How identity and affiliation influence human behaviour

WHILE reading Wong Chun Wai’s “The malaise of race politics” (Sunday Star, July 12; https://tinyurl.com/4wwpc2tt), I was reminded that human nature is often far more complex than we would like to believe.

He is surely right in arguing that those elected to govern a country should be chosen on the basis of merit, integrity and competence rather than race or ethnicity. As he noted, a former Malaysian prime minister urged voters to support only Malay candidates.