Much have been said and written about the current\nstate of unity in the country. We hear voices of concerns from the top\nleadership of the country to common civilians on the streets and coffee shops.\nAll are worried with the social temperature of the relationships among the\ndifferent racial groups. Conversations of the older generations centre upon\nreminiscing the \u2018good old days\u2019 when bonds of friendships and brotherhood (and\nsisterhood) transcend the colours of the skin or the names that came with it be\nthey Ahmad, Bala, Chong, Mary or Daljit. Harmonious relations, tolerance and\nmutual acceptance were identities of the people and the nation. Sadly, at this\npresent moment, such values that identify our Malaysia are all mostly written\nin the \u2018past tense\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One tries to trace where it all started. What makes\ntemperatures rise in our society today, how did prejudices and hatred become\ncreeping norms and who should be blamed for all that have been going on are\namong questions in need of immediate answers. We should realise that as much as\nhow difficult it was to strengthen the trusts among people of different races\nand religions to coexist harmoniously, it takes only a few minutes of irresponsible\nand inconsiderate small handful of individuals to destroy that trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the main problems with unity today is when its narratives\nare determined through the partisan lenses. Some leaders have the tendency to leverage\non matters that would expedite their group interests, either individually or\ncollectively. The danger to this game is when there are those who use or rather\nabuse ethnic, religious and cultural differences as the trump card for\nsectarian gains. The danger to this game is too obvious for all to see when\nshort-thinking and emotions are not guided by wisdom, patience and spirit of goodwill.\nThe effect will be disastrous to the survival of this nation and also to the\ncredibility of any government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leaders from all political divides should try to use\ncommon terms associated with unity to ensure the objectives of unity and\npeaceful coexistence are achieved. Terms like tolerance, harmony, goodwill and\ndiversity must be mutually understood and carry the same meaning for them to be\ngreatly appreciated. Leaders should also realise that not all matters that\ninvolve differences in ethnicity and religion are actually aimed at demeaning\nthe other. Statements and speeches of leaders are signals to their followers on\nthe actions that they must take. Responsible leaders will seek to minimise\nchaos and elements that can destroy the stability of the society but instead\nwill use their positions to foster better relationships and promote ties of\nfriendship among their followers and other members in the society. Leaders in\nthe country should be aware that their ability to unite the society is\nintegrant in achieving the goals of a successful nation. A true leader will use\nhis or her position of leadership to further enhance his or her moral character\nand bring goodness to the society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to be objective when dealing with\nissues that can cause conflict and chaos in the country. Problems that arise which\nmight be associated with the pluralistic character of the society require\nsolutions that stem from the spirit of consensus. Harmonious relations among\npeople of different ethnic groups, religions and cultures should not be at the\nbehest of certain figures only. Rivalries among groups must not put national\nunity at stake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unity should be an agenda which is above constrictive\npolitics. Common Malaysians must learn to bring our own narratives that promote\nmutual understanding and respect. The cultural and ethnic diversities are\nactually pillars of strength that can become a sense of pride to all Malaysians.\nIt is time for all, leaders included, to shift the focus of the nation to the agenda\nof nation building. The Constitution has already provided us with a strong\nframework for our engagement with one another. We need to learn to set aside our\negos for unity to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unity for Malaysia is a continuous pursuit. It should be\nthe noble mission of every individual Malaysian. It must not be left solely in\nthe hands of the government or just leaders. As the rakyat<\/em>, we need to keep on spreading words of peace and harmony and\nconduct ourselves in a manner where respect and tolerance are reflected in our\nactions. We have nothing to lose if we do this and everything to lose if we let\npartisan politics and political rivalries shape how we should relate to one\nanother. It is high time for the rakyat<\/em>\nto lead the agenda of unity for Malaysia. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Much have been said and written about the current state of unity in the country. We hear voices of concerns from the top leadership of the country to common civilians on the streets and coffee shops. All are worried with the social temperature of the relationships among the different racial groups. Conversations of the older generations centre upon reminiscing the \u2018good old days\u2019 when bonds of friendships and brotherhood (and sisterhood) transcend the colours of the skin or the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_analytify_skip_tracking":false,"_wpzoom_pinterest_image_url":"","_wpzoom_pinterest_hidden_image":"0","_wpzoom_pinterest_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[139],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-straits-times","category-139","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26361\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}