Malaysians must lose the "narrow communal slant" stemming from a post-merdeka historical baggage if a united Malaysian race is to become a reality, a Barisan Nasional leader said.

Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik said the slant was the result of a politically-motivated interpretation of Malaysia's struggle for independence and formulation of a social contract.

"We need to remove (this) historical burden," he said, referring to the ethnic and religious slant espoused by the country's major races.

"An often repeated reminder to the Chinese and Indian community in this country is that the government did them a great favour by granting them citizenship to stay on, hence they should be grateful and beholden to the state.

"How can you expect these communities (Chinese and Indian) to sacrifice and devote their energy, resources and time to help in nation-building if they are often demoralised by such (a) statement?

Lim, a senior member of the Barisan Nasional government, also lobbed thinly-veiled criticisms against prevailing Malay-centric policies such as the New Economic Policy (NEP) aggressively championed by the main ruling party Umno.

"People 50 years ago may have felt that but not their sons and grandsons. It's a different mindset altogether now where they don't feel that they owe anyone anything because we were all born here."

When is the right time?

Addressing 800 participants at a national unity convention called 'Anak Malaysia' in Kuala Lumpur today, he said people were only keen on intra-community discourse along ethnic and religious lines.

Lim merely smiled and shrugged his shoulders when asked if the prevailing race-based political system was the polar opposite of efforts to forge a Malaysian race.

"Let them (speakers and participants) decide. Let's see what they have to say today," he said, pointing to the convention proceedings.

Describing Gerakan as "a voice in the wilderness", the party leader said talks about discarding the system has been going on for a long time.

"But the reply is always that 'it was not the right time'. When is the right time? I don't know... maybe 2020."

He said since 1975, the party has been insisting that being Malaysian does not make Malaysians any less Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban or Kadazan.

"It's been 15 years since Vision 2020's inception but there's been little progress. Let's not be afraid to identify the weaknesses. Also, let's not pour old, sour wine in a new bottle."

Lim also noted that Malaysians now felt a stronger sense of ethnicity and religiosity compared to nationhood and citizenship.

Interact on personal level

Describing it as the promotion of "racial and religious silos", he said it helped create a culture of exclusivity.

"Most policy debates, social discussion and dialogues are exclusively race- or religious-centric. There are not many Malaysian-centric ones," he said, describing national efforts as "polemic, ritualistic and artificial at best".

"What this culture is saying is that if you're not one of us, you should mind your own business. This encourages extremist groups holding dangerous ideology and belief."

Speaking to reporters later, Lim urged all Malaysians to interact on a personal level.

"Please talk to each other and not just among yourselves. And don't send representatives to do the talking with others. There's not enough inter-communal conversation."

"We need to build a truly Malaysian race not by getting overly obsessed with a few racial or religious conflicts but to build on centuries of inter-ethnic relations, understanding, goodwill and cooperation."

He also dismissed the notion of fostering national unity through symbolism and patriotic songs.

"Singing patriotic songs is good but singing them as an act of ritual is useless and meaningless as they merely serve to conform with official directives. A sense of belonging must come from the heart and soul," he said.

Majority of Malays left out

During the panel on 'Definitions, Issues and Key Challenges of Bangsa Malaysia', DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the focus should be on strengthening the institutions of government.

"Towering institutions are more needed that towering Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans or Kadazans. We need a towering parliament, anti-corruption agency, judiciary and others."

He said that unless freedom of the press is granted, Malaysian would be prevented from making the most informed decisions that affect their lives and future.

The NEP, he said, had only benefitted a few rich Malays while the rest of them including the Bumiputeras of Sabah, Sarawak and the Orang Asli remained poor.

"Even if the NEP is extended another 100 years, the Malay equity will never reach 30 percent because rich Malays keep selling off their shares."

Perak state executive councillor Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, touching on Guan Eng's repeated reference to Umno Youth's kris-wielding act during the party's general assembly, said it should not be mistaken for aggression or violence.

"If we're historically informed, all of us will know that the kris (long curve-bladed Malay dagger) means nothing, certainly not to stab anyone."

Defending Umno Youth chief Hushamuddin Tun Hussein's thrusting of the kris into the air during the wing's meeting, he appealed to non-Malays not to read it as the rise of parochialism or Malay power.

Zambry said Malaysians must also be "intellectually-grounded" in order to be towering personalities.

Across the board

Gerakan vice-president and Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon said a Malaysian race, although not in its infancy, was still far from mature.

"Anak Malaysia was born the moment Bapa Malaysia declared independence. It is still going through growing pains."

He proposed a shift from an ethnic-based policy to one based on socio-economics which "applies across the board to all poor Malaysians".

His also suggested that instead of a quota, policies must focus on quality, which he felt will eliminate the need for quotas.

"Rather than looking at aggregate data for each ethnic group in allocating resources, we should look at each sector for a more equitable wealth distribution."

The one-day event organised by Gerakan Youth was supported by its research arm Sedar Institute and Friedrich Naumann Stiftung.