Racism - Stumbling Block Towards Malaysians

Is it artificial? - unity , I mean

Racism is everywhere and the only way to eradicate or at least lessen the impact of it is through political will. During the time of the Prophet SAW, racism is still rampant and through his ingenuity he manages to channel racism into something healthy - everyone irrespective of race is equal before the Creator except and only because of their faith in Him. In other words, merit becomes the standard just like what many are calling for today but again in Islam the playing field is equal to everyone and everyone seems to struggle to achieve His Blessings sincerely and thus the end products are impeccable. If we follow what we have today personalities like Bilal bin Rabbah, Zaid bin Harithah and even the Second Caliph, Umar Al - Khattab will never reach their height and even become obscure and lost in history.

During that time in Madinah for instance Islam and Muslims become the majority and thus they deserve to rule but their rule is unlike what we have today - rule of the majority but without merit. If you belong to the majority race then you are supposed to get everything despite the fact that other people deserve them more based on merit. For those minority they are asking for everything based on merit but they forget the sacred rule - equality of the playing field. They start to question some of the privileges of the majority rule but they never think or consider that the dancing floor is uneven.

In America despite the joyous occasion of Obama's victory some are still sceptical because they are still chained to racism. Don't think that racism is a non issue in America but gradually they have overcome such problem though it takes more than 2 centuries whereas it is less than half a decade here in our country. Since Obama belongs to African-American descent, many advise him to see himself as just plain American so that people will not be sceptic of his conducts. This is what our political leaders have been harping all these years but sadly they lack sincerity and the drive to make it a success.

I am sure if every political leaders are sincere in their quest towards a unified Malaysian race it will become a driving force towards a better and respected Malaysia. If our fellow Chinese brothers want more they should look at Singapore where the Chinese are controlling almost everything since they are the majority there. But is good about Singapore is that though Indians are less than the Malays but they seem to achieve greater heights. Since 1965, Singapore has at least 2 Indian Presidents but only one Malay President in Yusof Ishak. Again this may due to meritocracy.

Racism is a dangerous tool and is very prone to manipulation by unscrupulous politicians. It is a great political tool just like what happen in Australia with is One Nation Party, Sri Lanka and almost everywhere. Indeed, racism is a very potent political tool but many blinded by power tend to turn the other way. Malaysian politicians should learn and become more sincere in their struggle towards a unified Malaysia in the pure sense.

We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned. We are really talking about humanism.
GLORIA STEINEM