Harmony and Keluarga Malaysia

 

From Richard Robless

This is the month of Keluarga Malaysia, a slogan introduced by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob “to strengthen family ties and embrace the spirit of inclusion in the wider Malaysian Family”.

He launched Bulan Keluarga Malaysia 2021 at Taman Botanical Perdana on Nov 7.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, at his official birthday celebration at Istana Negara on Nov 13, reiterated the crucial spirit of Keluarga Malaysia and hoped the country would achieve greater heights with an “inclusive and fair Malaysian Family”.

This is also the month when the government of today comes closest to its 100th day in office. A good time, I believe, to review the state of our union as a nation and the currency of that oft-repeated slogan we use to describe ourselves: “Malaysia Truly Asia”.

But are we really “Malaysia Truly Asia” today?

Although race relations have been sliding over the last few decades, it became more apparent in 2018 and took a dangerous turn for the worse following the Sheraton Move in 2020.

Despite the pandemic being a time of great stress, difficulty and disruption to life and livelihoods, we witnessed perpetrators of division sowing intolerance, disrespect and hate with unmitigated arrogance and exclusiveness, all of which caused great injury to our already fragile state.

However, rising above the bigots, zealots and hate mongers, the period also saw the emergence of good people – of various races, religions, cultures and backgrounds – spontaneously providing material, financial and emotional support for the downtrodden, weak and vulnerable.

This spirit of giving, of “rakyat jaga rakyat” and the rise of goodness over darkness was truly uplifting and inspiring, a true reminder of the spirit of togetherness in the schools, festivals and open houses of yesteryears.

This spirit gives us hope, but what about the intolerance and divisions that were sowed? The most notable takeaway was the eerie silence from the national leadership which failed to quell the disquiet and confront arrogance, petty intolerance and disrespect. It showed a government lacking courage and commitment to repudiate hate and punish those who disrupt peace and harmony.

Malaysians were happy when national unity minister Halimah Mohamed Sadique launched a national unity action plan with the aim of cultivating community unity and goodwill consistent with the vision of Keluarga Malaysia.

A principal thrust in the plan involves the creation of Rukun Negara Clubs in schools and Rukun Negara secretariats in universities. Harmony Malaysia applauds this initiative as we believe that unity and inclusiveness are best nurtured through education from the early years.

Education is where it all begins and where humanity, inclusiveness, unity and respect for all the diverse members of our Malaysian family can be nurtured.

In this, the Rukun Negara is our bedrock, our guiding philosophy, for the strengthening of harmony and the building of a united Malaysia. Despite proclaiming the tenets of this philosophy as our national guide, we have yet to accept the Rukun Negara as our moral compass in word and deed.

Effective inculcation of the Rukun Negara requires us to live the spirit of the Rukun Negara and this spirit, like that associated with Keluarga Malaysia, has to be lived top-down, beginning with exemplary leadership.

We have witnessed sufficient examples of poor courage and behaviour from our leaders to conclude that this spirit is sorely lacking and, for which, we, as a nation, will continue to suffer.

How will the vision of Keluarga Malaysia and the expectations of the Rukun Negara be achieved when our schools are deeply polarised in both student enrolment and teacher employment?

“Whats” are important but the “hows” are critical for accomplishing our aims, as we will need to ensure that participation is representative of all communities as far as possible.

Making national schools the preferred choice for all communities is the way forward, but do we have the political will and guts to do what is right? Without first resolving the “hows” – in terms of access to education, equitable opportunities in education, school composition, curriculum and cultural history – the unity action plan will fail for lack of substance and participation. Again, it will only be slogans, all talk but no walk!

There are certainly government programmes to enhance unity among our people, some of which have survived. While these plans may indicate the government’s keenness to foster good and harmonious relations among all Malaysians, an analysis will show a litany of weaknesses, especially when it comes to equitable participation which is the determinant of success or failure.

Participation, however, depends on perceptions of the benefits and equity. However, when fairness, justice and equitability are questioned, as in the racially-configured budget of 2022, then cohesion is weakened and fissures in solidarity emerge.

While many smaller issues have taken a toll on the state of ethnic relations, none compare in substance to this budget, in challenging the government’s sincerity for equity, justice and national unity. This racially charged budget has not only seriously undermined ongoing endeavours in building solidarity, it has also deprived our brothers and sisters in Sabah and Sarawak of a fairer share.

Budget 2022 has struck a most painful blow to Keluarga Malaysia.

If we are to continue to survive as a vibrant, cohesive, inclusive and rigorous nation of substance, we will need to unshackle the chains of old habits, throw out old baggage of the past and move forward with courage and political will.

For a start, we call for:

• The rejuvenation of the National Unity Consultative Council where stakeholders will be given the opportunity to combine their talents and experiences in the construction of plans and programmes designed to strengthen solidarity and unity, embrace our diversity and build strong ethno-religious relations;
• A serious professional and objective review of our education system to make national schools the preferred choice for all students without hampering the growth of vernacular schools, all with the development of our young, foremost in mind;
• The early and just resolution of issues regarding the Malaysia Agreement 1963; and
• Quick, effective and firm enforcement against those who cause hate and widen divisions in society.

We were once a harmonious society, proud of our standing among nations of the world, proud of our diversity and sense of community spirit, proud of our economic growth and sense of nationhood.

We seem to have changed from a rich, progressive, harmonious multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural society to a narrow and insular one, influenced by exclusive and extreme thinking.

Vision 2020, Malaysia Inc, 1Malaysia and Shared Prosperity 2030 aimed at change but remain just slogans and passing fads to remind us of governments that have come and gone. We pray that Keluarga Malaysia will be different; that it will breathe new energies and bring new hope and not end up, like the rest, in the dustbins of tomorrow. - FMT

Brig-Gen (Rtd) Richard Robless is president of Persatuan Promosi Harmoni Malaysia.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.