LETTER | I fully agree with former deputy inspector-general of police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay’s observations. They resonate deeply with my own experience as a police officer, particularly during my years serving in the Special Branch in the early 1980s.
More importantly, Ayob’s observations should not be shrugged off as merely another passing comment on race relations or national unity. They deserve to be taken very seriously by our lawmakers, political leaders, policymakers and Malaysians generally.
He speaks not merely as an ordinary observer of society, but as a very senior police officer who rose to the highest levels of the nation’s security and intelligence establishment.
In that capacity, he had the rare privilege of access to intelligence, information and assessments concerning the security and stability of the nation that very few ordinary citizens would ever possess.
When someone with that breadth of experience warns of the possible consequences of Malaysians increasingly growing up apart, we would be unwise simply to dismiss it.
Common and committed purpose
Within the police force, and especially in the Special Branch, I experienced an exceptional sense of camaraderie, unity and loyalty that transcended race and religion. Malay, Chinese, Indian, Sabah and Sarawak officers worked alongside one another with a common and committed purpose.
When duty demanded trust, courage and sacrifice, the race or religion of the officer beside you simply did not matter. We were fellow police officers serving the same country, king and people.
There was a profound sense of mutual dependence and trust. We understood that the security of the nation was a shared responsibility and that every officer’s contribution mattered.
Many non-Malay officers served with extraordinary dedication and courage, and their contribution to the security, peace and stability of this country deserves to be remembered and acknowledged.
Ayob is therefore right to be concerned about Malaysians increasingly growing up apart. My generation had far more opportunities to live, study, work and socialise across racial and religious lines.
Familiarity created friendships, friendships created understanding and understanding made prejudice much more difficult to sustain.
Diversity not a weakness
Malaysia’s diversity need never be a weakness. My own years in the police force taught me precisely the opposite. When Malaysians are given a common purpose and learn to depend upon and trust one another, our differences of race and religion become secondary to something much larger, our shared loyalty to Malaysia.
The camaraderie I witnessed in the police force is something we should strive to recreate in the wider Malaysian society.
We do not have to surrender our individual cultures, languages or religions in order to become more united. We simply have to rediscover the ability to see one another, first and foremost, as fellow Malaysians.
Despite the difficulties we face today, I remain optimistic. Identity politics did not appear overnight, and it will not disappear overnight. But I firmly believe that with sufficient political will, courageous leadership and a genuine commitment to nation-building, the tide can be reversed.
We should remind ourselves of the spirit that prevailed in the years leading to Merdeka and during the formative years of our nation.
Our founding generation, despite enormous differences of race, religion, language and culture, recognised a fundamental truth: independence would mean very little unless the different communities of this country were prepared to build a nation together.
They negotiated, compromised and found common ground because there was a greater objective before them, Malaya, and subsequently Malaysia. They did not cease being Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Kadazan, Dayak or members of their respective faiths.
But alongside those identities, they cultivated something greater - a common national identity and a shared stake in the future of the country.
Recover common national identity
It is that spirit which we must recover.
I believe the political will to do so will ultimately prevail. The identity politics that has become so deeply entrenched in our national discourse can and must gradually give way to a more inclusive Malaysian polity, one that recaptures the confidence, moderation and sense of common destiny associated with the early Merdeka era.
This is not a call to erase our differences. It is a call to stop allowing those differences to define the limits of our relationships with one another.
The Malaysia I experienced in the police force proved to me that such unity is not an idealistic dream. I lived it. I witnessed Malaysians of different races and religions trust one another with responsibilities far greater than our individual differences.
If we could do it while safeguarding the nation’s security, surely we can do it in building its future. Let's not take matters of such for granted, as there are many examples of countries that have suffered grave consequences for being lackadaisical in the face of explicit signals.
That is why Ayob’s warning deserves not merely our attention, but serious reflection and action.
Ultimately, the Malaysia we leave to the next generation will depend upon whether we continue teaching our children to see the differences between themselves, or once again teach them to recognise the Malaysian standing beside them.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
