MALAYSIANS learnt the hard way that race and religious politics will still feature in the new Malaysia but minister Khalid Samad has urged the people not to lose hope.

At least in the post-Barisan Nasional Malaysia, it won’t be the government that plays the race and religion card, said the new federal territories minister.

The inflammatory rhetoric that seeped into the public discourse, especially over appointments of non-Muslims to head critical institutions, will only end once Malaysians stop voting for parties that spread such politics.

What Pakatan Harapan (PH) has done, said Khalid, was oust the racists and religious extremists from the seats of power.

“What the rakyat has to do is to oust them from the political arena,” said the senior leader of progressive Muslim party Amanah, a member of the PH coalition.

PH campaigned on a promise to end racial and religious politics. Three of its four parties are multiracial.

Despite describing itself as a progressive Islamist party, Amanah offers full membership to non-Muslims and has leaders of different faiths at all levels.

PH parties and its ally, Parti Warisan Sabah, also multi-ethnic, captured 124 parliamentary seats in the 14th general election.

However, Malay supremacist party Umno and conservative Islamist party PAS both garnered 51 and 18 seats respectively. Analysts have said their victories signify that there is still demand from Malays for parties that champion racial and religious issues.

The election of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as Umno’s new president has also tilted the party further to the right.

Recently, Umno accused PH of trying to turn Malaysia into a Christian country after Tommy Thomas and Richard Malanjum were appointed attorney-general and chief justice, respectively.

Umno’s allegation is an old one and has been disproved countless times by PH but Khalid believes the opposition will keep harping on it as it is the party’s only selling point.

“The opposition cannot deal with the issue as it is and so they thrive on the fears of the public and give inaccurate explanations on these appointments to show that Christians are taking over the country.”

In reality, Islam as the official religion and the integrity of Islamic institutions will not be affected by either the CJ or A-G.

“The religious courts have their own power structures where the A-G or CJ has no role in them.”

Khalid said communal politics can only be shoved to the fringes of society if the public vote to do so in the next general election.  

“You cannot really do away with fringe groups in any society. Extremists exist in all societies.

“But if people are well informed they will reject them and they will not be in the mainstream and gather support.” – July 17, 2018.