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Last week, I wrote in my column about whether Malaysia will ever be free from narrow-mindedness.
My thoughts were premised on the reality that many issues, which we should discuss at the national level, seem to easily trigger off anger, antagonism and unpleasantness. And, our politicians constantly urge us not to raise topics that are “sensitive”.
If so, can we grow without a healthy exchange of ideas? I concluded by asking if we will ever have mature discourse in our country, free from the shackles of religion and dogma.
The feedback on FMT’s social media sites and on my own platforms, showed that like many issues dealing with deep-rooted beliefs, religious conviction and Malaysia’s ubiquitous ‘social contract’, my thoughts received both support and criticism. Of course, this was to be expected.
This is what a national dialogue actually does. Debates that make people think and re-examine their belief structure serve to dispel ignorance. And mine is but one voice amongst many.
However, the people who agreed with me and also those who disapproved of my views, used incredibly strong, irritable and peevish language to put their points across.
Accusations and counter-accusations of insensitivity were hurled. Vitriolic and acerbic comments went back and forth. People took terribly polarised positions.
Ironically, just a few days ago, the former CIMB group chairman Nazir Razak was quoted as saying that Malaysians have been growing apart over the years. He puts it down to our policies, education system, and the rising religiosity in the country.
Nazir went on to say that the ‘Malaysian Nation’, as the agenda for our nation-building project, which our leaders advocated at its inception, seems to have now ground to a complete halt or has completely broken down.
Currently, any dialogue or exchange of ideas that comes anywhere near our fragile race relations, religious inclinations, or moral proclivity inevitably splits the country down the middle.
For me, this is a demonstration of a fractured society, with severe trust deficiencies.
This past weekend, I also met up with a group of friends, after a long time.
All of them are professionals and successful in their respective careers. And, it was a multi-racial table truly representing the composition of all the races in Malaysia.
As lunch progressed, I noticed that everyone sitting around the table eventually expressed some form of cynicism with our domestic politics.
The feeling was that the equilibrium and balance that our founding fathers worked tirelessly to establish, has come undone and is being exploited by newer generations of politicians.
This has led to distrust, which is now infused in public discourse, and in all our political discussions. For a plural society like Malaysia, any trust deficiency obstructs all action in the public interest.
People seem to be totally suspicious of each other.
Surely, we all understand that when communities neither trust each other nor the country’s institutions, they are less likely to tolerate different points of view or ways of life.
Even more worrying, people become more susceptible to the allure of demagogues and political manipulators. Without the requisite trust between communities, Malaysia is at the risk of descending into chaos and conflict.
So, doesn’t rebuilding trust and social cohesion amongst us, become the highest priority in our national agenda? But, how?
First, we need leaders who work for the greater good of the nation and not for themselves.
We cannot afford to continuously select leaders that hold on to office for decades. Many of them suppress opposition, use their offices to enrich themselves and their allies. And, they do precious little to fortify accountability.
Just yesterday, we reached the 34th year since the infamous Ops Lalang took place. While numerous justifications were offered for this crackdown, it is widely believed that the operation was designed to control the political opponents of the then prime minister, through the draconian Internal Security Act.
It is harder to reform entrenched leaders, than to nurture new ones.
We need leaders who will work for the public good, and not those who plot to embed themselves in power at the taxpayer’s expense, like what happened in 1987.
To rebuild trust today, Malaysia needs transparent and accountable leaders.
If you talk to ordinary folk, they will probably say that corruption is rampant in Malaysia. But the very same people might also argue that bribery is so ingrained in the fabric of the country that it can never truly be banished.
The reality though, is that some countries have successfully overcome their legacies of corruption.
They have passed acts which are termed ‘sunshine laws’. These are laws that make government meetings, records, votes, deliberations, and other official actions transparent and available for public observation, participation, and scrutiny.
Open and transparent government processes can drastically reduce corrupt practices.
However, the definitive and most important task in reinstating trust amongst Malaysians, is to finally ensure social inclusion for all communities.
If people feel that they are excluded or choked out of opportunities because of their race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, or other reasons, it is nigh-on-impossible to rebuild trust.
These are the first steps towards an inclusive Malaysian society.
Everyone must be treated fairly by law enforcement agencies and the courts, with no special treatment for select elites and with no discrimination towards any community. Only then does inclusiveness become more than a lofty rhetorical construct.
If people in government departments are culturally aware and accepting of differences, Malaysians will not feel alienated because of their accent or their dressing. Now inclusiveness happens.
When every Malaysian receives an equal opportunity to education, or stands an identical chance to obtain a government scholarship, purely on merit, we become an inclusive society.
If conscious and tangible efforts are made to allow Malaysians of all races into mainstream social and economic systems, we naturally achieve inclusiveness.
If we are divided by race and religion, which leads to distrusting each other, how can we expect to live and prosper in a multi-ethnic society?
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
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