election we saw top-down total political mobilisation. Anything can get politicised come the general election, and anything can be drawn along distinct lines because of varying political stands and factionalism. Anyone can be labelled and the effects generated from politicians could be amplified many times over.

It is a time when reason will take a back seat as all arguments will get hijacked by politics. Everything has to serve a political cause or other and has to be politically “correct”. Whether something is right or wrong is more often than not determined along lines of political affiliation, with votes being the ultimate umpire.

Looking back at the almost fanatical behaviour during the elections, we see that we have started to regain our sobriety; that many things that used to be seen as politically correct back then are actually questionable now. However, few would say the right thing during the elections because the gains in saying the right thing is the miserable eventuality of being mercilessly blasted.

There are many things we can actually learn in politics, and one of the most important is learning to accept our differences. The GE has opened our eyes to the vast differences between the two main opposing camps, between the races as well as religions and cultures. While we might sigh, or be astonished, or get furious or frustrated, we still have to get back to real life after the whole thing has come to an end. We still need to face our differences, and since we are unable to change or destroy them entirely, we will need to learn to be patient and accommodating, as we strive to preserve a relationship that will at least allow us to coexist peacefully.

Unfortunately, we have seen a flurry of rhetoric and actions that glorify political retaliation, which is disastrous. All that our society needs is more reconciliation, not amplification of our differences, as the price for such vengeful sentiment will be too large for the nation.

As such, it is right for Khairy Jamaluddin to oppose pontifical retaliation, and for Saifuddin Abdullah to reject race-driven economic policies. We simply need more of such introspective voices at a time when frustration and helplessness reign supreme. — Sin Chew Daily

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.