THE nation is going through a third wave of Covid-19. Our economy shrank the most compared to our neighbouring countries. The massive 17.1% gross domestic product contraction in the second quarter of this year has so far made Malaysia the worst-performing economy in Asean.

For Malaysia, the figure is the worst double-digit quarterly contraction since 1998, or about 22 years, following the unprecedented lockdown imposed to stem the spread of Covid-19.

In this context of weakened control of Covid-19 and depressing economic situation, politicians are busy scheming and plotting for power, where it seems that the upcoming November parliamentary sitting would focus on the no-confidence motion against the prime minister, instead of a platform where the government and the opposition backbencher could work together by putting aside their political difference and coming up with solutions to curb the rise of Covid-19 and reviving the economy.

In the current context of the pandemic a general election is irrelevant, and constitutional requirement is not absolute. What is needed is spiritual wisdom that is ideologically free to salvage the nation by enhancing its capacity to respond to a very complex health and economic crisis.

What is plaguing the nation today is not merely a political, economic or social problem but a deep-rooted spiritual illness where collective egocentric political entities are scheming through a dualistic black and white confrontation when the nation is suffering from a pandemic and economic hardship.

There is absence of spiritual contemplation among political, economic and religious elites in embracing the nation as whole, and this has weakened our capacity to respond as a collective nation, where ideas from opposing sides could be synthesised for the common good of the country.

While the nation claims to be religious with Rukun Negara exhortation of belief in God, such beliefs tend to take an exceptionalist pathway, resulting in dualistic confrontation rather than collaborative endeavour in seeing the good in the other in these trying times.

Therefore, it is time the nation discovers its spiritual energy found in contemplative tradition of all religions and work in the spirit of love and compassion rather than competition in trying to resolve the current twin crisis.

Political elites of both sides of the divide should stop the dualistic politics of destruction and work in embracing the good in the other that could unleash a spiritual

solidarity where cooperation with the other takes precedence, rather than plotting and scheming the downfall of the other. 

The nation is in dire need of spiritual contemplation. – October 19, 2020.

* Ronald Benjamin is secretary, Association for Community and Dialogue.

* 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.