Look ahead: (From left) Noor Farida, Anas and Tawfik.
PETALING JAYA: With the bruising state elections over, Malaysians should make up for time lost to politicking and come together as a nation to face challenges ahead, say civil society activists and advocates.
Several people who champion moderation said Malaysians should accept the election results and move on regardless of their political beliefs and differences.
Former ambassador and moderate advocate Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin said the election campaigning had caused much hatred and strife.
“People have been throwing wild allegations at one another.
“We Malaysians of all political and religious persuasions need to move on and unite, particularly with Merdeka Day coming.
“Throwing wild accusations at each other and creating hatred would lead us nowhere,” she said in an interview yesterday.
Noor Farida also urged Malaysians not to be easily influenced by extreme, racial or religious sentiments peddled by some irresponsible politicians who are only after votes and power.
“Our politicians are adding fuel to the fire by using race and religion to divide us Malaysians.
“They are the problem, not the solution.
“We Malaysians need to act sensibly by moving forward and striving to remain united,” she said.
Fellow moderate advocate Anas Zubedy expressed concern that the state polls results showed the rise of the “politics of divide and rule”.
“The ‘Green Wave’ narrative was coined to rob what was really a national ‘Anti-Corruption Wave’ during the 15th General Election so that we would go back to the politics of divide and rule,” he said.
“The state elections results are their victory. They have managed to cut the divide deeper.”
Calling such political masters a shame, Anas said they were “the real enemy of national unity”, and all Malaysians must be alert and see through this.
Tawfik Ismail, the son of Malaysia’s second deputy prime minister Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, said too much politicking and looking inward limited our horizons and gave the impression to others that we are shallow and narrow-minded.
“We have to make up for time lost in politicking and come together as a nation to face the many geopolitical and economic challenges ahead.
“There’s so much opportunity available as a nation we can take advantage of and it is time to let practicality rather than raw emotion rule our heads,” he said.
At the grassroots level, Tawfik said all Malaysians share the same values and ambitions for our families.
“We have reached out across races and beliefs and somehow created a unique Malaysian way of resolving our differences,” he said.
“It is important for a nation like ours to recognise its diversity, bridge the many differences, and hammer out a consensus for the common good.”
