Need to address the root cause of intolerance

It is rather strange that it takes the surau assault in Taman Austin Perdana, Johor Baru, for the Deputy Home Minister, Nur Jazlan Mohamed, to realise that the Malaysian society has low levels of tolerance and understanding.

Irresponsible politicking on the basis of race and religion is the main cause of the present polarisation among the different races in the country. Such polarisation is inextricably related to the nature of politics and how governance is based on ‘ethnic and religious’ management of issues.

It is not just the surau incident; any other provocations and counter-provocations could result in ugly racial incidents in the country. The incident at Taman Austin Perdana could have been easily avoided had the driver of the vehicle showed some maturity and not engaged in repeated honking to irritate those around.

Similarly, those men from the surau could have avoided the incident if they had reported the matter to the police for the nuisance that was created by the driver. However, by assaulting the driver they took the law into their own hands.

What happened during the surau incident is the tip of the iceberg. Extreme ethnic and religious politicking has created intolerance and lack of understanding amongst the various ethnic and religious communities. The slightest provocation has the potential to create a major catastrophe. Thus, the surau incident is a reflection of what is seriously wrong with the country.

After more than six decades of political independence, we have not resolved the fundamental problems of ethnic unity and understanding.

The trouble is that those who are in power never care to take stock of things, whether are we moving in the right direction in terms of inter-ethnic relations. Yes, on the surface, various races and religious groups seem to be getting on well, but right underneath there is slow but sure intolerance of ‘others’.

Nur Jazlan expressed his unhappiness when a small incident could provoke disproportional response. The inspector-general of police (IGP), rather than warning those who are prone to taking the law into their own hands, seems more concerned with those who were spreading the video of the incident.

Assaults such as these should be a reminder to all Malaysians irrespective of their ethnic or religious background that Malaysia is like a ‘time bomb’. A very minor provocation can lead to a major confrontation. Anyway there are so many positive aspects to race relations in the country, but I don’t understand why Nur Jazlan like many other BN politicians remind Malaysians of the May 13 incident that took place in 1969. Is it a kind of ‘fear’ tactic?

Provide good examples

Politicians should provide some good and positive examples of past cooperation and understanding amongst Malaysians for the necessity to maintain inter-ethnic peace and stability.

Let us not commit the perennial mistake of ‘firefighting’ when it comes to the resolution of inter-ethnic racial and religious issues. Let us not take it for granted that everything is all right just because the country has no major racial and religious confrontations. The last thing that Malaysia needs is a civil strife that will cause misery and colossal losses to Malaysians irrespective of our origins.

While those in power should think of ways to ensure peace and stability, in the final analysis Malaysians will have decide whether what form of political governance they need in the future. Continuation of the present form of ethnic and religious governance will only spell disaster for the country in years to come.

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P RAMASAMY is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang and the state assemblyperson for Perai. -Mkini