Now, it’s time to walk hand in hand

LAST Saturday, some 500 women marched – some for 5km, others for 8km. Even an eight months pregnant woman and an 83-year-old took part.

No, it was not a protest of any sort.

It was a walkathon, and the women – of all races – were wearing sarees. The walk in Klang, organised by the Tamil Bell Club, was a heartwarming show of unity before National Day.

It was a far cry from a week earlier, when there had been a heart-wrenching show of disunity.Six states went to the polls and the results laid bare a sad fact; we are a deeply polarised nation, with most of the Malays at one end and most of the non-Malays at the other.

We are like opposite poles, but unlike those of a magnet, we repel each other. It’s tragic.

The elections were fought mainly along racial and religious lines, and the rift showed in the success of two parties on either side.

PAS, an Islamist party backed almost exclusively by Malay-Muslims, won 105 of the 127 seats it contested. DAP, often painted as a Chinese chauvinist party with some Indians and a handful of Malays, won 46 of 47 seats it contested.

Yes, there were Malays who backed Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional, even Muda and Amanah, but it was quite clear the Malay majority was with Perikatan Nasional. The non-Malays, on the other hand, were largely with DAP and its allies PKR, Amanah and Umno.

And the rift is growing.

Already, an NGO has demanded a fully-Malay government in several states, with the non-Malays having no say in the running of the country. They don’t seem to realise that non-Malays have rights too, and that Sabah and Sarawak are also very much a part of Malaysia.

There are also intra-racial rifts.

In Selangor, there are many who are ready to boycott – or are already boycotting – Kelantanese shops, all because of politics. The Kelantanese are hearing from their fellow Malays what the non-Malays have long cried about: “Go back to your home.”

The Indians too are deeply divided. In Penang, a Punjabi-Sikh became deputy chief minister and the man who formerly held the post cried foul.

The post, he claimed, was apparently reserved for Tamils. No, it isn’t.

It was a post created to help the Indians – all Indians, regardless of whether they are Tamils, Malayalees, Telugus, Punjabis, Gujaratis or whatever else.

The last thing the minority Indians in this country needs is to fight among themselves. It’s rather ironic that the Tamils, who often cry “tyranny of the majority”, want to do the same within their community.

The bickering is not about to end anytime soon, what with by-elections in Johor next month and Pahang in October.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s government has their work cut out for them. And keeping the Indians, the kingmakers in many seats, on their side could help.

However, there have been missteps. There was an outcry when Anwar officiated the conversion to Islam of a Hindu man – who was going to marry an Indian-Muslim woman.

On the outside, there was nothing wrong with it; it was the family’s wish, Anwar had the right to do so, and even Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had done it before when he was deputy prime minister.

However, the optics and the timing were just not right.

After all, Anwar has declared himself the prime minister for all. Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Bajau, all are our children, he famously said once. He should not be seen favouring one over the other.

In many Indian circles, already spooked by the growing strength and influence of the PAS-led political coalition, there was outrage.

They were also upset at the Prime Minister’s brusque, if factual, answer to a young Indian girl’s question about meritocracy in tertiary education.

Again, it was bad timing. The girl, though young, should have been told that the run-up to crucial elections is not the time to ask a bombshell question like that.

If he had said yes, we will end meritocracy, he would have been lambasted. If he had said no, he would have been lambasted. Even when he tried to brush it off, he got lambasted.

That’s how “lose-lose” that question was.

Now that the dust has settled, he has given some answers.

“Meritocracy is important, but it cannot be the sole criterion in the administration of the nation, which must be based on fairness,” he said more recently.

“One side talked about meritocracy and the other side talked only about the quota or affirmative action. I think both can be merged.”

Now, that was more like it.

The Malays, who have long been left behind despite the 53 years of affirmative action since 1970, need to be brought on par with the others. The non-Malays, who have qualified but have been denied places in tertiary education, also need help.

The answer lies in balance, being able to talk to each other and walking in each other’s shoes. The problem, however, lies in finding that balance.

Unity and acceptance of each other’s problems and strengths have to be inculcated in the young. We need to teach that to our children in schools. We could take the shared values of goodness from all religions and teach them as modules in our schools. It doesn’t have to be about just one religion.

With the country’s economy and well-being at stake, we have to come together and make things work. There is no place for religious or racist extremism. And certainly none for the divisive lot who want their own logo and slogans for National Day.

With Aug 31 just days away, it is time to build patriotism and unity. The Sultan of Johor has called disunity “the virus that destroys the nation and brings suffering”.

The women who walked in sarees are a prime example of what we can be.

“Unity was the only thing the women who walked cared about. And it was wonderful,” says Dr. R. Kokila Vanee, the Bell Club secretary-general.

Maybe we should just let women like them show us the way. Our politicians don’t seem to be doing too great a job in promoting harmony.