According to the Oxford Dictionary the word ‘Xenophobia’ describes “an unreasonable fear, distrust, or hatred of strangers, foreigners”, or anything perceived as foreign or different. Xenophobia is present in most every country around the world. Why? Well many people, it can be argued, just can’t seem to accept the uniqueness of others. Many people refuse to be understanding and respectful of others and people’s circumstances.
Most Psychologists say, we have found, that they themselves don’t understand why it is that people can’t live peacefully together. Most people don’t realize it, but Discrimination is very large in scale. People suffer unfair treatment due to “where they come” from. What is worse is the high occurrence ratio of prejudice issues in Malaysia is so severe that people are frustrated of simply because of “who” they are.
Xenophobia, it can be said, sometimes relates to religious discrimination. There are times, sadly, where religion is used as a basis of hate. In places of strict religious enforcement, like Malaysia, many “foreign religions” are not welcomed “with open arms”.
This kind of Discrimination, many believe, is “anti-human” and unjust. Xenophobia, it has been suggested, is as a direct result of an absence of “inter-race trust”. There are many interracial issues, Malaysia, which could easily have been avoided if racial tolerance was at the forefront of “adult” agendas. Sadly, “inclusion” has never has been the basis of anything our forefathers have ever done! What remains in Malaysia today is that human conditions such as Xenophobia are prevalent everywhere;
What troubles many Malaysians about UMNO's lack of restraint is that it comes at a time when the country appears more racially polarized than it's been in decades. Malaysia's mix of ethnic Malays, Indians and Chinese has long been resentful of each other and willfully segregate themselves. Those resentments exploded into full-blown race riots in 1969, when ethnic Malays attacked and killed scores of ethnic Chinese.
In the face of a creeping Islamization, non-Malays and social activists have recently pressured Malaysia's UMNO leadership to grant equal rights to all of the country's citizens regardless of race or religion - as is guaranteed under the federal constitution.
The push for more democracy in authoritarian Malaysia leaves its ethnic Chinese and Indian minority groups particularly vulnerable - a fact reflected in the racial bashing at UMNO's assembly. At the same time, UMNO's preoccupation with racial politics raises growing doubts about its ability to lead the country forward.
The country's leadership must take much of the blame. UMNO has clung to old solutions, such as the NEP, to fix new problems. Put another way, UMNO, which has ruled Malaysia for fifty-plus decades through a coalition of other race-based parties, has become bitter, cynical and defensive - a party that is emphasizing preservation at the expense of progress.
Following UMNO's example, all of Malaysia's major political parties are explicitly race-based, and all have been known to play the race card to shore up their support bases. But only UMNO has the weight of that has incited anger, mistrust and ridicule of other races.
UMNO's approach could mark a dangerous turning point for a country that not long ago was often applauded internationally as a model moderate Islamic nation for its seeming religious tolerance and clear economic achievements. Nowadays, it's altogether unclear if a racially charged UMNO can even manage to maintain short-term social and political stability.
No comments:
Post a Comment