MAY 10 ― As a nation, we are more polarsed than ever before. For far too long, the Malaysian people have papered over fault lines by going about our own business and pretending that unity issues do not exist but recent events echo a very different sentiment. Recently, the Sarawak state elections showed that a great rift does exist between east and west. Besides, the infamous red shirt rally as well as the establishment of Mara Digital shows us that there are certain groups and individuals in Malaysia that rather see us divided and disunited. The very essence of a successful country is one where it’s people take pride in being citizens and share in a common dream. Rather than being Malay, Chinese, Indian or Dayak first, we must be Malaysian first. And to be Malaysian first, the people must reclaim our unity.

Unity is an ideal that all Malaysians must strive towards. We mustn’t rely on the government and institutions to impose upon us an artificially constructed picture of national unity. The old model of ensuring that the civil service and private sector contains a healthy mix of all races is obsolete and unnecessary in this day and age. By removing these artificial constructs (like race-based quotas), ordinary Malaysians themselves will be trusted to see past race and religion. Comparing communities in Sarawak and with those in Peninsular, we see that there is more organic diversity in Sarawak where people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds naturally intermix and mingle. This is due to the willingness of the Sarawakian people themselves to integrate and coexist, peacefully. Thus, Malaysians as a whole must shoulder responsibility and take initiative in promoting national unity through their actions and choices, day in day out.

Socioeconomic disunity is a narrative that is often swept under the carpet by the more incendiary notion of racial disunity. However, there exists acute differences between what the rural and the urban classes want. This can be seen most clearly in the recent 2013 federal election and the just concluded Sarawak state elections where urban seats were, for the most part, opposition strongholds while rural seats hold firm in their support for the government. What this highlights is that rural and urban populations perceive government responsibility and policy differently. For instance, rural dwellers place much more emphasis on developmental politics while urban seats demand more in the way of policy-making and institutional accountability. Therefore, we must bridge the divide between the needs of rural and urban dwellers before the Thai political crisis (driven by the clash between urban Yellow Shirt protestors and rural Red Shirts) repeats itself on Malaysian soil.

Last but not least, bipartisanship is a key requirement of a united and mature society whereby society has a unified agenda, the people’s agenda. In a country that has become increasingly politically polarized, Malaysians who wish to bring unity to society must learn to work with both sides of the political divide. It is unfortunate that most Malaysians fervently support either the government or the opposition without considering the individual merits of politicians or institutions from the opposing camps. We should learn to support and work with individuals and institutions that place the interest of the rakyat at the forefront, irrespective of political affiliation. A clear example of this can be seen from the recent Sarawak State Elections where Sarawakians voted in support of Team Adenan as opposed to along party lines. This is the first time since Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi that Malaysians voted for arguably the better candidate rather than based on party affiliation. For instance, Chinese voters who aligned themselves with Chief Minister Adenan Satem have emphasised their desire for good and fair governance above petty party politics, rhetoric and propaganda. Therefore, Malaysians must be able to see past party lines and look at the big picture of good governance or else potentially good candidates might not get the opportunities to make our country better.

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