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THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH
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MALAYSIA Tanah Tumpah Darahku

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Saturday, August 10, 2013

No end to religion, race-baiting


MP SPEAKS Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and I attended a fund raising event in Rawang yesterday. It is part of an effort to raise RM15 million to build a new church. The church is named after Saint Jude, the patron saint for lost causes and those in hopeless despair.

NONEIn my speech, I referred to the state of racial politics in the country. The 13th general election appears to have made the struggle for a just and equitable society a lost cause and put those wanting to end racial politics in hopeless despair.

Reverend Father Frederick Joseph, like the patron saint his parish is named after, gave us hope when he said building a new church is not about the building of brick and mortal but the building of a community in our multi-racial and multi-religious nation founded on love and mutual respect filled with the courage to stand up for truth and to act against oppression.

By beating the racial and religious drums sufficient numbers were frightened back into BN’s fold to win 133 parliament seats. At what cost? Churches were burnt, Gurdwaras stoned and Hindu temples demolished. 

Christians were not allowed to use the word “Allah”. Racial and religious diatribe was allowed to take center stage. Calls were made to burn the Bible, Hindu gods disparaged, the Pope asked torecall his envoy, Muslim opposition leaders branded as supportingShiite teachings.

NONERacial and religious baiting has continued after the elections and is increasing, from calls to boycott Chinese businesses to the closing of Jonker Walk in Malacca. The head master in Sungai Buloh Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Pristana closed the canteen and the children had to eat in the showeroom.

The mother who posted the photograph in the internet received threats. She is allegedly applying to transfer her daughter to another school because of harassment. What has happened to our people’s sense of right and wrong?

Why best left out of universities?

The yearly disappointments in university admissions have been repeated. Top students with perfect score of Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.0 are not able to get into public universities to study medicine, dentistry or courses of their choice. The authorities said it is only 1 percent, 39 out of 3,985 students that did not get a place.

NONEThe question is not how many did not get a place but why are the best left out? Singapore's former premier Lee Kuan Yew (left) in his book, “One Man’s View of the World” said Malaysia is prepared to lose talent in order to maintain the dominance of one race. 

We, Malaysians know that and are fighting for change. However, racial and religious politics have proven to be a successful strategy and have taken a toll on us.

Today, Malaysians are less tolerant and more suspicious of each other. The raging public debate on making Islamic and Asian Civilisation Studies (Titas) a compulsory subject in private tertiary institutions is an example where emotions and mistrust have gotten in the way of objective and rational arguments.

Those who oppose it say it is an attempt at Islamisation of the students. I am sure no Buddhist, Hindu or Christian will convert to Islam because they took the course. The students will acquire more knowledge. My concern is whether the cost is worth the benefits.

This debate comes after the proposed Administration of the Religion of Islam Act 2013 to allow one parent to convert his children into Islam. Respect and consideration for other races and religion is not learnt through university courses, it is learnt from leadership by example. 

NONESouth Africa did not have university courses, their leaders worked on truth and reconciliation. They had Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk. We have former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad (right) and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

The divide between Malays and Non-Malays and between Muslims and Non-Muslims are growing wider by the day and tolerance is drawing thin. Political entrepreneurs for their own selfish ends are driving the wedge between the different races and religions deeper and deeper, dividing our nation. On 505 racial politics won. Will we be able to bury racial politics or will racial politics bury us?

How can we convince those who have been cowed, shackled by the chains of economic dependency, subsidies, licenses and scholarship, dumb down by an education system that teaches them not to think, how can you make a person who is taught into believing he needs a crutch to get up and throw it away?  How are we going to build trust between the different races and between the different religions?

Sharing common identity

To do this, we have to remember four things.

The first thing to remember is that those who peddle racial politics feed on hatred, discord and fear.

Lee Kuan Yew - one mans viewThe second thing to remember in this long walk for justice and equity is that you will not walk alone. Lee in the same book said that there is no difference between Umno and Pakatan Rakyat because PAS will not allow the Malay agenda to be replaced.

There may be some who did think like that, but they have been rejected, expelled and cast-off. This thinking is completely out of step with right-thinking Malaysians, 53 percent of the voters rejected racial politics. 

I am proud to say that PKR and Pakatan Rakyat will stay true to our policy and belief in a multi-racial society founded on liberty, justice and equity.

The third thing to remember is that we cannot cooperate with those who preach hate, discord and oppression. I am not saying that we should do anything illegal to them. We should do what Mahatma Gandhi taught: “Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as co-operation with the good.”

The fourth thing to remember is that our forefathers may have come from different lands but we and our sons and daughters who come after us share a common destiny.

So I hope Malaysians will continue the struggle for a just and equitable Malaysia, for a country where respect is accorded to one’s religion, where racial differences are not weaknesses to be shunned but strengths to be celebrated, where our children will be judged not by the colour of their skin or manner they practice their faith but by the strength of their character, where love, peace and harmony will prevail over hatred, violence and discord.


WILLIAM LEONG is Selayang MP

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