YOURSAY 'In general, Malaysians are respectful of each other's beliefs but for Perkasa, respect to them is usually a one-way street.'

White ang pow: The state has failed us

Karma: Kee Thuan Chye, it was also Prime Minister Najib Razak's statement, 'I can't stop them' that sparked the countrywide church bombings.

It is clear-cut that BN is working to defend Putrajaya at all costs, including recruiting rascals like Perkasa.

But as usual, MCA is always the fool that has been made to carry out its big brother Umno's strategy. It's arch rival Gerakan is laughing very hard now.

Swipenter: Respect is mutual and in general Malaysians are respectful of each other's beliefs but for NGOs and organisations like Perkasa, respect to them is usually a one-way street.

Malaysiasakit: Indeed, the state has failed us in more than one way. Our education system has failed to raise the awareness of Malaysians on respecting fellow Malaysians and our role in nation building.

Instead, the Malays are fed with BTN-styled indoctrination on Malay supremacy through boot camps and agama lessons. The non-Malays are forced to study nonsense in Siviks where the real test is the mastery of Bahasa Melayu.

The state of racial relations is a culmination of 30-40 years of abuse by the BN government. I have worked in a GLC (government-linked company) and could see that majority of the Malay employees look at their Chinese colleagues with a sizeable dose of contempt.

There are liberal Malays but they too afraid to speak up for fear of being isolated. Now that I am working in a foreign country which is dominated by one ethnic group, I should feel like someone from a minority group but I don't. It proves that the Malaysian society is deeply fractured.

Manjit Bhatia: Isn't it fancifully easy to blame the ‘state' for this culturalist transgression?

Wouldn't it be wonderful to see Malaysians look deep inside themselves and say with all honesty that they are as much to blame as the ‘state' and, after all, to be fair, it is your ‘state' since you voted for its return over 54 years.

Are Malaysians completely absolved from all the cant of their racialism, their cultural superiority, their religious superiority, and their expert exposition of their racism toward the other, so that they have not had a hand in this culturalist transgression, that it was all the fault of the ‘state', and therefore the ‘state' has let Malaysians down yet again?

And how fanciful is it that Malaysians can (still) separate ‘government' from ‘regime' and both from the idea of the ‘state', almost as if a liberal democracy has always existed in Malaysia?

Wanderer: If a Chinese holds a dinner and has just a single Muslim attending, he will make sure the dishes served on the table are not offensive to his guest... even to the extent of sacrificing the food non-Muslims consider as delicacies.

Shouldn't this right-wing NGO Perkasa first study a bit more of the Chinese culture and traditions before holding celebrations for such an auspicious day as Chinese New Year.

If they have no evil intent, they should do it right or not at all.

Anonymous_5fb: Ang pow are actually Hokkien words - 'ang' means red and 'pow' means packet. So, there is no such thing as 'white' ang pow.

Unless Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa live in seclusion or don't mix with the Chinese, pleading ignorance is inexcusable, and it plainly shows arrogance.

It's shameful they brand themselves as Malay, more so Muslim. Fortunately, the Malays around me are not like Ibrahim Ali, Perkasa and those ultras.

Cala: This is a good article, Kee Thuan Chye. Thank you. You have provided us with a good insight into the minds of Perkasa (its lack of sensitivity about the culture of other ethnic groups), the Umno-led BN regime's application of unequal protection of the law, and MCA's suspect relationship with Perkasa, etc.

If someone were to ask for the causal factors to this sorry state of affair, what would have been the plausible explanations? I have one to offer for the time being.

The fact of the matter is, Malaysia has been an elitist state for too long, so much so that the said regime has taken a lot of things for granted.

No doubt it inherits the coloniser's governance structure (managing ethnic relation in silos), and little effort is made to promote ethnic harmony.

Now coupled this with ‘ketuanan' exhortation, do you expect Ibrahim Ali and his cohorts to show their sensitivities to the culture of other ethnic groups?

Reborn: Don't mix food with envelopes - one is a religion and the other a superstition. I know many Chinese and non-Chinese who love the number four, while some non-Chinese do not like the digit. So superstition is not religion.

Let's face it, everyone here is upset that Ibrahim Ali even dare to even organise an open house, but what is more upsetting is that people came, and many were Chinese.

Get over it, all of you. GE13 is coming, that is the time no matter the colour of the paper, you vote.

Ranjit Singh: This is not whether Umno or Pakatan Rakyat is better, but for us Malaysian to come to our senses individually in a collective manner to dictate the terms that we negotiate with this half-past-six politicians from both sides of the equation to ensure all Malaysians prosper.

Onyourtoes: I can see that the thesis of this comment piece is not really respect for different cultures, traditions and religious sensitivities per se. Any civilised and progressive society would have done all these spontaneously, naturally and routinely.

I guess it is about unfairness, dominance and subservience, bigotry and racism that are embedded that caused so much dissension and unhappiness each time a boo-boo happened, whether intended or otherwise.

Voice: It clearly showed that despite the war of words between MCA taikos (big brothers) and Perkasa taikos , deep inside they love each other.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .