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©The Sun (Used by permission)
by Cindy Tham

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili, who heads the National Unity and Integration Department, talks about the vision for Malaysia’s plural society 50 years from today.

What kind of Malaysian society would you want to see 50 years from today?

Firstly, I hope the whole notion of Bangsa Malaysia would have been realised by then – 50 years from today. Bangsa Malaysia is when Malaysians call themselves Malaysians first and, secondly, their racial background.

Bangsa Malaysia are people who have crossed the bridge in terms of economic development, being able to enjoy the benefits or fruits of the nation; in terms of the level of tolerance to racial and religious issues, it would be so high that sometimes we forget who we are in terms of racial background.

These are the aspirations we want to look at so that we are less sensitive towards comments from others and we are very sensitive towards respecting others as they are, and we can celebrate our differences.

In Sabah and Sarawak, sometimes we forget we are of different races but over here in the semenanjung (peninsula) side, we still have a long way to go. For instance, if I go to a Chinese shop and I speak Bahasa Malaysia, they think I’m in the wrong shop. “You sure you can eat here?” they ask. That shows the perception of segregation is so huge. That means we are not mixing enough.

What are the measures to address this?

Two processes. One, the perception of history. We must know our origins, the process of nation-building. More needs to be written about it and how we have evolved.

There are hardly any books on these. We are not teaching this enough in universities. I’m hoping the ethnic relations module in the universities will be able to bridge the gap.

Secondly, not only do we need to know history, we need to mix more with one another. Then we can understand and develop that grasp. Some of the people in the older generation will tell you that in the 60s, when they were in the university or training institute hostels, they mixed together well. But that was an era when the population was smaller. The population is bigger now and it’s very competitive. On top of that, not many people go to university. They also bring with them misperceptions that are inherited from the home. Breaking these barriers are not so easy unless we address them at an early stage.

When you say history, do you mean how the Federal Constitution and the social contract were formed?

Yes, the struggles of our early leaders, how they could form the Constitution and social contract, how they could rationalise and understand the need to be able to work together. There were higher goals that they wanted to achieve. They adopted the spirit of give and take. There were difficulties, there was ethnic conflict on the ground, but they realised they must work together lest we disintegrate. I don’t want to see a situation where it would take another incident before we can come back to our senses. So we need to understand our history, our origins, the problems we as a nation faced in the past and how we overcame them.

How far are we from the goal you described?

We’re heading there, we’re on track, but we must not take things for granted. We want to put national unity in the minds of all Malaysians. I think we are beginning to see that. The prime minister seldom talks in a week without mentioning national unity. The deputy prime minister is also like that.

What are the hurdles that are in the way?

Number one, we must not allow global forces to get the better of us. Global forces are making it more competitive to earn a living or to do business. We can’t avoid the competition but we must be on top of that.

We must not allow it to affect us or there will be issues with privileges to the bumiputra. If there is enough for everyone, if there are no challenges in the field, people will not mention this issue of privileges and handicap, especially if you know history very well and know how the Constitution was formulated. But because there’s stiff competition, there may be great deprivation to some groups, and so they question why some get and they don’t.

Number two, the religious dimension. There is a greater openness to talk about religious issues. There is freedom for the practice of anyone’s religion, except when it deals with Islam, then there are additional laws and procedures they must follow. Therefore, better be aware what you are in for when you choose your religion. You should be transparent about your faith; tell your family, don’t bring hardship to them if, suddenly along the way, you want to opt out.

So religious freedom has never been challenged as far as I am concerned. There is openness in the media and judiciary and the public is willing to open up and speak about it. It’s not because there are more [conversion cases in dispute] now. It’s the freedom that is available to talk about it.

The other element is equity – equality in terms of access to economic benefits. There is poverty irrespective of race, and there is urban poverty. We must address this because it creates disparity, frustration and it can grow into something bigger, like hatred. These are all hindrances to national unity.

You actually think there is more openness now to talk about religious issues compared to the past?

Oh yes, the media has been reporting about people complaining about agama, which they did not do much of in the past. There is more openness now.

How confident are you that Malaysian society will be what you described?

It depends on several factors. Firstly, the leadership of the country. The prime minister, the deputy prime minister, members of the cabinet and the heads of political parties must be people who put the welfare of the people above other things. They must be people who practise moderation, accept history and put a premium on national unity.

Because if a political party or leadership were to take a very extremist view, then other people will always react to it. But if there is sober leadership, which is competitive but would put the country’s welfare on top of everything else, then that would provide the platform for national unity to flourish.

Of course civil service, the delivery system, must function efficiently, be transparent and have integrity. And I think the private sector must also play a role. Integrity must not only be in the government machinery but also in the way we conduct business.

Next, nilai-nilai murni or universal values must be inculcated either in the schools or through religious bodies.

I think if all these are in place, I am confident that we will be able to achieve the goal. I’m encouraged because the prime minister said he is the prime minister for all. If the members of Parliament, assemblymen (and women), mentris besar and local governments can also see it that way, then I think we can go a long way.

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