IN a recent speech at UTM Skudai, Johor, former finance minister Daim Zainuddin spoke about the need for a national agenda and not a Malay agenda. When I read his full speech, I couldn’t help but agree with much of what he said about the need for a national agenda. According to him, the “national agenda is not a Malay agenda or a non-Malay agenda. It is a Malaysian agenda that takes all Malaysians into consideration; that fights poverty and inequality without discrimination, respecting the constitution”.

Halfway reading through his text, the cynical side of me started thinking: “why wasn’t this said when he was in a position of influence in Umno?” Ironically in Malaysia, it would seem that people who were in positions of power and influence speak more sense when they are no longer in those positions. Suddenly, there seems to be a newfound freedom to critique others when it would have made more sense to have done so when they had the world in their hands. But then, people change over time and perhaps begin to see the truth in a different light.

Yes, Malaysia needs a national agenda, but after having neglected it for over sixty years, it would seem like there is a huge mountain to climb. Perhaps it was easier for David to slay Goliath than for us to get ourselves out of this lethargy and rut.

For sixty years, Malaysians have not only been characterised, but also stereotyped by our race, religion, and even worse, by political affiliation. We don’t seem to be able to transcend these categories even in this new Malaysia. The race-religion agenda is still very much in the forefront, sadly the same with the PH government. The fear of losing political mileage has made many newly minted politicians use the race-religion agenda.

The recent by-elections in Cameron Highlands and Semenyih clearly indicate that the race-religion agenda still dominates the political discourse in this new Malaysia. It is clear that Malay votes are a great concern to some sectors of this new government, since reports from GE14 show that less that 30% Malays voted for PH. If the fixation is going to be with winning votes based on racial lines, then the national agenda is doomed from the start.

The recent tragedy in Christchurch is yet another reminder that when we allow ourselves to be divided along racial and religious lines, only more innocent lives will be lost. If something like this could happen in a country like New Zealand, which is considered among the world’s peaceful countries and ranks second in the Global Peace Index 2018, what guarantee do we have that something similar may not happen in our own backyard?

As long as we keep looking at ourselves differently, superior to the other, or even privileged over another, we will continue to play to the race-religion tunes of political parties. The toxicity of racial politics should have no place in this new Malaysia and the PH government must resist the temptation and not allow itself to be lured back into the race-religion politics. We must hold them accountable if they retreat. Malaysians voted for a new government so we could move forward and not go back to that which divides us.

As much as this new government should be lauded for its commitment to restoring the economy, bringing to justice those who plundered our nation’s wealth, and calling out those who abused their powers, it also needs to urgently address issues of national unity and not send out conflicting messages of racial, religious, or political supremacy. The old political rhetoric must give way to this new agenda that “fights poverty and inequality without discrimination, respecting the constitution”. –March 25, 2019.

* Dr Clarence Devadass is a Catholic priest and director of the Catholic Research Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Moral education is an issue close to his heart. He focuses on paving resourceful ways to promote virtues for living in a multireligious society, for a significant life together.

* 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.