KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 — Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Razak must respond to the call by US President Barack Obama that Malaysia must do away with laws and policies, which sideline religious and ethnic minorities.
The President of the United States of America Barack Obama said that prejudices against people from different religions and races have no place in the modern world and must be removed.
He is absolutely right.
The time has come for us to accept that preference along racial lines has failed to assist in nation building. That would only lead to a society with deeply embedded feelings of oppression and this will ultimately lead to a breakdown in relations between its people.
Malaysia must find ways by which it can move away from politics in which race dominates. We must work harder to build a Malaysian Malaysia if we hope to see this country live up to basic principles of constitutional democracy.
The Prime Minister once mooted the concept of 1Malaysia. This is in itself recognition on part of Barisan Nasional that this country has moved backwards in terms of nation building ever since independence. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister has failed in following through with the concept.
His administration has in fact moved to further tighten its grip against dissent with the use of laws such as the Sedition Act against those who speak up against oppression, marginalisation and discrimination and this trend, I believe, is set to continue.
The President made a clear and sharp observation about this here on his official visit to Malaysia.
Silence is not an option for the Prime Minister as these comments strike at the very heart of his administration. He must now respond.
*Gobind Singh Deo is MP for Puchong.
** This statement formed the basis of this article by The Malay Mail Online.
*** This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.
