NORTH, south, east, west (Vietnamese and Germans), have been united. The Koreans are dating and looking at reunification. The Malays must be a special lot because they are splitting, politically.

To some, it may sound politically sinister for Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to invite all Malay parties to join Bersatu in efforts to unite the Malays, the failure of which would obviously reduce the potential of Malay parties winning the next election.  

Some say Umno already has a head start working with PAS. But both are not in the government and perceived to be tainted by wrongdoings. Umno losing its stronghold in Johor speaks volume. 

Historically, empires and dynasties (Romans, Mongol, Umayyad, Yuan, etc) have risen and fallen. Causes include decline in morals and values, political civility, overconfidence, fiscal irresponsibility and many more.

Between 1776 to 1788, Edward Gibbons published The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, an analysis of how a powerful empire could be destroyed, and premised that luxury inherently bears a corrupting element in its DNA. Some even said the introduction of Christianity turned Romans into pacifists.

The downfall of the Umayyad empire was due to many reasons – incompetent leaders, successor issues, oppression and discrimination against non-Arabs. In their era, the Islamic world split into Shia and Sunnis.

The British Empire, the largest the world had ever seen, also saw the sun set on them. 

A lesson can be learned from how China was able to survive conquests by the Mongols and the Manchus – the deep roots of a civilisation and confidence. 

To me, unity concerns more than just politics but the future direction and development of all Malaysians as well. Many programmes and initiatives were developed for the Malays but somehow, in the last decade, results have been disappointing. Morals and values declined, corruption is rampant and most in the Bottom 40 (B40) group are Malays.  

We used to boast about Malay civility but just look around us today. On the roads, in the social media sphere and even in Parliament – confidence is nearing its nadir. Worries about loss of Malay supremacy are not followed by any concrete action plans to improve upon it, and the protection of Islam is not evident from the various wrongdoings.

On the other side of the table on racial discussions, non-Malays come up with their own reasons. Suffice it for me to say, those ignorant of history will make incorrect analyses and jump to wrong conclusions.

For the record, I am happy to see the descendants of the earliest Chinese migrants who arrived from the 13th to 17th centuries assimilating with the local cultures – the Peranakans, Baba-Nyonya as well the Sino-Natives in Sabah.

The sad part is, both sides are preoccupied with advancing their own interests. Statements like, “Now that MCA has lost power, there is no longer anyone who represents the Chinese in government… this will be a serious problem in the future”, does not help. 

To make unity work, the objective should be on the long-term, not for the benefit of one particular race, for national interest or with the sole intent of winning the next general election. 

As a country, all its citizens must unite to move forward with a clear vision, focused and with confidence. Distractions won’t help. Some see it as having only one political party. Not necessarily. We need a constructive and an effective opposition. 

If everyone has the interest of the country at heart and not just personal glory, we could be a great nation. Why then are people fighting to be the president within the same party? My friends say it is because of the three “ta” – wanita, takhta and harta – otherwise known as a “game of thrones”.

In our present context, we need to keep religious extremism at bay, non-discriminatory affirmative action for Bumiputeras and meaningful assimilation. 

What say you? – July 9, 2019.

* Saleh Mohammed reads The Malaysian Insight.

* 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.