By R
Kengadharan
There is no credible national
effort to destroy the racist mentality.
The fundamental problem in Malaysia
today is racism, and each day it escalates to a more dangerous level.
We cannot
ignore the ugly truth that racism is the consequence of privilege,
institutionalised discrimination and the claim of supremacy by one group.
The sad
thing is that there is no national effort on a credible scale to destroy the
racist mentality.
We must
destroy racism by openly condemning it and rejecting it in whatever form it
takes, including the form of a race-based political party.
The result
of the 2008 general election did provide a ray of hope for a political system
dominated by two multiracial parties, but the euphoria was short-lived.
No true
political observer can be oblivious of the fact that racial politicking is
making a comeback and threatening to push the nation ever backward.
While the
vast majority of Malaysians see nothing but ugliness in racial politics, there
are still many politicians who believe they cannot survive unless they continue
to advocate race politic – and to hell with the consequences on the nation’s
future.
Why, for
instance, do we need to be constantly reminded about the dark days of the 1969
riots?
It ought to
be the duty of political parties to take stern action against their members who
arouse racial sentiments.
The
government, especially, must act swiftly against them. Meanwhile, responsible
citizens must never succumb to these racist instigations.
However,
the best means of defeating racism is to educate the public on our cultural
diversity and to take pride in it.
Racism is a
menace and we must cripple it by restructuring our mindsets through discourse
and activities that foster solidarity.
But, meanwhile,
we can deal with racist politicians by:
·
rejecting all race-based policies and agendas;
·
rejecting any political party that represents only one race;
·
rejecting any attempt to indoctrinate the ideology of a
supreme race;
·
boycotting every activity that encourages racism; and
·
challenging the constitutionality of any law with an embedded
racist agenda.
(R Kengadharan
is a lawyer and a former ISA detainee.)
Source : FMT
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