Position vacant: Statesman

COMMENTARY

SEPT 6 — Wanted: A statesman in the class of the late Tun Dr Ismail or Tun Hussein Onn.

Someone who believes in his heart that this blessed country belongs to everyone; someone with the stature to hush chauvinists (Chinese, Indians, Malays) who are threatening to tear the country asunder with their divisive rhetoric; someone who can provide the balm for the raw nerves that have been singed by irresponsible politicians.

God how we need that one person today?  Who can rise above narrow communal interests and speak without worrying if his fellow Malays, Chinese or Indians are going to revolt against his leadership.

There was a time when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi gave us hope that he would stand up for what was just, fair and good for all. Even if it meant him having to lose it all — power and position.

That was then, circa 2005. Today, with his eye firmly on surviving the Umno elections and with his approval rating near the cellar, he has little interest in playing the role of statesman.

Just can't see him telling Malaysians that citizenship embraced something more than just the question of political rights and obligations. That it also involved integrity, tolerance, civic consciousness, patriotism, loyalty and a truly Malaysian spirit.

Just can't see him risking it all by lecturing his party men and the rest of Malaysia like Tun Razak did in 1969 that "prosperity is not for any particular group or community.That prosperity must be widely shared and must be spread throughout the nation.

"This prosperity is for all… On our ability to achieve this objective rests the survival of our nation and the peace and happiness of our people.''

For that matter, one can't imagine the MCA's Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting or Gerakan's Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon tossing aside the interests of one community and speaking like statesmen when they address their party men in this election year for the MCA and Gerakan.

Will they be prepared to chastise the chauvinists in their midst and tell them that everyone has the responsibility to encourage children of various races to mix as much as possible? And that young Malaysians should be taught to appreciate that the things which unite them are far more important that those which divide them.

Above all, will they be prepared to proclaim that all Malaysians share a common destiny, regardless of race and politics? Tun Tan Siew Sin said all this once.

What we need is someone with the wisdom of Tun Hussein Onn. This is what he said: "We have a society in which people of various racial origins have been brought up to be tolerant, understanding; we are a nation of people with conscience.

"The Indians can be very magnanimous, so can the Malays, the Chinese. The great diversity is a blessing, not a handicap. It is a challenge and a blessing because no one race can dominate the others. I would hate to see the day when any one race dominates the other.''

It can be said that not one serving Malay politician today will be brave enough to utter these words. Not Abdullah. Not Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Not Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Definitely not Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein (a prime example that sometimes the apple does fall far from the tree).

For that matter, Malaysians cannot even count on any recently retired politicians to project a voice of reason during these difficult times. Definitely not Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He may have coined the phrase Bangsa Malaysia but it appears that he never truly believed in the concept.

Since the Barisan Nasional and Umno performed badly in Election 2008, he has shown a willingness to play the race card. He did so in Johor in May when he told a gathering that Malays stood to lose much in the post-election landscape where non-Malays were more vocal over their rights. He warned the Malays that if they kept quiet, they will lose their rights and other races will take control.

Several days ago, he questioned the need for Malay leaders to apologise over a remark made by Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail. The Penang politician had questioned the status of Chinese in Malaysia on the eve of the Permatang Pauh by-election.

Instead of projecting sense and sensibility in the roiling debate and urging all sides to stand down, and understand what is at stake for everyone, Dr Mahathir chose the narrow path.

Wanted: A statesman in the class of Tun Dr Ismail or Tun Hussein Onn.