Malaysians take their languages for granted, yet the language we speak - whether it is Tamil, English, Malay, and others - greatly influences the course and quality of the conversation that we have with others.

In our multi-ethnic context, I would argue that the key issue in people's everyday exchanges and contact, in shops, offices, schools, the factory floor, is language, and not 'race'. This strange thing we call race, Kam , or Chong Chu is a powerful lie that was introduced under British colonial rule.

It has been further developed and shaped by our governments since Independence. Nevertheless, what influences and determines our everyday interaction is not race but language. For the most part, it is language and how we use it that builds connections between people as much as it may indicate differences such as our level of schooling, class background and such.

Why then does race assume such importance in our country? More accurately, where does race assume such importance? Race is most significantly exemplified and reproduced in our ruling coalition and national level politics.

It is here that things begin but it is not here that they end. Race also matters in society, in the kind of views groups and individuals hold about one another. These views may be negative or prejudicial, but they need not be just that. They may be any kind of evaluation based on race, whether it is with regard to social, political or other matters.

Although many other things are part of our everyday interactions, it is race that often gets highlighted or given special meaning. When we are involved in an accident it is not surprising to hear someone ask: 'Indian or Chinese?'.

When one of our close relatives, say a brother, has married somebody from another ethnic group, many people are able to accept the situation with love. At the same time, however, they do not necessarily stop from saying racist things about the spouse's community.

New perspective

We need to move beyond this kind of race politics not only because it is the moral or right thing to do. After all, our religious beliefs, cultural traditions and secular practices have long warned against racism, but the practice goes on in many important areas of life.

I would argue that moving beyond race politics is important not just to be a 'good person' but because it is absolutely necessary for us in order to see some substantial improvement in the public life and politics of this country.

By moving beyond race politics, I mean seeing Malaysian society and politics in an entirely new perspective - free from any kind of race-based justification. Some may say that this is sheer idealism.

To this kind of cynicism I offer the experience of the women's movement. Although 20 years ago very few people would have known what 'sexual harassment' meant, today it is widely recognised as a problem, especially in the work place.

Similarly, I believe we can raise the people's awareness about race and the kind of destructive role it plays in our society.

The cynics focus on the ruling party's political machinery that has been built on race over a period of more than 40 years. This is a reality that everyone needs to take seriously, however, it is not the only reality.

As you can see in the last two to three years, race politics does not always succeed. Still, we need to advance an awareness of race politics and find real alternatives to such politics. We cannot just be complacent and believe that the last few years show new and positive trends in this area.

Racial logic

The trends are not all new and not all positive. Racialisation remains in place, present in the efforts of both the ruling coalition and the opposition, and of course, in society.

Since 1998, the opposition has taken some important steps in a new direction. It has most certainly brought about greater inter-ethnic cooperation in meaningful ways at the level of national politics.

However, it has not been fighting racialisation in a disciplined manner. We cannot fault them because the electoral system functions on the basis of race. Perhaps what I am saying here will not win me many votes in this country at this time.

Yet, I am convinced that we have to move in the direction where race politics is eliminated or reduced in significance. Otherwise, whatever steps we take towards greater political openness and accountability, we will find ourselves trapped within a racial logic.

It will always be easy for those in power to manipulate the politics of race and suggest that our society will quickly fall apart when their authority is questioned.

As such, we need to learn more about how race politics operates in our daily lives and find new ways of seeing ourselves. I believe it is very important for this to be initiated by all kinds of social groups.

It is not something that needs to be left to political parties. So long as we have authoritarian laws and politics in this country, it is valuable to build on social and cultural solidarity, perhaps even more valuable than seeking demands from a ruling coalition that does not seem to respond positively.

Building such solidarity will, I hope, lead to a questioning of race politics at every level of society, in day-to-day interactions as much as the politics of parties.

Ethnic identity

The effort to address racialisation - among other matters - by Suqiu (via the Elections Appeal) is worthy, but perhaps such work should be directed at people from all the different ethnic and religious groups, rather than party politicians alone.

Why not seek the support of all Malaysians for some of the major points made by Suqiu?

Let there be no misunderstanding. By speaking of eliminating race politics, I do not mean eliminating ethnic identity. Malay culture as much as Chinese as well as other cultures, especially the languages, are not only significant to our identities but part of the richness of our cultural diversity.

I hope we are able to continue developing this richness by being generous and open about sharing our languages and cultures. Race politics only makes people defensive and limited in their cultural options, leaving them divided and susceptible to political manipulation.

We need to eliminate race politics if we are to create the democratic public space that more and more people seem to want. Our shared public space must be free from racism and 'particularism'.

So far our country has not suffered the kinds of violent everyday racism of the United States or Britain, but at the same time we have also not developed the laws, institutions and public cultures that both these countries have that challenge race politics on a daily basis.

Britain made into law this year a number of basic human rights, including protections against racism.

I believe it is possible for us to move beyond race politics and it is very necessary to develop a highly disciplined perspective on Malaysia that is non-ethnic. Indeed, we know from academic research and everyday observations that social and business life is not necessarily determined by race politics.

Even after several decades of race-based policies, significant cooperation takes place between small businesses that cannot be regarded as Ali Baba in character. There is similar interaction between religious and civic groups, professional groups, labour unions, and so forth.

In order for these kinds of relationships to grow, become better grounded and to last, we need to establish a disciplined Malaysian perspective based on respect for everyone regardless of race or religion.

Rich cultural mixing

The reshaping of our perspectives, in a disciplined and self-conscious manner, is not something that should be regarded as less important or insignificant when compared to other kinds of politics.

Giving rise to a non-ethnic perspective, especially through dialogues across groups, can have profound and lasting consequences and is a significant form of a different kind of politics: a cultural politics.

Let me conclude by making a historical point that helps to clarify why we need to eliminate race politics. We will not simply and automatically fall apart, or erupt in violence just because we are a multi-ethnic society.

This perception is the outcome of the race politics practiced by the British and by our own independent governments. It is also heard in multi-ethnic societies in other parts of the world and shows how much race politics can influence the manner we view ourselves in decisive ways.

It is not necessarily true that multi-ethnic societies are 'difficult to hold together' or somehow prone to break into inter-group violence. Multi-ethnic societies such as Sri Lanka, notably, and our next-door neighbour Indonesia have suffered from inter-ethnic political violence in recent years.

However, the source of the problem was not the cultural diversity but race politics, operating in the most destructive of ways in these instances.

It is important for us to recognise that Malaysia and our region, though culturally diverse, have not always been plagued by inter-ethnic political problems. Our history, going back a few hundred years and even more, show not only the peaceful coexistence of peoples but rich cultural mixing and empathy between groups.

Race politics attempts to bury this valuable and significant history of cultural interaction and this can lead to destructive outcomes. It is up to us to eliminate race politics and uncover our historical cultural diversity.

Sumit Mandal is research fellow at the Institut Kajian Malaysia dan Antarabangsa (Ikmas) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. This is an edited version of a talk presented at the 'Human Rights Forum: Multi-Culturalism and Respect for Minorities' held at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 7.