Our world will be peaceful if we have learned to be more tolerant. Otherwise, perennial racial conflicts and genocides will continue to beset this planet.

During a recent interview with Sin Chew Daily, Tawfik Ismail, son of the country’s second deputy prime minister the late Tun Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman, rebutted former prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir’s fact-distorting claim.

He said Malaysia is not a country for the Malays only, but one that was built by our multiracial population.

Tawfik’s audacity in speaking up is an extension of the noble spirit of his father fighting for the well-being of all Malaysians.

Today (August 2) marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Tun Dr. Ismail.

At a time religious extremism and racism ravage much of the country, memories of this noble-minded, progressive statesman who helped fight for the country’s independence, cherished our democracy and embraced our unique multiculturalism — are flowing back into the minds of many a Malaysian.

Tun Ismail passed away at a relatively young age of 58. If he were to live for an additional 20 years, he could have led the country whose economy was taking off in the 1980s through the 90s, and Malaysia would have been very different today.

And we believe that our economy, infrastructure development, cultural diversity, clean governance, religious freedom and intercommunity relationship could have been much better today.

This is because Tun Ismail was such a great leader who insisted on all these attributes.

In his article Tun Dr. Ismail: respected and feared for the right reasons published on MySinchew, the Executive Director of Penang Institute Datuk Dr. Ooi Kee Beng pointed out that Tun Ismail’s “authoritative figure and his reputation as a tough but fair minister was sorely needed” when the country was in chaos after the May 13 riots.

He also argued for a “20-year limit to the New Economic Policy for fear that it would otherwise turn into a divisive and counter-productive policy.”

In the article, Dr. Ooi pointed out that Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew “would often repeat that the only Malay leader he trusted was Tun Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman,” while Robert Kuok described him as “a lovely man with strength of character, high principles, and a great sense of fairness.”

In addition, in his article titled In the shadow of a true Malaysian… Tun Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman in memoriam, Professor Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi called him a “true Malaysian,” while Mohsin Abudllah labeled him “the man who saved Malaysia.”

We strongly believe that the words of people like Lee Kuan Yew and Robert Kuok were not meant as flattery but were poured out from the bottom of their hearts because they themselves were representations of the highest morality.

When we talked to his eldest son Tawfik, he said Malaya gained its independence from the British through the efforts of all three major ethnic communities of this country, or the country would disintegrate as soon as it gained its independence.

He cited the example of the religious conflicts between the Hindus and Muslims in India in 1947 resulting in the death of more than two million people and the eventual separation of Pakistan from India.

“Malaysia was built by the multiracial population of this country. It is not a land of the Malays only,” asserted Tawfik in response to Tun Mahathir’s claiming otherwise.

He also said Tun Mahathir, who has been chanting the Malay grand unity slogan for years, is the very person who is dividing the Malays and the country!

Mahathir has throughout his political career been involved in many different parties. He destroyed the old Umno owing to party election fraud in 1987. He later founded Bersatu, followed by Pejuang, and encouraged Syed Saddiq to establish MUDA.

Although he does not like Muhyiddin and PAS, he seems to be able to work with these two parties.

It appears that all that Mahathir does throughout his political career is to mess things up and create intercommunity rift, year after year.

In view of this, Tawfik has called for more “color blind” leaders in this country who will put the nation first before their own race.

He also urged Malaysians to learn from East Malaysians’ progressiveness and solidarity because if “East Malaysians of different religions — including Muslims and Christians — live peacefully under one roof,” why are politicians like Tun Mahathir reluctant to let people of different races to live harmoniously on this land?

Compared to the democracy, open-mindedness, inclusivity and diversity during Tun Ismail’s time over half a century ago, Mahathir and his gang today have taken the country back to the autocratic, conservative and narrow-minded “Malays-first” Malaysia!

Racial problems have been existent since time immemorial. That said, our world will be peaceful if we have learned to be more tolerant. Otherwise, perennial racial conflicts and genocides will continue to beset this planet.

In memory of Tun Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman:

1. Professor Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi: In the shadow of a true Malaysian… Tun Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman in memoriam
2. Mohsin Abdullah: The man who saved Malaysia
3. Ooi Kee Beng: Tun Dr. Ismail — respected and feared for the right reasons
4. Malaysia needs more ‘color blind’ leaders: Tawfik
5. Not just Tanah Melayu