NATIONAL unity is a process that seeks to unite people from different ethnic, religion and socio-economic backgrounds for beneficial goals where citizens think, feel and care for each another and sacrifice individual interests for the country.

“There comes a time… When we heed a certain call… When the world must come together as one… There are people dying… Oh, and it’s time to lend a hand to life… The greatest gift of all” – lyrics from the song, We Are the World.

There was a time in Malaysia, when all races grew up with tolerance for one other and inter-racial friendship was sincere. Religion was not a big issue.

Sometime ago, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah said, after 62 years of existence and experience as an independent country, national unity in Malaysia still seems elusive and it is always a work in progress.

Leaders often deplore the lack of unity but many make seditious remarks and irresponsible actions. And policies tend to continue segregation and create disunity.

There have been calls for all segments of society to be treated as equal. It’s really the ultimate utopia. Even among family members, not everybody is of the same height, built and economical wellbeing. Confucian roles expect obedience and honouring elders and to consult elders on big decisions. The interest of the family is expected to supersede the interests of the individual.

We do not need to question who came first to this beloved land or the origin of the Malays. If Indians came here first about two millennia ago, why did they come here? If Malays originated from Yunnan, China, how and when did Yunnan became part of China?

We are all from Adam and Eve (except atheists) and “pendatang” and will leave after a life expectancy of about 76 years.

This land is prosperous and attracts everyone.

We also do not need to imply Malays are incompetent and lazy and will lose out in a competitive system.

There have been manuscripts written by locals as far back as the 13th century that reflected the state of the Malay archipelago recording the survival and lifestyle habits of the Malays. Many are lost because of the mass copying and distribution of the manuscripts by Western collectors, researchers and orientalists. Some can be found at the Leiden University (the Netherlands), the United Kingdom National Library and the School of Oriental and African Studies (London) and even in Russia. Many were in the old jawi scripts.

A popular classical text is Hukum Kanun Melaka – the legal code of the Malacca Sultanate (1400-1511) – reaffirmed the primacy of Malay customary law, while accommodating and assimilating Islamic principles.

In the 1940s, significant Malay opposition to the idea of Malayan Union was spontaneous. Most non-Malays were generally divided or indifferent until it was abandoned by the British. The radical Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) and the Malayan Democratic Union (MDU – established in Singapore) supported the proposal.

The British then entered into secret negotiations with Malay aristocracy and Umno. The British came up with the Anglo-Malay Proposals (AMP), which include institutionalised handicaps against the non-Malay community and the absence of a road map towards independence.

A united front was mulled to oppose the AMP. There was unity then.

MDU, the Malay Nationalist Party, MIC and other groups worked together to avoid dangers of separated and self-interested representation. Later, a Malay organisation, Putera, established a coalition with All Malaya Joint Council for Action (AMCJA, with Tan Cheng Lock as chairman) known as Putera-AMCJA.

Among the 10 principles adopted were:

A united Malaya including Singapore; citizenship granting equal rights to all with undivided loyalty; Malay customs and religion to be fully controlled by the Malays; special provisions for the advancement of the Malays politically, economically and educationally and Malay to be the official language.

However, when CPM decided to launch an armed rebellion, it was the end for the coalition. The insurgency resulted in two emergency periods (1948-1960 and 1968-1990) with casualties (killed, wounded and missing) around 19,000.

Then came negotiations for independence and again we had unity.

A serious military response to the communist insurgency as well as the Baling Talks in 1955 led to the establishment of independence. Depending on how one looks at it, asking for independence is not really difficult since the British had announced earlier in 1949 that Malaya would soon become independent whether the Malayans liked it or not.

Unity was tested in 1969, specifically on May 13. Depending on which story one wants to believe, at a funeral procession for a political activist, Maoist slogans were displayed and The East is Red sung together with provocations to bystanders.

The National Operations Council (NOC) released a report on October 9, 1969 citing “racial politics” as the primary cause. Tunku Abdul Rahman, in his book released two weeks before the report, blamed opposition parties as well as influence of communists.

Sadly, when Pakatan Harapan came into power, signs of rekindling the communist spirit reared its ugly head with a series of race-related incidents. Politicians started irresponsible actions with racial and religious utterances. When the government decided to add the number of matriculation students by 60%, the opposition twisted the issue.

Existence of political parties based on race and religion, as noted by the NOC, created inseparable racial and religious clusters. The rhetoric is that their race and religion are under threat or to preserve racial identity and mother tongue.

By the way, “Malay” was not a racial or even a fixed identity. The construct of race was imposed by the British on their colonial subjects.

Blame cannot be on politicians only but all of us too.

Some blamed the education system. Shared values and tolerance deteriorate when students are separated into different school types. Many non-Malays are disappointed with the national schools and perceived they have become more “religious” with alienating conditions. The alternative is to attend vernacular and private schools to help preserve racial identity and protect their mother. tongue.

Forget about closing vernacular schools. Just improve the national schools with better teachers, curriculum and facilities that will attract all students. Note, all schools were forced to adopt Japanese curriculum during the Japanese occupation and Singapore does not have Chinese schools.

Civil society groups should be at the forefront to fend off racial and religious bigotry.

Parents should not neglect their responsibility in adapting positive values to their children and inculcate tolerance, fairness, modesty, respect for others and civic-consciousness.

There are so many hate messages and many are recycled, circulating in social media. We as individuals should start questioning the sender(s) on their intentions and advise to propagate positivity. The Communications and Multimedia Ministry has a major role here in monitoring and inculcating positivity and constantly communicating the initiatives planned by the government.

However, many initiatives are not realistic “here and now”, but anticipated to become real in the future (there and then) and mostly theoretical.

The secretary-general of the National Unity Ministry must guide and advise the minister to be more proactive. Sadly, the post is vacant in the ministry’s website. I expected a statement from the ministry on a recent temple commotion in Salak South to allay the heat but there was none. Does it not reflect the Keluarga Malaysia concept or is it a case of a ministry not interfering with another? A strong belief in family and unity must be instilled.

Dr Chandra Muzaffar, in his book, Reflections on Malaysian Unity and Other Challenges, stressed on the role of the monarchy as the safety net and protector of all citizens, majority not to suppress the rights of minority group and neither should we have tyranny of the minority over the majority.

The late Dr Ismail said it is important not to allow communal feelings to engulf, divide and destroy us. We need enlightened leaders who will think and act Malaysian.

Don’t take unity for granted. The Scottish referendum on whether the 300-year-old union with England stays was a lesson.

We should focus on commonalities and strengths and religiously follow the five principles of our Rukun Negara.

“There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of a non-Arab over an Arab, and no superiority of a white person over a black person or of a black person over a white person, except on the basis of personal piety and righteousness” – Prophet Muhammad.

Many have read the book, Malay Dilemma. How about The Chinese Dilemma by Ye Lin-Sheng?

And do we practise civility and sincerity?

What say you… – October 5, 2021.

* 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.