“In time we hate that which we often fear.” ― William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra

I relish meeting people whose views differ from mine. Some one who I can engage in civilized discourse, agree to disagree with and wait for them to convince me to their point of view (if they can!) and throw back at them whatever they can throw at me. We will part with more respect for each other than when we first met. After all I hope that we are all working towards the same ends – working for the common good of our own kind in our own Malaysia!

Today polite discourse, arguments and debates amongst us is no longer possible. There is too much hate. Too much hate in politics. Too much hate in religion. Too much hate in our racial beginnings. You need hate for the politicians to divide and rule. You need hate when everything is reduced to either being “THEM” or “US”. Common Good is uncommon – even when it involves the community or the welfare of the people. Nothing unites us anymore. The last time our people came together, as it is with most of us now, was in death – Tun Razak and Kak Endon. I do not see anybody’s death today that can draw the Nation together.. Though some of you may argue, if not in death what about marriage? Well there has been marriages before – that of the former CJ and Hayati and that of Bung Mokhtar Radin but it has only brought about contempt and loathing from the Rakyat for these two despicable human beings who had their brains stuck in their zippers. Now if Najib was to marry again……but I digress!

As I have said, hate is everywhere. Even amongst those in Pakatan Rakyat for is it not their dislike bordering on hate for Barisan Nasional that has driven them to form a coalition and goading their supporters to move against Barisan Nasional?

The politics of hate is here!

Hate begets hate.     

Hate is a very powerful weapon that Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional can use to marshal their forces against each other…but only if they can harness it well and use it to their own advantage. Hate is also a double-edged sword. …And soon enough both will realize that the hate they are using can turn and be used against them.

My heart that has not learnt to hate before now has learned to hate. It hates the way UMNO is using hate to advance their political agenda! It hates the way they have used and abused political power to enrich themselves and most of all I hate the manner in which our Rakyat have been taken advantage off by our BN politicians who should have known better!  

Everything Barisan Nasional has done was not to protect us but to control us. The ISA and all the various instruments of government were shamelessly used to keep Barisan Nasional in power. Everything was done too save us from ourselves…so they say! Save us from what? From a free and fair election? From having any decent future to leave our future generations with?

If we are to continue with this politics of hate not only will we not have a future to leave for the future generations to come but more worrying, we will destroy the very fabric of society that is now holding our nation together. Destroy is not next month, not next year but destroy it now!

Each day some other malaputaka (catastrophe) befalls upon our people, our nation and upon our very ability to carry on with the already onerous burden of political mismanagement and abuse already perpetrated by this UMNO led Barisan Nasional government upon us all. And each day as their struggle to hold on to political power gets more desperate UMNO has not only began to scrap the bottom of its barrel of dirty tricks and gutter politics but it has begun to dig its own grave….and those facing death (however deserved!) will do anything to survive - so we need to expect more of the same gutter politics from Barisan Nasional!

We must be prepared for things to get even more desperate, even more despicable as UMNO attempts to stave off the inevitable – that of being turfed out of government by a surge of electoral power that is totally fed up with being hoodwinked, lied to and savaged by UMNO.

I really have no stomach for gutter politics and even less so for any politicians who thinks that gutter politics is a sport they will happily indulge in if it promised them an advantage against their foe….be it Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat. To those politicians who may even have a thought of indulging in such sports may I remind them of Ezekiel 25:17.

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."

So let us stray away from the politics of hate. Let us remember that when the 13^th general election is over and done with, we will still have to live together as one – that we are each other’s keepers – that we are still one people, one nation and 1 Malaysia.

If we do not then what hope is there for the future of our children? What hope is there for our people to live as one? What hope is there for you and me to meet, to talk, to eat together and reminisce about the times when we all stood shoulder to shoulder to bring change to our nation after half a century of abuse by this UMNO led Barisan Nasional government?

Hold that thought in your mind and remember that nothing, not even hatred for  UMNO or Barisan Nasional, should be allowed to prevent our people from coming together after the 13^th general election…and may God be merciful to all of us!