Anwar Is Right About Unity But We Need Concrete Action Not Talk

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Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged Malaysians to focus on fostering greater unity and national development instead of championing their own race or region, according to a FMT report on Jan 31.
I’m in total agreement. This is what a national leader should say.
Anwar, to his credit, has often spoken about the need for unity. For instance, on May 25 last year, the prime minister urged youths to enhance and preserve unity. Speaking at the national-level 2024 Unity Week celebration in Johor Bahru, he said: “It is the responsibility of youths, the younger generation, not to take this matter lightly because a country can rise due to the spirit of unity, and a country can also fall due to division and racial discord.”
Again, in a Facebook post on Feb 1, he said harmony and unity must be prioritised in pursuing development and stability.
National unity is of paramount importance, as I have been saying for decades. The problem is that successive governments have not focused on this foundational pillar of the nation.
The New Economic Policy’s overriding objective was achieving national unity while working on the twin pillars of poverty reduction irrespective of race and social restructuring to eliminate the identification of race with economic function.
It may have achieved some success but it failed in achieving national unity because, as a society, we are more fractured than ever. Every little word, statement or view expressed can explode into a racial or religious battle that further divides us.
That should not be.
The NEP, of course, has continued to be implemented in one form or another. It is time to stress the overriding goal of the original policy: affirmative action must be tuned to foster unity, not cause greater stress and disunity.
So, if we are to foster national unity, the government and government leaders must lead the way. Not just by making declarations during festivals but by instituting policies and programmes that bring people together and that deliver on the unity in diversity theme.
Anwar must lead by example. People want more than statements.
The same FMT report quoted Anwar as saying at the Chinese New Year open house at the Perak Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry: “We must focus and not be distracted by issues that arise. Our nation is a multi-racial, multi-religious country with different regions and states.”
He said problematic issues arose “because a small segment (of Malaysians) want to be heroes for their respective race, or area and region”.
“I have no problem with Malays going to Chinese New Year or Thaipusam celebrations. For decades, this was never an issue. Why should long-standing traditions suddenly become a problem?” Anwar asked.
Exactly. Why have these become problematic over the past few decades, and more so in the last few years?
I think Anwar knows the answer. If he doesn’t, he could always ask groups such as the G25 or individuals who do not belong to any political party or have no allegiance to any particular preacher.
The reason our differences – which are amplified by half-baked, fame-seeking politicians and troglodytic users on social media – have not led to open conflict in recent years is that basically Malaysians are decent and law-abiding people who try to cooperate with each other and work through these problems and differences.
One reason for the deterioration in racial and religious understanding is the education system. What is the emphasis today? Is it on ‘unity in diversity’?
Those of us who went to school in the fifties, sixties and seventies have a better understanding of each other than those who started going to school from the eighties. Why is that?
And please don’t blame it on vernacular schools, for these existed even then. In fact, vernacular schools were around long before national schools were established. Yet, the situation then was better, as Anwar himself has acknowledged.
Also, the energies of political parties and successive governments have been expended much, much more on winning power and staying in power than in fostering national unity, if at all. And they continue to be so.
If we truly want unity, leaders of the various parties should place the nation ahead of their party agenda. There is nothing wrong in wanting to win political power or maintain political power; the problem arises when the race to achieve or maintain power runs roughshod over inter-racial, inter-religious harmony.
The race for power must run on the rails of national unity and societal well-being, which includes economic growth. Good leaders would subscribe to this.
Do we have such leaders? - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

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