LETTER | Time to enact Racial and Religious Harmony Act

LETTER | G25 is delighted at the growing air of confidence among the people emerging from the recent General election, with encouraging signs for political stability and economic growth in our country.

At the same time, we can also see that some of our politicians are still continuing to use race and religion in their public statements, as they try to compete among themselves on who can be the champions and saviours of the Malays and the religion.

It is unfortunate for the country that moderate Malay leaders are not coming out strongly to support the multiracial or inclusive approach taken by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on issues of race and religion.

By keeping quiet, they are leaving our reform-minded prime minister exposed to allegations that he is a liberal pursuing the Western values of democracy and human rights.

His enemies even try to humiliate him by alleging he has links to the CIA and Jews. Such low politics must not be allowed to go unchallenged.

Malaysia is fortunate in that while the moderate politicians prefer to stay silent on the hate statements from their opponents, their Malay Rulers are coming out to express their views openly, calling on politicians not to use race and religion in a way that drives fear and anxiety among the people.

Our Rulers are heads of Islam in their respective states. It is therefore timely and most encouraging that in the recent Conference of Rulers, they have called for the hate speeches to stop before it goes out of control.

In this regard, for the purpose of safeguarding racial and religious harmony among the citizens, G25 proposes the enactment of a law called the Racial and Religious Harmony Act - that makes it an offence to incite racial or religious hatred.

Malaysia has the strong economic fundamentals to achieve progress to become a fully developed country in all aspects in the near future, as mentioned by international institutions in their reports comparing the development potentials among third-world countries.

However, if there is no unity among the races, we may sink to become a failed state. We should note that most of the countries that use religion to rule the country have failed to progress socially and economically.

Our politicians should therefore take the advice from our Rulers seriously as a guide to their political behaviour. Our politicians need to measure up to the expectations of a new Malaysia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.