I refer to the malaysiakini report The 'monumental' debate . We have seen it again. One of the ministers refuses to admit that he has made a very wrong decision to stick to his point of view when the whole point of the discussion is based on another point of view all together

The Malaya People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) as our history annals will show was a fighting force created with the help of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) to fight the Japanese insurgency during the Second World War. The sacrifices of the brave people who joined this unit is something that we, the present generation of post-Merdeka and post-May 13th Malaysians should be proud of. Instead of honouring them, the honourable minister decides to chide them by saying that the shrine in Nilai is a tribute to the communists.

Communism is an ideology - either we agree or disagree with it. There are many goods and flaws in it not unlike democracy and capitalism that we so devoutly adhere to today. Building a shrine to remember the dead for the sacrifices they have made so that both the present and future generations can have a better life is something that we have to admire and cherish.

Even after numerous attempts, Chin Peng's requests to return to his homeland have been denied by the government even though it knows he does not pose a threat to capitalist Malaysia today. We have to admonish ourselves for the very low level of respect that we have for history and the way the early Malaysians fought alongside each other for this beloved land of ours disregarding, race, religion and creed. What we have today is a very different mode of racial bias which runs alongside a very thin line between orchestrated togetherness and full-blown. sublime bigotry.

Therefore to simply praise ourselves with slogans and mottos is to simply cheat ourselves when we know that all is not rosy after all. There were many Malays and Indians amongst the members of the MPAJA and they all had only one motive and that was to get the Japanese out of Malaya come what may. With the support of the CPM, they succeeded in giving the Japanese a run for their money.

The contribution of the different races of Malaya to her independence must be respected and admired and what better way of doing that then by giving these fallen ones their due honour and respect more so after 50 years of our independence come 2007. As the leading politicians always say during the peak of an election season, we have to be united in facing the challenges of globalization. We must also be united in respecting our rich and united history which shows that this country was not due of the sacrifices of only one race but all due to the sacrifices of all who call and make Malaysia their home.

The memorial in Nilai is a tribute to the fallen ones and those to fail to understand their sacrifice but instead choose to take a potshot at race and religion should not be leaders of Malaysians.