Sep 16, 2009

Mr Najib, Tear down this wall

Prime Minister Najib called on Malaysians to tear down the racial walls on the Independence Day this year. Independence day came and gone. But the "tear down the wall" calling still hovers over my mind. Sad to say but I find the speech very hollow and meaningless. Over the weeks as I was thinking on how Malaysian can tear down the so called racial walls, I am reminded of President Reagan's speech back in the 80s in West Germany. President Reagan was making the speech at the site near the infamous Berlin Wall that separated West and East Germany.

If one may recall, The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier erected by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) (East Germany) completely encircling West Berlin, separating it from East Germany, including East Berlin. The longer inner German border demarcated the border between East and West Germany. Both borders came to symbolize the Iron Curtain between Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc.

President Reagan was obviously asking Mr Gorbachev, the then USSR's leader, who was embarking on his domestic reform - Perestroika & Glasnost, to make bold reform and changes that will benefit the whole world. Thus if Mr Gorbachev was sincere on his reform, he should tear down Berlin Wall the symbol of oppression and autocratic rule.

Now, could Reagan ask the wall to be torn down if it's built by himself? Similarly why did PM Najib ask the racial wall to be torn down if he himself is the beneficiary of the wall itself? It's very clear that Malaysia until today is still ruled by BN, a coalition of race-based political parties namely UMNO, MCA and MIC. After the fall of Apartheid Rule in South Africa, Malaysia is the only country in the world that is still ruled by race-based political parties and policies that are race-based, like NEP.

So, PM Najib, who is to call who to tear down the wall?

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