What would it take to cause racial riots to break out in Malaysia? The answer to that question will depend on who is doing the answering. But the truth is this. There really is nothing much that PDRM , the ARMY or the Barisan Government can do to stop an outbreak of racial violence once there is a group determined enough to make it happen for their own vested reasons. Whether that group will come from within the Barisan enclave or the Pakatan Rakyat’s is impossible to tell. Who can try to understand the actions of individuals or those in a group that have decided that the outbreak of racial violence would be in their interest?
How would they profit from such a situation? What forces are within their control to ensure that they do have the means to enforce control over the entire population of the country? And if they do have control what would be their motives and their goals? Surely in this modern era it would be impossible for Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia – to name a few- it would be impossible for our neighbors to allow a situation to develop within Malaysia that could jeopardize the situation within their own country. What would they do individually or as a group do to put back into power the deposed government of the day? What would they risk to maintain the status
There are many questions and too few answers. In reality we will never know until conjectures becomes facts.
For now this is what we know. Racial tension is always on the boil – always threatening to overflow or boil over. We are all always looking over our shoulders waiting, waiting and waiting for the straw that will break the camel’s back while our politicians scheme and manipulate the situation to see what scenario would benefit them best. Desperate Politicians will do desperate deeds. This truth is self evident. When defeat stares into the face of a Politician we have seen them do desperate things. We are not unknowing of the battles within UMNO that have seen factions pitted against factions. Within MCA where time and time again they choose to go to the brink as an act of cleansing rather then to step back from the brink and move together towards an effective union of warring factions. This time again it will happen. Ditto for MIC – an ageing President against all odds trying for another tilt at the windmills ala Don Quixote.
We have all three major components of the Barisan Nasional locked in a battle of survival not against outsiders but doing battle with those from within their ranks. What will these desperate Politicians do to remain in power?
If the creating of racial disturbances amongst the population will ensure their continued stay in power – rest assured they will create those disturbances. But if they do start them – will they be able to control the resulting mayhem? Not likely. Hence the checks and balances are there to prevent the country from going over the brink. The cut and thrust of Malaysian Politics while thriving on this racial edge can be relied upon to understand that nobody gains in the aftermath of these situations because no Politicians can now hope to play the racial card so openly and still hope to survive its aftermath. The people are more knowledgeable and not forgiving of such manipulations.
So our fear is for that spark that will lead towards racial anarchy to come from a small but committed group of individuals who will see the need to start trouble within the people with the hope that they can then ‘manage’ the situation for their.
In these instances I think it is the people that can prevent this from happening by being vigilant and having enough resolve within themselves to say “NO” to racial politics.
Sorry, but I think you are being unduly optimistic.
ReplyDeleteThe writing is on the wall. Last year, the Police and Armed Forces had a joint Law and Order exercise.
For the past year, since March 2008, UMNO politicians repeatedly played the race card, tried hard to excite racial divisions in the country.
Utusan has also done it, telling the Malays that their tray of goodies are at risk.
They have also caused problems in Perak and, now, in Section 23.
It is not necessary to have any one group start a riot. All they need to do is to excite a bunch of UMNO-paid goons to start something, in the hope that some Indian or Chinese group will react.
Then, it becomes a Law and Order problem. The Police will be called in, a State of Emergency will be declared and Najib will do what his father did. All election results disregarded, he will run the country with a bunch of UMNO goons.
The trick is to make sure no one gets provoked into doing something rash.