A United Nation Will Not Happen By Itself
Salleh Said
Yesterday, former federal minister Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Hussein spoke about the struggles to build a united nation and said that Malaysia’s interracial and inter-religious identity is fracturing. Hishammuddin added that the “unity in diversity” doctrine the country has been promoting “feels painfully difficult to attain”.
2. What Hishammuddin said carries some truth but the matter is not as straightforward as it sounds. The “unity in diversity” doctrine that Hishammuddin spoke about, of which he said “feels painfully difficult to attain”, is because the whole thing is merely lip service or “cakap politik saja”. There needs to be sincerity and not mere sloganeering if you wish to see your vision and mission bearing results.
3. There will always be a certain level of racism in any country you live in. No country in the world is free of racism. It is only a matter of degree and how you manage the problem that should be of concern to us. You cannot eliminate racism totally. You can only reduce and contain it. And this must be the focus of political and social leaders.
