COMMENT | For decades we have deliberated on what must be done to change the Malaysian mindset on race and religion. Race-based parties and coalitions, however, continue to emerge such as Perikatan Nasional and, lately, Pejuang.

Mahathir Mohamad's new party aims to "champion the rights of Malays" and, hypocritically, to "fight against money politics". That manifesto is as mundane as it is outdated and increasingly irrelevant.

Likewise, Muhyiddin Yassin’s bumiputera agenda now permeates through Perikatan Nasional’s governing structure. Out of 32 ministers and 38 deputy ministers in its cabinet, only five and 10 are non-Muslims respectively.

Since the '70s, the state of race relations has remained where it was - perennial pus that erupts with each election.

Over the years, we have seen provocations by ultra-nationalist Perkasa and Umno. Malay protests against the relocation of Hindu temples to Muslim residential areas had fueled Indian ire. Bersih street protests had edged towards the brink of racial violence.

None of these time-bombs, however, had detonated into the sectarian-like bloody violence of May 13, 1969, which I had witnessed and remember to this day.

I had experienced...