School bullying occurs anywhere, ethnic politics not to blame

COMMENT Politicians who cannot bridge or resolve ethnic divides should stop making simplistic or sweeping statements without trying to understand that politics and political divides exist inherently in all society.

Even in a progressive, homogenous nation with one ethnicity like Japan or a nation that has no racial constitutional provisions like the United States of America, bullying exists and coloured discrimination does happen rampantly.

Unfortunately, the Malaysian constitution has a racial and religious connotation and therefore our efforts to bridge, reduce and close the racial gap are more challenged. The Barisan Nasional’s efforts to close the ethnic gaps are further hampered by religious and chauvinistic political parties that continue to exploit ethnic or religious sentiments in their political vested interest.

Our very social, economic and political daily existence do not have incidences of racial riots or flare up until of late. PAS and DAP had politically postured or played up racial religious rhetoric with the specific intention to embarrass or force BN component parties to go after each other’s neck. Fortunately our BN leaders, who have a history of political practices, have not fallen into their traps.

Unfortunately with the advent of a freer new media and extensive social media, wayward racial taunts or words of individuals have been played up and pettiness brought to the fore and forced onto ministers or the prime minister to resolve.

These recent practices of DAP and PAS leaders have gained them hardcore extremist and chauvinist support coupled with disgruntled or temperamental political support as a result of a racial catch-22 situation like the ‘Kalimah Allah’ issue, etc.

However, neither DAP nor PAS are ready with any solutions except for paying lip services or giving false hope to their respective supporters.

It is time leaders like Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy stop hyping up the racial or religious sentiments (Free Malaysia Today, April 3, 2016) or attempt to pass the blame on BN component parties as scapegoats of ethnic differences that’s inherently present. BN was formed primarily not to aggravate ethnic differences and have been successfully managing race religious issues until of late.

So are we to blame BN component parties who sincerely attempt to close the gap or leaders in DAP or PAS who cleverly exploited race religious politics but they hide themselves like the proverbial Malay ‘buang batu, simpan tangan’.

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TI LIAN KER is MCA religious harmony bureau chairperson, Kuantan MCA division chairperson and MCA central committee member. -Mkini