“May 13” – A National Day of Reconciliation for All Malaysians [Pusat KOMAS Statement]

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    The government of the day must let history be its teacher and immediately take on the responsibility to ensure and guarantee a space where every Malaysian can truly feel and believe they have equal status in the nation.

    May 13, 2016

    All Malaysians know May 13th.  We need no reminder. But too often this fractured nation is abused by politicians easily using this painful event in history to remind and threaten the nation into submission based on the perverted notions that this nation solely belongs to the historical epitaphs of the ruling majority. It cannot be so!

    It has been 47 years since the May 13 1969 incident and Malaysians are still trying to heal from the deep wounds. May 13 will forever remind us of the importance of having a nation without racial hatred, extremism and bigotry. We must take more serious and effective actions to curb these dangerous trends.

    The May 13 tragedy was a colossal historical tragedy sparked by some power-hungry politicians for political gains that caused the senseless violence and senseless killings. Never again must we allow politicians to abuse this sad historical mark on our nation, to put fear in any Malaysians. They use this painful episode in our nation’s history to hold the country to ransom and push their distorted notion that the nation belongs to the majority race.

    This event must only be celebrated as a tribute to the innocent victims from all walks and ethnicities whose lives were taken unnecessarily.  Malaysians should celebrate this incident to pay tribute to the innocent victims of different ethnicities and backgrounds whose lives were unnecessarily taken. This should be a day of National reconciliation when everyone should be reminded of the importance to heal and rebuild genuine trust among Malaysians of diverse ethnicities and religions. Healing will only take place when the truth is allowed to surface. Only then will peace, justice and reconciliation happen.

    The government of the day must let history be its teacher and immediately take on the responsibility to ensure and guarantee a space where every Malaysian can truly feel and believe they have equal status in the nation.

    Enacting more repressive and anti-human rights laws and policies would not serve the purpose of nation building. Instead it will create more dissent and disharmony in the nation. Furthermore, it will definitely infringe upon the sacred basic human rights enshrined in the Malaysian Federal Constitution and also the globally accepted ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’.

    Furthermore the Government must not delay anymore, but to reveal the findings and recommendations encapsulated in the national blueprint for national unity and cohesion by the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) in 2013. The government must also actively engage Malaysians in the deliberation, formulation and implementation of the National Harmony Act which is still mired in uncertainty.

    We live in hope that as Malaysians, we will genuinely move forward together as equal citizens to heal and rebuild our great nation.

     

    Mr. Jerald Joseph
    Board of Director & Advisor of Non-Discrimination Programme
    Pusat KOMAS

    Source : www.komas.org

    Image : may131969.wordpress.com