THERE is a growing disquiet in society as politicians and racial and religious extremists fuel the fires of race and religion to incite hate and intolerance among targeted groups and voters.

This is likely to become even more intense as the elections in six states draw closer.

The stakes are high and the stability of government is being challenged by those who will have much to lose following the polls to come.

It is disturbing when much of what we see happening is being steered by those whom we had much regard for before.

We commend Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his courageous and timely message on zero tolerance for those “inciting racial and religious sentiments”, inferring this to be the attempts and work of corrupt leaders who are desperate to “hijack and distract the people from the central issues of governance”.

He called a spade a spade and, with this bold stand, he hit the nail on its head and demonstrated the strong will of the government to counter the work of extremists and saboteurs of the nation’s unity and well-being.

Our unity, harmony and stability as a nation is paramount. God has blessed our country with beautiful and bountiful resources but, much like life, resources too are finite and greed, corruption and waste handicap our progress and damage our credibility as a nation and as a people.

We fully support the government in its efforts to stem the tide and bring to book all those who have abused their positions and squandered the nation’s wealth.

The unity of our people remains our most treasured goal but identity politics can be destructive and will stall nation-building if not restrained.

Apart from the hate circulated on the internet using largely fake and misinterpreted material as a basis, we also witness how vernacular education and well-meaning exchanges and visits to houses of worship have been suddenly pushed to the fore to excite and incite.

We call for careful and respectful management of the delicate interplay of inter-ethnic and inter-religious relationships.

Diversity is our strength and how we build this strength and unite our people will therefore determine how we bind our nation as one, to make it resilient against all internal and external challenges for the greater good of our country.

Malaysia is our home and its people, our larger family. As one body and as one nation, we are connected to one another.

Our destiny is shared but our progress is hampered and disrupted when the environment is infected (like the virus) with disturbances and noise from racists and extremists abetted by politicians driven only by an agenda to garner votes using division and hate.

In these challenging times, our country calls us to act as one in meeting the threats we face and this begins with respect for one another and the acceptance of our diverse beliefs, cultures, talents and contributions as the bedrock of national strength.

We thank the prime minister for his timely reminder that unity is paramount and that Malaysia has been built with contributions from all parties and communities. – March 21, 2023.

* Richard Robless is Harmony Malaysia president.

* 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.