Driving the story of a ‘Malaysia for All’

AS this new year shuffles in – and as with every new year that comes around – I feel a bit of despair and a mountain of hope, all at the same time.

If the day comes that that is the opposite, I guess there would no longer be any point in sharing my thoughts with like-minded Malaysians.

Why the despair? A few years ago it was about a government that had no respect for the people. What about now? Now, it seems that there are people who do not respect the government.

Which should be easier to deal with? Of course, it is the latter because the latter only requires that we develop our sense of responsibility, faith and wisdom.

I have known for a long time now that change can only come when we, all of us good Malaysians, decide to change.

Many are perplexed when I say this and ask, what do you mean, we have been waiting for change our entire life!

I always smile when I hear this and I remind them that true change can only come from each and every one of us.

In this new year, let us make a resolution to change Malaysia by firstly, changing our very selves.

I will explain.

First of all, we good Malaysians must walk ourselves over to a bookstore or Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, and stock up on books in Bahasa Malaysia for our children and ourselves.

Of course, many will find this deliriously funny, but I ask you to think about it seriously.

How much do we know of the budaya (culture) and the bahasa (language) of this land we call Malaysia? Did we not pledge to learn the language, and also, the culture of the Malays for the sake of this country?

We should never use the excuse that because we were educated in vernacular schools or in private universities, or that we studied overseas, we can abandon our precious Bahasa Malaysia.

After 60-plus years, I am sorry to say we have gone backwards on this pledge as Malaysians.

That is why there are so many issues in dealing with the government, issues when speaking of culture and dressing.

We don’t understand enough about the culture and language of the Malays in Malaysia.

I do not mean that the Malays are the “government”, but that it was the pledge of our forefathers and we ourselves in becoming Malaysian to uphold the position of Malays in this country.

Secondly, I would like to propose that the Unity Ministry appoint a group of strongminded Malaysians to speak for the nation on any racial or religious issue. I have noticed that when ministers and other politicians reply to questions relating to race and religion, that reply becomes fuel for further questions and much furore on social media, as well as among Opposition politicians.

What we need is a neutral body which does not represent any political party, to be able to make explanatory statements about incidents that relate to racial and religious sensitivities. This group of Malaysians should be the frontliners when it comes to politics involving race and religion. When there is an issue about any religion or any race that is said to infringe on any aspect of others, then this group must make a stand before any other group says anything. This way, those who raise racial and religious issues will not get the desired effect of making a specific race or religion their punching bag.

Let’s face it, dear Malaysians, religious and racial issues cannot be solved by ministerial policies or even the arrest of perpetrators who raise the issues.

These two aspects have the potential of creating further fuel for the fire if not dealt with quickly and correctly.

Thirdly, once we have this group representing “Malaysia for All”, then it is our responsibility – each and everyone of us – to do one important thing: we must take to social media to voice our support for the “Malaysia for All” group, and we must do so with the best decorum and intelligence, without belittling anyone.

What we must never do is hide behind anonymity on social media and spew foul-mouthed hatred at others just to satisfy our foul hearts. If good Malaysians can flood social media with the goodness of their thoughts and support for the “Malaysia for All” group, then we have an excellent chance of dictating the narratives of this country.

Believe me, dear Malaysians, I have waited on learned professors to do so in vain, indifferent muftis to step up, again in vain, and wealthy personalities of my race to speak up, but none of it is of any use. This is the only way for us to stand tall and stand united against politicians who play with the fires of race and religion.

Negara kita, tanggungjawab kita bersama (Our country, our shared responsibility). Happy New Year!

Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is Professor of Architecture at the Tan Sri Omar Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Studies at UCSI University. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.