“This victory is because we were able to demonstrate the wisdom, strength, and nobility of Islam - not arrogance.”

– Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

COMMENT | The history of this country is being assailed by two forces, which either seek to obliterate history - personalities, structures or legacies - in the name of religious and racial supremacy or reimagine history, elevating race and religion to the imagined historical significance of other cultures and nations.

The first is best signified by the recent demolition of a 100-year-old temple, then rebuilt as a house of worship for the religion of the state.

Proponents of these kinds of victories, here and abroad, seek to establish a narrative of religious supremacy over historical fact, and structures are like red flags, a constant reminder of how things were and not what they hoped for them to be.

The destruction of legacies is also important. These days...