Racial Harmony (part two)

Living in a multiracial country is considered a privilege to some, as it enables us to get an insight to other people’s cultures and beliefs to admire and watch how they’re uniquely different from all the other cultures that are found in this country. Festive occasions are the best ways to watch and learn how different cultures have different methods of paying their respects to their elders and even their Gods.

Racial harmony is crucial for a country such as Malaysia because majority of the international tourists who visit our country are here mainly to see and learn more about the different races and religions for themselves instead of constantly relying on the mass media such as the TV and the internet to provide them with the information they are looking for.

If there is racial instability in our country such as the infamous May 13 incident where a hundred odd people were killed, the odds of tourists being reluctant to visit our nation would be very high as they fear for their own safety and in turn would drastically affect our country’s income which is relying heavily on the tourism sector. Besides that, major international companies would have second thoughts if and when they decide on venturing their businesses in our country due to the instability and will lead to a high unemployment rate during a worst case scenario.

Racial harmony also helps ensure the safety inside our country itself as people are instilled to look out for one another without being judged by their religion or race. This also ensures that during the general elections, people do not vote for their party of their choice solely on the fact that the party members consist of a specific race and religion.

Of course, all this is easier said than done when there are all sorts of “fire starters” that would do anything in their might to cause chaos in this country besides demanding that their race be deemed superior to others. If the citizens of our country can manage to ignore that small flaw that we are constantly facing, there is no doubt that Malaysia would still be as harmonious as it was back then in its glorious days.