OCT 31 — Racial discrepancy and sentiments have always been a problem for the country, even after over half a century since independence.
Racial issues are the bargaining chips to gain votes for some politicians and political parties, whether it be at general elections or party elections. Even after having achieved independence for over half a century, racial politics is still with us. Such a political reality cannot be changed overnight but might need another decade or two, or even a generation or two.
We must admit that extremists exist in all political parties and racial groups. But how should we define extreme? Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad called some Chinese who are not satisfied with the country’s education policy extremists. For some Chinese, however, they are heroes defending education in their mother tongue. In their thinking, those who ask others to go back to their home countries are the racial extremists.
It is worrying that the trend shows that such differences in view among people of different races are worsening after the May general election. Some new policies, including some measures in the recently tabled Budget 2014, have almost become labelled as racially biased, and even been interpreted as a retaliation against the Chinese for not supporting the BN.
The recently introduced Bumiputera Economic Empowerment plan is one of the most controversial issues. It has never been a problem to eradicate poverty and strengthen the economy. However, as it stresses too much on people of a particular race, those of other races feel neglected and marginalised. This is where the problem lies; it exazerbates the perception of difference among people of different races and reinforces racial polarisation. This is definitely not good for the future of the country.
It is noteworthy that the recently concluded Umno party election did not clearly show that the party will take the enlightened direction of moderation. The reelection of moderate leader Khairy Jamaluddin as the chief of Umno Youth carries a positive symbolic meaning. The setback is in the rejection of former Temerloh MP Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, who is seen to be more moderate and liberal than Khairy, in his bid to be Temerloh Umno division deputy chief and party supreme council member. Hardliner Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid retained his vice-president’s post with a significant number of votes. This shows that in the next few years, Umno would remain a conservative Malay party and still be far from “a party for all”.
Vicious power struggles do not indicate such a trend slowing down, let alone the possibility of cross-party harmony. Some parties are still replicating the old racial mode of operation, constantly manipulating racial issues. Such a tactic of splitting the people into different groups has exacerbated the gap among people of different races and even driven them towards confrontation. It must be halted and deterred to prevent it from evolving into a scourge.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.
