AUGUST 1 ― The few times I was conscious about my ethnicity and that I was a minority in this country were at Umno gatherings or meetings and the party’s annual general assembly.
I was there as a reporter and had to sit straight faced throughout the event as racist rhetoric was spewed by delegates and members on “saving the race” and that one should be wary of the other races as “they intend to take over.”
Of course I’ve been in the business long enough to know that most of what was said at the podium was political speak, to appeal to a certain group or voter base.
The irony is that a number of those making these remarks were friends and acquaintances who themselves did not believe the words coming out of their own mouths.
“Eh bro, no offence ya, ini semua politik aje (these are all just politics).”
And with a pat and a hug they would then proceed to shake the hands of their adoring masses.
So it comes as no surprise that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s ethnicity and cultural heritage has become the focus of current Umno leaders.
I remember when Mahathir was leading the party and this country, the topic of his background was a taboo subject, despite the common knowledge of his South India links.
To many of us in the Press, the roots of the grandson of Iskandar Kutty was a non-issue. Malays came from all over the archipelago and beyond, including many from Indonesia, and as we learnt in history class, South China.
So when the present Deputy Prime Minister decided to play the role of the little boy in the tale of The Emperor’s New Clothes and state the obvious -- that Dr Mahathir has Indian roots, it was just an illustration of how a race-based political party behaves.
When votes are at stake, it is best to retreat to your safe corner and launch a time-tested attack.
And Umno is not the only one which plays this game. PAS has been doing it more aggressively since the demise of its leader Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat.
Even the MIC is famous for its caste politics where non-Tamil and non-Hindu candidates have a tough time fending off accusations and labels that they are not representative of the Indian community.
Even our dear Tun is guilty of the race game, launching his Malay-only Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia party last year.
The party is headed by sacked deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who once famously declared that he is Malay first and Malaysian second. This was in reaction to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia campaign.
Our dear beleaguered PM himself was toying with the idea of giving Bumiputera status to Indian Muslims (and here I had thought they already were as long as they are Muslims and practised Malay culture).
As we get closer to elections season, there will be more of these kind of divisive garbage that will be emitted by political candidates and their leaders.
But be comforted that many of them are not really racists, ultras, chauvinists or fundamentalists.
In fact a number of them are actually good blokes, educated by Christian missionaries and studied in Western universities. They are as comfortable in a pub as they are at an Iftar. They have friends, business associates and even relatives who are from ethnic minorities.
And like clockwork, once the dust has settled and the votes are counted and the winners take their places, there will be talk of togetherness, unity in diversity and all that gula Melaka coated stuff.
However, as we head into what is possibly the ugliest and most divisive elections in history, there is a danger of irreversible damage that goes beyond political rhetoric.
Especially so when creating racial and religious tension is viewed as an effective method to distract from issues such as the worrisome economy, tainted leadership and corruption.
Challenges against the Federal Constitution, the onslaught of conservatism and toying with Wahabism through an unprecedented courtship of Saudi Arabia may outlive polling day.
Depending on the winning margins, there could be pressure to legislate some of these rhetoric.
Several of these political hopefuls and leaders are already realising that we are headed down a dangerous path and end up contradicting themselves ― appealing to their base and their better nature.
This is because they already realise that those who use race and religion in liberal doses to win votes will be judged harshly for the demise of our way of life.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
