LETTER | The escalating situation in the Middle East following the latest slaying of the Hamas leader is threatening, increasingly fragile, and compounding. 

While Malaysia cannot remain indifferent to the geopolitical spillover effects, it certainly cannot take sides by aligning with any political or national fronts along religious or ideological benchmarks. 

As a multicultural population with centuries of multi-religious coexistence, Malaysian leaders must not desecrate this beholden sense of harmony that is a hallmark of our nation.

We can be a global game changer by leading an international wave to call for peace by starting right here in Malaysia.

What we Malaysians can and must do is converge, calling for peace in that region and peace between world powers.

Let us - Muslims and non-Muslims, come together and demonstrate willfully our faith in peace.

Let us not spike and pit citizens against citizens by taking sides based on religious fervour, prejudices, political agendas, or even social mantras of rights and abuses.

Instead, our leaders must lead the way in registering our nation’s univocal call for peace. 

We can communicate to the world leaders our 34 million voices praying and pleading for peace to prevail. 

As the warring people have crossed the red line marring who is right and who is wrong, taking sides will only escalate the situation leading to devastating outcomes. 

We can even declare a national day of call for peace. We can storm up a tidal wave of school children holding peace and prayer rallies. We can have our huge civil service manpower converge for peace in a public rally. We can engage the public sector - the economic turbine of the nation, to join hands in a nationwide display of “Prayer for Peace” rally. 

We have all the harmony credentials - multiracial, multi-religious, multi-ethnic, democratic, peace track records and an opportunity - to make a difference in a world in these very dangerous, stressful, and extremely vulnerable times.

Will our leaders - of political, social, and economic stature - have what it takes to galvanise our nation in taking a powerful stand to make a clarion call for peace?

Or is it unrealistic and not fashionable anymore to march for peace or even to talk about it in our news media.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.