It is hard to dispute that the actions of these unscrupulous individuals and groups were calculated to destroy the bridges of friendship, peace and tolerance between the people of various races and religions in the country.
Constitutional expert Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi put it succinctly when he said that extremism existed everywhere but what made Malaysia unique was that extremists are not allowed to be condemned.
“Extremism and bigotry has now become mainstream,” said Shad Saleem, who is an honorary member of the Association for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham).
For many decades after independence, Malaysia had been regarded as a model of harmonious living in a pluralistic society, he said.
“We were very lucky for some time but sadly we have now regressed. Racial and religious tensions are on the rise and we have become a nation of strangers. In our country, walls between those of different races and religions are being fortified instead of being torn down,” he added.
He was speaking at a talk and discussion on fostering religious and racial harmony organised by Proham recently.
What can be done to reverse this damaging trend?
“I have no simple solutions but a whole calculus of possible solutions,” said Shad Saleem, who outlined constitutional literacy as one of the priorities.
“We need more constitutional literacy, especially on the provisions on inter-ethnic relations and this should be across the board, including the police, members of parliament and politicians.
“We must educate the 1.2 million civil servants on the constitution and all members of parliament must be given a crash course on it as well. Knowledge of the constitution is important and will help to moderate extremism as the constitution strives for balance even in its ethnic provisions,” he said.
He also advocated for the government to institute measures to ensure no racial and religious differentiation in the public and private sectors, subject to Article 153 of the constitution.
“We must build bridges, not walls. We need to be more humble. We must recognise that disagreements are natural and that truth is multiple,” he said.
Article 153 (1) states: “It shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provisions of this Article.”
The education system, said Shad Saleem, is of paramount importance and he called for a significant revamp of its curriculum to ensure mutual respect and tolerance.
“It must bring students together, not separate them on the basis of race, religion and language. The ethnic diversity of teachers and principals must also be restored.
“Inter-faith studies must be restored. It is not differences that cause violence. It is the intolerance of differences that leads to violence,” he said.
Shad Saleem also called for the setting up of statutory institutional frameworks for conflict resolution.
“There are even disagreements in our own homes, what more a nation? What is necessary is to reconcile those differences with the least amount of friction.
“The National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) and inter-faith boards should be upgraded to statutory bodies with one of the primary roles being race relations training,” he said.
Shad Saleem stressed that inter-religious and inter-faith institutions must be held at both the federal and state levels and suggested getting the Malay Rulers involved in the establishment of these institutions.
“We must get the Rulers Council involved to play the role of statesmen to build bridges and bring people together,” he said.
Another important step was for the criminalisation of hate speeches, he added.
“Citizens and citizens’ groups must be allowed to institute private prosecution proceedings.
“We need leadership. Political leaders, media personalities and community leaders must condemn hate crimes and send out the message of tolerance and restraint. As a nation we are further apart today than we were 57 years ago,” he said.
Source: The Ant Daily
No comments:
Post a Comment