OCT 1 — To promote national unity, any policy of assimilation absolutely will not work out positively, but on the contrary, will only lead to misunderstanding and friction.

Umno  veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah had recommended that Chinese and Indians be categorised as Malays to foster inter-ethnic relations. He may be following the example of neighbouring countries such as Thailand or Indonesia. However the realisation of this proposal will not be pragmatic.

Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-faith country which make us so unique , competitive and outstanding  globally , assimilation policies for other races are akin to self-destruction which eliminates the advantages and characteristics of our multi-ethnic identity.

To achieve national unity, the most important thing is that the government must ensure that the Malaysian citizens irrespective of ethnic communities receive fair treatment without shifting goal posts. It is only when everyone can feel a sense of belonging to the country, that whatever differences between the ethnic groups will not pose any problems. The key is that every citizen should receive fair treatment regardless of background, creed, race or status.

Tengku Razaleigh’s proposal is similar to an assimilation policy. Not only will the proposal cause the Malaysian Chinese and Indians to feel discrimination and degradation, it will instead generate suspicions, misunderstandings and disputes between races.

Adopting multicultural and inclusive policies does not mean that the government will completely abandon measures to integrate the various ethnic communities, which will enable the various ethnic groups to develop at will, resulting in ethnic division.

Although there are countries in the world that have adopted a policy of assimilation, there still permeates,  conflicts between its peoples and citizens of these countries. Indonesia is the best example whereby when its citizens were divided, riots occurred.

Therefore, the key to achieving national unity is not whether government policies can alter its citizens into one common race, but rather, encouraging moderation and fairness of government administration, and mutual respect ,  tolerance and inclusiveness among the various ethnic groups.

* Datuk Heng Seai Kie is Wanita MCA chairman.

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