MALAYSIAN news was once again ablaze with the fires of bigotry after fugitive preacher Zakir Naik likened his right to remain in Malaysia, where he is a permanent resident, with the position of the Chinese community.

His comments insinuated that ethnic Chinese are merely guests in the country, and were clearly meant to rack up support for himself among the growing number of Malay nationalists. Such comments are, sadly, not unusual for anyone who has lived in the Malaysia of the last few decades.

Ultra-nationalistic Malay forces have, for a long time, sought to draw divisions and distinctions between what they view as “half-blood” Malaysians descended from migrant communities and the true “sons of the soil”.

Racial polarisation might have been birthed by the policies of British colonialists, but it was us who exacerbated the problem with our own racist ones, and then, with deeply entrenched communal politics in the years following Merdeka.

Zakir was drawing on his own narrow-minded, extremist religious views, and coupling them with the ethnocentric narrative he picked up from his many years living in Malaysia.

While it is heartening to note that his comments elicited a wave of outrage from Malaysians of all backgrounds and ethnicities, we would be foolish to think that his divisive views are shared only by an insignificant minority of the population.

The increasing number of Malays identifying themselves by their religion, Islam, had already been alluded to in a 2015 survey by pollster Merdeka Centre, which found that more Malays were identifying themselves as Muslims first and Malaysians second. Whether clothed in religion or racial identity, such communalism only serves to build a sense of distrust between the races.

Noor, a 39-year-old secondary school science teacher, is one of my few Facebook friends. She was my roommate for two years when we were studying at Penang’s Universiti Sains Malaysia more than two decades ago. We kept in touch over the years, and I’ve always appreciated her honesty, grace and strong adherence to her Muslim faith.

A week ago, she shared a post urging all mosques in Malaysia to open up mini-marts and supermarkets stocked with products either sold or manufactured exclusively by Muslim-owned companies. The result of this, said the post, would be the “complete control of the economy by our people”.

I didn’t “like” the post, but it sure left a disturbing and lasting impression on me, especially when almost all of her hundreds of friends did.

Here was an educated Malay urbanite who spent years either studying or working with fellow Malaysians of other races. I’d even like to think that my relationship with her was one she could look upon fondly.

And yet, her positive personal experience and high education level were not enough to make her question the instinctual adherence to religious nationalism.

Of course, this blind communalism is prevalent across all races and religions, and most definitely not confined to Muslims.

As a member of a WhatsApp group of Malaysians living abroad, I’ve had the unpleasant experience of having to remove non-Muslims keen on sharing anti-Islam rhetoric. Much of their content reeked of ignorance and bigotry.

As much as the small – but visible and vocal – liberal community would like to believe that the “true” Malaysian on the ground is colour-blind, the truth can’t be more different.

While it is indeed true that the majority of Malaysians are peace-loving and would go to great lengths to keep the peace, it is inevitable that the rising resentment of minority groups over racially biased policies, and the beating desire of the majority race to keep the status quo, will eventually clash.

How is it that we, as a nation about to celebrate 62 years of being masters of our own destiny, are still grappling and agonising over demands for race- or religion-based protectionism? Why do we, after generations of multiethnic Malaysians have been born and passed on, still have large segments of society questioning the pureness of each other’s nationality?

We blamed the then Barisan Nasional government, and now, many point the finger at the failings of the new administration.

But do we look at ourselves and ask if we are willing to retract our own call to “defend” our race or religion, and instead, fight for a Malaysia that is better for the least among us?

After all, what good is an economy dominated by Muslims, or ethnic Chinese, or ethnic Indians, if the number of those living in abject poverty and hunger is on the rise? And, what use is there in fighting for an alternative education system that allows us to master our mother tongue if one day, we lose the ability, and then, the desire to communicate with each other in a common language?

After 62 years of Merdeka, we should want more than this. We shouldn’t demand an ace card for our respective racial or religious communities. We should be fighting for a system that helps the weak, punishes the corrupt and unites us all.

Our multiracial heritage should make us special and unique, and not be what leads to our continued downfall as a nation. – August 28, 2019.

* Julia Yeow has been in journalism for two decades and counts it as her first love, despite enjoying brief stints as a lecturer, clown and salad maker. She is a strong believer in social justice, and holds that there is sometimes more truth in the greys, than the blacks and whites.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.