Embracing the meaning of unity

Recent spate of racial incidents shows the importance for our children to be exposed to diverse perspectives and a long-term plan for better.

TEN years ago, in May 2015 to be exact, The Star co-organised the Harmony Street Walk in both Penang and Kuala Lumpur.

It was a crash course in experiencing a multitude of cultures in one place. For KL, this was Jalan Berhala and Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad in Brickfields. And in Penang, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling was the locale of the walk.

The unique, common thread for both places is the proximity of mosques, churches and temples located in one area, making the locations perfect for an interfaith programme.

I was lucky enough to join the large group of people from various faiths and races who did the two-hour walk in Brickfields. These included NGOs, politicians, imam, Christian pastors, Hindu priests, Taoist and Buddhist monks as well as community leaders.We gathered at the YMCA in Brickfields and visited in this order: Sam Kow temple, Madrasatul Gouthiyyah (mosque), Tamil Methodist Church, the Sri Sakthi Karpaga Vinayagar temple, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and Buddhist Maha Vihara.

We missed out on the Church of Our Lady of Fatima (Catholic church) but it’s incredible to think that seven different houses of worship exist in one area, no more than a kilometre in length. This shows the spirit of religious tolerance and diversity that our forefathers had.

The reason we took two hours to finish the programme was because at each stop, we were given a briefing on the history and uniqueness of each house of worship.

Why am I bringing this up now? It occurs to me that programmes such as this are probably the best way for Malaysians to understand tolerance as well as cultural and religious sensitivities at a time when the different races are becoming increasingly polarised.

The recent spate of racial incidences should not be viewed as a trend, even though based on the level of toxicity on social media it is easy to make that assumption.

Yes, we must accept that our society is polarised along racial lines, with suspicion and mistrust among the races appearing to be a common trend. But racial incidences are not occurring every day, rather in spurts.

That was why The Star organised the Harmony Street Walk 10 years ago – because of a flare-up of racial incidences. Back then and now, the reaction from the authorities was to use punitive measures with tough and frankly archaic laws to crack down on those spouting or posting racists words, videos or images.

There is no need to relive the widely shared insensitive video of the three Era FM DJs nor the need to recap the resulting action by the station against the three and the fine by MCMC on the company. The video sparked counter reactions, including a video that insulted Islam. Though this Facebook user apologised, the police are on the hunt for him.

There has been considerable polemic about both the videos and too much time spent on this issue. At a buka puasa event with the media on Tuesday, the Prime Minister posed briefly for a photo with the three DJs and subsequently posted the picture on the X platform, saying that he had advised them to be agents of unity for the Madani government and bring this issue to an end.

Perhaps the best way for the three to heed the PM’s advice is to embark on a harmony walk of their own. Go to Brickfields, or Penang, and visit the various houses of worship as well as try to understand cultural and religious sensitivities.

But don’t stop there. Post pictures of the temples and churches. Post videos of your interactions with the monks, priests or worshippers on social media. All three DJs have large followings, and this act will show their fans that they truly embrace the meaning of unity in our diverse, multi-cultural country.

The root cause of racism is ignorance or a lack of education. There should be a compulsory module in schools on the cultural and religious complexities of all races and creeds. It’s important for our children to be exposed to diverse perspectives and to instil in them the need to respect other people’s religions, and not to fear them.

Sedition laws may be necessary to prevent abuses of sensitive 3R topics, but this should also go hand in hand with community work.

For example, in this holy month of Ramadan, there should be more initiatives to invite non-Muslims to break fast with their Muslim friends in mosques and surau around the country.

If the police were to investigate every single racist social media post or video, the entire justice system will be held up.

National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang launched the “Kempen Cakap Baik Baik” or Speak Good Things Campaign this week, but this initiative feels like a belated attempt to bolster national unity.

There must be a long-term plan for better engagement with the different races. All religions promote goodwill, tolerance and forgiveness. The more we learn, understand and accept another person’s religion, the less likely we are to post a racist video or conversely, react to one.