THE nation is supposed to be in reconciliation mode. But the political scaremongering that is supposed to ease after the most competitive general election in the nation's history has in fact reached a crescendo.
Rather than having a healthy discourse, what has dominated the post general election scene is the politics of race and hate. I am confident that the majority of Malaysians will move on and treat these pronouncements as mere polemics.
What is sad, however, is that some personalities who have jumped on the bandwagon of racial and political scaremongering include those who are supposed to be in the more "responsible" group.
One does not mind if such statements come from the usual suspects – Malay right-wing groups like Perkasa and race-based non-governmental organisations.
But it is disheartening to note that elderly statesmen, ministers, professionals – including a judge and educationists – who are supposed to be the nation's voice of reason, questioning the loyalty of voters. They talk about betraying the Malays, suggest vernacular schools be closed down and insist the future of Islam and Malays are under threat. Some have even tried to initiate a boycott of businessmen deemed to be supporters of the opposition.
Worst still is asking those who are not fully in agreement with the government of the day to leave the country. And not forgetting – unbelievable in this age of the Internet – the allegation that the opposition are puppets of foreign powers.
Where is the reconciliation process as proposed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak? Are these groups, including members of Umno and ministers, not heeding the call?
One expects Pakatan Rakyat, which lost the general election, to continue harping on the unfairness of the election process and to go on with their protest – including using the courts – but they have also proposed a national unity convention to address the situation.
As the winner, Umno-led Barisan Nasional should be magnanimous and lead the reconciliation efforts. It should build bridges and not dismantle them. It should not be on the offensive and find fault with the 52.3% voters who did not support them.
One cannot blame the Chinese for the political tsunami. The shift in support cuts across racial barriers. One cannot penalise urban voters for wanting the government of the day to continue solving the bread-and-butter issues and improve standards of living but at the same time, wanting it to emphasis on fighting corruption, ensure better governance and do away with the patronage system than enriches the few and politically connected.
One cannot blame voters for wanting a fair and transparent government, an impartial and professional judiciary and police force, a more efficient Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and an Election Commission that takes heed of suggestions and not take a confrontational stance to every criticism it receives.
Recommendations to improve the electoral system should be welcomed and if they strengthen the democratic process, then they should be implemented.
The process of redelineation of Parliament and state seats must be fair. We cannot continue to have a situation like that of Kapar, Selangor, which has about 150,000 voters, being represented by only one member of Parliament and four state assemblymen whereas the whole state of Perlis, with 140,000 voters, can have three parliamentarians and 15 state assemblymen.
As for the younger generation, the government should not ignore their demand to have their voices heard, a freer media, a fairer playing field among all the races, and a culture of meritocracy.
For the Malays who supported the opposition, one cannot fault them for doing so if they really believe that PKR and PAS would represent them better and that Umno is no longer the automatic choice. Rather, the party should ask why that is so. Umno wants the Malays to be subservient to it but it has to correct its weaknesses.
In a nutshell, voters cannot and must not be "punished" for exercising their democratic rights and fundamental liberties peacefully as enshrined by the Constitution.
Calling voters for the opposition – including the young who are now in the majority – as ungrateful, betrayers, greedy, unpatriotic, and not understanding history by time and again reminding them why May 13 happened – is counter-productive to the long-term nation building process.
For the ruling politicians to describe these voters as being easily "duped" and "taken for a ride" – or basically plain stupid – for exercising their democratic rights is not going to earn them any respect. The overwhelming majority of citizens love this country and that is why a record number of voters turned out in this election. People do care about the democratic process.
The majority of the rakyat want to move forward in breaking racial and religious barriers but the politicians are saying that they are not ready, mature or responsible enough.
But many on their own have decided to move forward and are determined not to be held back by the political scaremongering.
A primary school friend of mine, Rahman, who is an Indian Muslim married to a Kelantanese, put up a photo of him and the wife on Facebook with this message: "On 5th of May, we became Chinese."
Azam Aris is senior managing editor at The Edge. This article was first published in The Edge Malaysia May 20-26 issue. fz.com
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