malay social situ 27jul2

the star

Youth getting less tolerant of other races, warns Dr M

KUALA LUMPUR: Tolerance among the young is eroding due to their tendency to support stands taken by the extremists among their community, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday. 

Race-based extremism is getting worse among them and when one race goes the extreme way, the others respond by becoming extreme as well. 

As a result, said the Prime Minister, racial harmony was undermined and the people ended up confronting each other.  

Warning that “extremism breeds extremism”, Dr Mahathir said when a small group of Chinese took such a stand, it resulted in more Malays supporting the agenda of Malay extremist groups or extreme Malay parties. 

“I have to admit that Malay extremists are gaining ground. They are getting more support from the community and their tolerance towards others is reducing.” 

Dr Mahathir, who is Umno president and Barisan Nasional chairman, said a group of Chinese extremists had “played with fire” and were now consumed by the fire that they had lighted. 

“In the last two by-elections (in Pendang and Anak Bukit), the Chinese were intimidated and prevented from exercising their democratic rights to vote. 

“If these groups succeed in using this tactic to wrest power from the moderate Malays, the country will no longer be able to be fair and just towards other races,” he said when opening the 49th MCA general assembly at Wisma MCA. 

“As such, try to minimise this racial divide among our young as they will be the ones who will inherit this beloved country,” he added. 

He said the racial segregation was dangerous and could result in the future generation not being able to respect the sensitivities of others. 

He said racial understanding and good relations could only be achieved if all races in Malaysia practised moderation and were willing to mix, work, play and socialise with each other. 

“If we don’t mix, we won’t understand the cultures of other races and we won’t be sensitive to their taboos and sensitivities,” he said. 

Speaking to reporters later, Dr Mahathir said extremism was becoming popular in politics. 

Giving an example, he said PAS, which did not want to work with other communities, was getting more support now than previously. 

The Prime Minister said his generation mixed freely with one another as well as lived, played and worked together. 

He said his neighbours were Chinese and Indians, adding: “I had no problems”. 

Citing his campus days, Dr Mahathir said he shared a room with a Chinese student. 

“I did not become less Malay or less Muslim, nor did he become less Chinese just because we stayed in the same room,” he added. 

The situation now was different, he lamented, as students of different races were unwilling to stay in the same room and also to interact in lecture halls. 

Later on, he said, when they started work, they could not adapt to bosses and co-workers of a different race. 

Dr Mahathir said the Government was trying to curb extremism and one of the ways was introducing the concept of Vision Schools, where national, Chinese and Tamil schools are housed in the same compound. 

The idea, however, did not go down well with the Chinese community although it was already implemented in some places, he said. 

“If they do not want (to go to) the same school, at least get the schools closer to each other. Then you can play games together, attend the assembly together but you go back to your respective schools, there is no change in the school,” he added. 

He regretted that there were some people who objected to even bringing schools close to each other. 

Dr Mahathir said when he went to an MCA meeting, he got the same kind of support as when he went to Umno meetings. They even shouted “Hidup Mahathir”. 

“Imagine that. When I was appointed Prime Minister, everybody said, “My God what is going to happen?”  

“But now they say, “My God, he is going to step down”. 

“So, things have changed now.”