WHAT does it take to ensure Malaysia continues to have national unity and harmony, or muhibbah as it were?

It takes Malaysians to respect each other, to accept each other and generally not to run each other down. In others words, to live comfortably together. Not hard right?

There are constant reminders for national unity, particularly every time someone or some organisation go postal and denigrate or segregate people by race or religion. For example the recent Muslim-only laundromat furore from Johor.

It took state ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar to set things right, to state clearly and unequivocally that Johor is no Taliban state and services should be for all, and not particular communities.

There was a similar incident in Perlis and the state royalty did the same as the Johor sultan. And the Malay rulers yesterday endorsed it in their conference.

“The rulers greatly appreciate the strong stance of His Majesty the Sultan of Johor in forbidding the ‘Muslim-only laundry’ in the state of Johor, as well as the stance taken by His Royal Highness the Raja Muda of Perlis in a similar case in the State of Perlis,” said a statement issued today and signed by the Keeper of the rulers’ Seal, Syed Danial Syed Ahmad.

And no matter how you look at the Malay rulers statement, one unmistakable fact has emerged: the Najib government has scored an F on national unity. In other words, a failure to make national unity happen.

The federal government stood silent while all this was going on. Not a peep from the government of the day that spoke of 1Malaysia, that stressed national unity, saying it was the government for all.

The government played dumb. Until the royalty came out and told these business operators that their actions was contrary to what Malaysia stands for.

Is there any surprise then that the royalty is just filling the leadership void – which was once the job of the government of the day.

Prime ministers and cabinet ministers in the past would immediately shut down anyone who threatened national unity and harmony. But not anymore. They are mute, blind to the acts and deaf to the appeals for unity among Malaysians.

Multiracial Malaysia that speaks of diversity in unity needs a government that brooks no nonsense on anyone who threatens its unity and harmony. If it takes action against terrorists and politicians who sow seeds of division, it must also shut down those who show intolerance and bigotry to others.

If it has to take the royals to do so, what use is an elected government of the people, by the people and for the people?

Malaysia might as well just rely on monarchs to do the jobs, not little napoleons who lord over the people but do nothing to keep the peace, harmony and unity among Malaysians. – October 11, 2017.