FROM time to time, Malaysians are subject to unkind and hurtful racist remarks made by politicians who should know better.
What results are individuals and leaders of organisations of those offended have to publicly rebuke the offender.
In such situations, there are no winners and the community is left with a bitter taste of something that can easily be avoided if a proper law was in place to unambiguously deter and punish offenders.
There is a penal code against offending the religious feelings of another. Should there not be a similar straightforward law against racist remarks of the sort made by the offending politician?
The police can then enforce the law without fear or favour. It is not only offensive to make racist remarks that are not true but rather stupid. Even if it were made not against my race, I should feel offended because no Malaysian should be racially vilified.
Still, I think Malaysians should not be inordinately upset. Politicians who resort to racist attacks prove their bankruptcy of ideas and desperation to achieve notoriety and cheap publicity.
Such low-grade politicians can be found everywhere but they usually end up in the heap of the discarded failures.
A mature and discerning society rejects racist ideas, especially in a nation of diversity that has to depend on one another.
We need more positive affirmation of one another. I would like to see every Malaysian make a new friend of someone from a different race.
If Chinese businesses can mentor Malay and Indian unemployed youth in business, Malay businesses team up with non-Malays in various projects, and social and cultural and community events are organised to include the different races, then gradually race will no longer be an impediment to genuine unity.
There is no shortage of bright ideas and I have seen some good instances.
People can say what they like but not alter an iota of the truth.
Everyone born in the country or whose parents are Malaysians or who has become a Malaysian by choice is as true a son or daughter of the nation as anyone else.
For this reason, no nation has grandchildren; only children. It does not matter how many generations of our forefathers have lived in the country. What matters is that each of us belongs to the country as much as the country can be said to belong to us and we do all we can for the welfare of one another and the country as a whole.
After all, we only live on this planet for a short time and can’t take the country with us. So why must we make it hard for those who are sojourners like us?
Taking pride in one’s race when one has nothing to do with it seems silly. Race is something we are born into and no one should penalise another because of his or her different race.
Our race is something we can’t take credit or blame for. As they say, we didn’t choose our parents, and thank God for them.
When we learn to love our neighbours as ourselves, then we enrich ourselves with a bigger family.
Racists are simply people in need of acceptance from those they attack. In politics as in warfare, it is too easy to dehumanise people. But when we see their human faces and realise they are like us, we may be less unkind and hostile towards them.
Let us not be overcome by racist remarks but reach out to them so that they will come to realise that making hurtful racist remarks is ill considered and immature.
STEVE OH
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