“When it comes to governance, I think it is my duty to undertake and effect change because the country is somewhat destroyed. Unless there is a clear political commitment and resolve to change, I do not believe Malaysia will survive.”

- Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, 2023

COMMENT | Academic Tajuddin Rasdi’s piece “Seven harsh realities facing non-Malays and non-Muslims” is supposed to be a blunt reality check for the group in this country. 

He had told the group that Malaysians must come to peace with these realities before change can be discussed.

“If we do not accept, or merely deny these realities, we will go nowhere or worse will slide even further down a perilous road,” he said. 

However, it is a narrative that merely retells the social contract.

To be fair, the "social contract" assured a kind of racial cohesion which has been lost because of rapidly changing communications technology, but it is also the logical conclusion of Malay uber alles politics.

You may believe in a return of this type of politics, and Madani is desperately trying to harken back to this mode of governance, but what is that old saying, you can never go home.

The question is, do we really need to go home?

Let us go through Tajuddin’s seven realities...