FOR far too long, Malaysians have been wallowing in the mud of race and religion. I do feel that all of us are inherently racist by nature, for in my naive and simplistic interpretation, race is the culmination of centuries of evolution and a product of familiarity with a particular set of physical features, language, food, culture and, maybe, religion. I see no logical reason why a Nigerian-Muslim should at once be at home and feel comfortable with a Malaysian-Indian or, for that matter, a Caucasian-Jew with a Chinese-Buddhist.

But then, there is humanity, and we have all been programmed to live in harmony with people of various colours and faiths.

What holds humanity together? Without doubt, it’s good, old-fashioned values. Values are universal. Values are eternal. This country now needs to urgently restore our belief in honesty, accountability, transparency, kindness, pride and honour, amongt other virtues.

A heinous crime like rape or murder is wrong across all races and all religions. Theft, bribery, breach of trust and all other forms of corruption are unacceptable whether you are Malay, Chinese or Indian, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or Hindu.

What we should be teaching our children is not that they have to pray five times a day, read the Bible or break a hundred coconuts on an auspicious occasion. Instead, we should be telling them again and again that rape, murder, theft or corruption are simply unacceptable.

Too much time has been wasted by our nation trying to promote, rather successfully I may add, race and religion as a weapon of mass destruction. It is time now to use those same tools to unite. Add values to the mix.

Let’s all start talking and writing about values for, after all, the pen can be mightier than the sword. I have had the privilege of being born a Hindu, studying in a Christian missionary institution, which taught me noble values, and then spending the two best years of my professional life as a doctor in the 19 Royal Malay Regiment. The core message everywhere was the same. I never once felt threatened or insecure.

The values we adopt, nurture and cherish will help drive away fear. Fear of another race. Fear of another religion. Real estate people always say “Location, location, location.” Nation builders must start shouting “Values, values, values!”.

Values that will separate us from ordinary human beings to being truly human. No matter what race or religion. There should be absolutely no room for hypocrisy or double standards, which seems to be the bane of our country’s progress.

The Malaysia I wake up to every morning seems to only instil a feeling of despair. I pray that we all wake up in a country of hope, at least in my lifetime.

Malaysia Boleh! – November 28, 2020.

*Dr. Venugopal Balchand 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.