The Malaysian Insight

POLITICAL parties must show their commitment to inclusive national unity by putting it in their election manifesto, said a coalition of civil society organisations.

Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM) chairman Zaid Kamaruddin said policy considerations were crucial to achieve the national unity objective, including a review of the blueprint of action for national unity and the tabling of the National Harmony Act in Parliament.

“This is the in thing to say, and they have been saying this all along. Whether the government or the opposition, they all talk about national unity.

“Everybody appreciates national unity, and our call is something that is natural to them (the government and the opposition), but we want to hear and see them put it in their manifesto, to show that this is their commitment.

“If you are really for national unity, please commit to inclusive national unity, and deal with hate speech,” he said during a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur today.

GBM is a non-partisan, multi-faith and multi-ethnic coalition comprising 27 organisations.

Zaid said the public space had been defiled by racial and religious hatred, with recent events suggesting that the 14th general election would be the most hostile polls ever.

“You have seen statements (being made) that make people very uneasy or are not inclusive, either by political leaders or society leaders, which can be very divisive.

“When people highlight things that are not inclusive, or hate speech, it should raise a roar among the rakyat as a whole, but when it doesn’t, it means you are not getting there.

“Community leaders and political leaders need to play their roles.”

He said the coalition called on all political parties to stop practising gutter politics, which abused race and religion, and incited bigotry, hatred and discord, as well as fear politics, which raised anxiety, insecurity, distrust and animosity.

“We also call on political parties to reject all forms of corrupt practices, including vote buying and phantom voting.

“There is a myriad of national issues that beg for immediate attention and prompt solutions. GBM calls on all political parties to address these national issues in their manifesto.”

Other suggestions by the coalition are for a National Unity Committee to be formed at the ministerial level to oversee the implementation of unity programmes nationwide; a revision of the school and university curriculum and co-curriculum to include activities that foster the national unity spirit; and, the establishment of an independent Equality Commission that deals with complaints of discrimination.

GBM also seeks an independent review of the National Civics Bureau to ensure its accountability and transparency, and its operations are in line with the objective of promoting national unity and racial harmony; the ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; and, the undertaking of an action plan to implement the convention’s recommendations. – February 7, 2018.