COMMENT | A nation may be weakened by corruption, poor governance, and economic mismanagement. But it can also be weakened by falsehoods repeated so often that they begin to sound like the truth.

Malaysia today is burdened by several such falsehoods. They appear in political speeches, social media comments, public forums, and casual conversations.

They divide citizens into “owners” and “guests”, “defenders” and “adversaries”, “believers” and “disbelievers”.

These ethno-nationalist narratives may serve politicians who thrive on communal fear, but they certainly do not serve Malaysia.

They do not strengthen institutions, reduce corruption, lower the cost of living, improve education or prepare youths for a competitive world.

Instead...