More than a month has passed since the general election. The people have spoken, and they have done so with a non-communal voice.

The swing towards the opposition was multiracial, across the board, albeit in varying degrees. But the tone was unmistakable. It is obvious that there were Chinese who voted for PAS and Malays who voted for the rocket.

The days of racial politics are fading, and this, in fact, may augur well for the nation. It is therefore unproductive to go on talking about Malay unity, Chinese unity, Indian unity, or Iban or Kadazandusun unity as the case may be.

It is time to talk of Malaysian unity. It is what the people want, and it will be vogue by the time the next election is due.

The Barisan Nasional has to take cognizance of this reality, in order to depart from polemics. It won’t be easy, given the existence of large mono-ethnic entities within the Barisan, but the issue is not insurmountable.

It needs commitment. It is imperative for the BN to embrace this multiracial philosophy in totality to stay relevant, and re-capture lost ground in the next general elections. We must listen to the people.

Dato Dr. S. Vijayaratnam,
Vice President,
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia.