SEPT 5 — Supporters of 1 Malaysia proudly proclaim that the concept signals a coming of age of the country — where tolerance of diversity graduates to acceptance of racial and religious difference.
Nobody who calls Malaysia home can argue against this noble target.
Nobody.
But truth be told, the fairy tale nature of the 1 Malaysia concept introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been exposed repeatedly over the past few months.
Beer issue. Concert issue. And now the infamous Umno-inspired cow-head demonstration against the relocation of the Sri Mahamariamman Hindu temple to Section 23 in Shah Alam.
How can we even begin to talk about acceptance of difference when even the base target of tolerance is in danger of becoming as rare as a metered taxi in Kuala Lumpur?
Just replay some of the rhetoric of the past week.
Some Muslim residents in Section 23 said they did not want a temple in their neighbourhood because they did not want the traffic congestion a place of worship would bring.
A few others said the tolling of bells and chants of worshippers would disturb their concentration during prayer time.
A non-governmental organisation argued that temples should be built in non-Muslim majority areas.
And Datuk Seri Khir Toyo — the former mentri besar of Selangor and currently Umno’s top strategist in the state — in exhibiting clear evidence that tolerance is overrated, said that there should be religious enclaves.
An enclave of churches, of temples, or mosques.
Brilliant idea from a politician who then went on to solidify his multiracial credentials by saying that protestors who dragged the cow-head did not intend to offend the Hindus, they were merely making a statement that the cow was a “stupid animal.’’
What we have witnessed in Shah Alam is not an isolated incident.
Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs all have anecdotes of how tough it is for their religious groups to obtain approvals to build places of worship.
Even when local authorities give the green light, it is usually accompanied with a buffet of onerous conditions.
What we have witnessed in Shah Alam did not happen overnight.
The lack of tolerance has been incubated by the Umno-led administration for decades.
Khir Toyo did not suddenly awake to come up with the idea of a religious enclave.
He is a product of an enclave system. His neighbours were Malay/Muslims; his schoolmates were Malay/Muslims, and his political comrades are Malay/Muslims.
Umno politicians like him know of no other Malaysia.
Malaysia for them is a country with clear lines of demarcation between Malays and non-Malays.
They are paying lip-service to Najib and his concept of 1 Malaysia because he is the prime minister and controls the levers of power.
They will play along with him but have no intention of swallowing his rhetoric of respect for all religions, of building bridges and breaking down barriers.
For Khir and his ilk, Najib unleashed unrealistic and dangerous expectations among non-Malays with his 1 Malaysia concept.
The show in Shah Alam was their way of telling the PM what they really think about his 1 Malaysia concept.
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Racial disharmony is a double-edged sword. It can either prolong or topple UMNO's perch on the pedestal.