The fact is the non-Malays never accepted the concept of Ketuanan Melayu nor the special privileges of the Malays as laid down by the Federal Constitution. This is the main culprit which became the stumbling block to the development of non-racial partisan politics in Malaysia.

The insincerity in honouring the constitution became obvious after 51 years of independence, made clear by the recent spats amongst the leaders of the different races in Malaysia. The ghostly image of May 13 is resurfacing and everybody is suspicious of each other now.

Families are constantly being reminded by their elderly about that black day in our history and the misery it caused. We are also being cautioned that we are eerily treading the same path to destruction, just like in 1969.

Pakatan Rakyat is playing a devious mind game which is making the components in Barisan Nasional question each other. It has been six months since the ‘tsunami’ general election but unfortunately we are not seeing any progress from either side.

One side is busy day dreaming about taking over the country through unethical methods, while the other is busy with various leadership crises. The coalition, which has so far been regarded to be as strong as a diamond, is turning out to be as precarious as a sand-castle.

Meanwhile, the rakyat are struggling to make ends meet amidst the burden of inflation and a weak economy, though the government might beg to differ.

We are often reminded how lucky we are compared to our neighbours in Thailand and Indonesia, who go from one national crisis to another. At least we can still do trade and live our lives normally. But should we even be comparing ourselves to these nations? Didn’t we surpass them ages ago? When did we regress?

At the rate we are going , we may end up destroying ourselves. We claim to be a tolerant society comprised of non-racists, but everyone is suspicious of each other. We claim to be neutral and fight for equality but still protest when we think someone is having a better deal than ours, especially if they are of another race.

Why are we not helping those in need? Why is race and religion so important suddenly? Surely principles are just, if not more, important? If we truly believe in building a better Malaysia together, this paradigm shift must happen.

Community leaders must vocally emphasise the constitution and act to bring the various communities in the country together. The day the Chinese and Indian communities fight for the rights of the Malaysa and vice-versa will be the day I believe in a true Bangsa Malaysia. Only then will we be truly united.