No country harping on race, religion has succeeded: NGO leader

No country harping on race, religion has succeeded: NGO leader

G Vinod
Published: Sep 23, 2024 12:34 PM


Bringing race and religion into politics will only invite failure, said Global Human Rights Federation president S Shashi Kumar, pointing out that no country harping on race and religious issues has become a developed nation.

Instead, he said, developed nations focus on important issues such as the economy.

“(They focus on) how to progress, develop and bring investors into the country,” he told Malaysiakini in an interview.

Citing Bangladesh and Pakistan, Shashi said both countries’ political situations were classic examples of what happens when racial and religious issues dominate their political narrative.

Shashi chastised Malaysian politicians on both sides of the aisle for not moving the narrative away from such incendiary topics.

“They keep drumming into people’s heads that Islam is under threat and so on. All this fear-mongering started in the 1990s and is getting worse because of the politicians, who just love to ride on religion,” he said.

Countering the argument, Shashi reminded the public that the position of Islam, the Malays and royalty are protected under the Federal Constitution.

“There is no need for these politicians to champion God. Islam’s position is clear under Article 3 of the Federal Constitution as the religion of the federation while ensuring protection for other religions too.

“Even our royalty are protected and of course, we have Article 153 (special privileges to the Malays and bumiputera).

“So, in which way is Islam or the Malays under attack?” Shashi asked.

To those who are under the impression that the non-Muslims are trying to undermine Muslims, Shashi offered a simple rebuttal - they have no time to do so.

He pointed out that non-Malays do not enjoy special privileges. Hence, they must put in twice the effort to achieve success.

“We are more interested in getting a good education, building our careers and earning a living. That’s our focus.

“We are not that immersed in religion and have no time to undermine or threaten anyone,” he added.


Economy taking a beating

The obsession with racial and religious issues has taken a toll on the country, especially when it comes to the economy, Shashi lamented.

For starters, he questioned why there were about one million Malaysians working in Singapore despite Malaysia having an abundance of natural resources, unlike its southern neighbour.

He also pointed out that the Statistics Department indicated that over 500,000 Malaysians are still unemployed.

“Do we hear anyone (government and opposition) offering solutions to this? No, but they keep failing by harping on race and religious issues.”


Driving visitors away

Shashi also criticised the government for bringing religion into tourism, which has contributed to Langkawi’s decline.

“So many businesses (in Langkawi) have shuttered, with people losing their income.

“One of the reasons is that they want the island to become alcohol-free and want to make it a Muslim-friendly destination.

“Tell me which foreign tourist would come? That is why now they prefer to go to places like Phuket (Thailand). Even Malaysians are giving Langkawi a miss to travel to places like Phuket,” he added.

Asked about his views of the country’s future, Shashi admitted that he had a bleak outlook.

“Malaysia doesn’t have a future. People are leaving the country to get opportunities abroad.

“This is particularly true for non-Muslims. We don’t know what is going to happen, whether we are going to become the next Bangladesh or Pakistan,” he said.