The value of unity


 WHAT makes Malaysia Day 2015 significant is that it strongly reminds Malaysians of the value of unity. If there is one important outcome from the current debate on ethnic tensions, it is that we can stand above all the little schisms that turn us against each other and impede the march towards a united, peaceful and progressive nation. The comments on social media about Malaysia Day this year are really pleas for unity in Malaysia. Kuching, the world’s first City of Unity, can teach us a lesson or two on achieving ethnic harmony. Multicultural and multireligious Kuching earned praise for its impressive interaction among the diverse ethnic groups. The same can be said for other places in Sarawak and Sabah, reportedly more successful than the peninsula for “maintaining their sociocultural complexity, richness and heritage”. “Their communities are ‘more’ Malaysian compared with those in the peninsula part of Malaysia,” says educator Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, adding that communal living in Sabah and Sarawak is “sincere and congenial”. We can gain much just by learning from their example. Living harmoniously together is perhaps the greatest achievement of Sabah and Sarawak and inspires hope that it is possible in the peninsula as well. It used to be like that in the peninsula until “progress” and “development” took over, adds Dzulkifli. It has been Malaysia’s ambition to attain national unity ever since it came into being. Still, national unity would only be meaningful when no citizen is left out. That was the crux of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s speech at a conference on Enhancing National Unity and Integration in Kota Kinabalu yesterday. “Our approach must be inclusive,” he had said. Sabah and Sarawak can take comfort in the assurance that the fruits of their success will be shared with everyone. If people from the two states continue to suffer from a sense of alienation because of unfulfilled promises and unequal development — 52 years after joining the Federation on Sept 16, 1963 — there are clear indications that things are now changing for the better. Sabah and Sarawak will now have greater decision-making powers, said Najib, adding that negotiations on the devolution of power from certain federal departments to the two state governments had been conducted smoothly. The Malaysian federation is still a “work in progress”, says Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Dr Zaini Othman. It seems logical that all segments within the Malaysian federation are now re-examining their relationships with each other and their places in it. The feeling of alienation that many speak of is associated with the “work in progress” situation that the Malaysian federation is in, adds the political scientist. Malaysians will go far when they rise above ethnic suspicion and competition, besides fostering ties of friendship with each other. We can overcome all manner of obstacles, ingrained prejudices and historical injustices to realise our true potential.



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