This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on May 13, 2019 - May 19, 2019

FIFTY years ago, on May 13, 1969, we witnessed one of the blackest days in the history of our nation. Race riots erupted in Kuala Lumpur, tearing Malaysia apart. Many lives were lost.

I was a 14-year-old boy living in Kampung Baru in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, where the tragedy started. I saw and heard things that I wished I had not seen or heard.

Naturally, there were lessons to be learnt, but have we become wiser after the bloodshed of that day? I would say, yes and no.

Yes, because following the tragedy, we have learnt to be tolerant and appreciative of each other’s religion, race, culture and way of living, albeit experiencing hiccups along the way.

We avoid hurting each other’s feelings. We treasure friendships and guard race relations. We take great pains to not repeat mistakes made in the past. In short, we do not want the tragedy to recur.

No, because there are those among us who would continue to play the race and religious cards, whipping up sentiments just for political gains. Of late, they have been whipped up into a frenzy.

Ever since Barisan Nasional lost power in the 14th general election last year, there has been more race and religious rhetoric.

Umno has formed an alliance with PAS and they are exploiting the bangsa and agama theme to the hilt. As dangerous and divisive as it may be, they have no qualms about doing it.

Granted, their task is to bring the Pakatan Harapan government down but race and religious tactics should not be used, though such methods are the easiest for gaining support.

Already, the Umno-PAS pact has three by-election victories under its belt and there is no denying that issues of race and religion had played a big part in its wins. Obviously and sadly, there are those among us, and a good number of Malays at that, who are lapping up all the rhetoric.

In the words of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the fact remains that Malaysians are still concerned about race, although they talk a lot about unity and being Malaysians.

The Mahathir administration has been accused by Umno, PAS and self-proclaimed defenders of Islam and Malay interests aligned to the Umno-Pas pact of being “under Chinese DAP’s thumb”. Thus, they claim, the government is too weak to defend Islam and the Malay race. It has even been accused of being anti-Islam, and that it is a “government without a Malay-Muslim soul”.

PH is caught between a rock and a hard place. How does it appease the Malay-Muslim community without putting down the Chinese, Indians and other communities, and vice versa?

Mahathir has acknowledged the problem, saying, “If Pakatan loses the support of the Malays, we will lose the election. If Pakatan loses support from the Chinese, we will also lose. Even the Indians can play a big role in ensuring that Pakatan will stay as the government. So, we have to be very careful.”

PH’s detractors know this too and they are continuing their provocation. Take the protest against the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Alleging that Islam and Malays as well as the Malay rulers were under threat, the protesters held demonstrations, spreading unease. Their protest continued even after the government had backtracked on the ratification of both the ICERD and Rome Statute.

Many Malaysians, including Malays, want the government to show some backbone and bring out the big stick to deal with the problem. So far, the government has stuck to its commitment to respect freedom of expression and right of assembly.

It is well and good to hold on to these good values, but what is the solution then?

Some groups are calling for a new narrative to unite the people, but just what is the new narrative?

Mahathir is optimistic that when he steps down as prime minister, the country “will be better than it is now” as far as racial unity is concerned. How much better he does not say, “but we are doing a lot of things to get that”, he remarked.

And what are the “a lot of things” the prime minister is referring to? Going to the ground to talk to people, in particular opinion leaders, is integral to that goal, according to Mahathir.

To me, it all boils down to us, the rakyat. It is we who must say no to extremism and racial and religious bigotry. Easier said than done? Perhaps. But it is a fact that there are many Malaysians who reject racial and religious politics.

We need to make sure the nays outnumber the ayes.

The tragedy of May 13 must never be allowed to happen again. Ever.

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