Malaysian politicians must realise that we are all one family under the same sky, instead of highlighting our differences.

In early 1970s, a US TV journalist asked Bruce Lee, “Do you think of yourself as Chinese or do you ever think of yourself as N. American?”

And he answered philosophically, “As a human being because under the sky, under the heavens there is but one family. It just so happens that people are different.”

Very true, we may embrace different religions, speak different language, or were born in different countries, we are nonetheless one family.

A psychologist once asked several astronauts, and most of them gave the same answer: In the outer space, we were initially amazed by the beauty of planet Earth, but very soon we realised that our Earth was so small. If we can’t live peacefully together, it will be destroyed by our own hands.

Many astronauts would suggest that leaders of nations make a trip to the outer space so that they can see the world much bigger than their own shells, and come to realise that all humans are actually one big family.

This sounds very simple but is very often overrun by human selfishness. While Tun Mahathir has lived for 98 years, it is sad that his wisdom has failed to grow with his age, as he continues to create trouble in our tiny nation, dividing us into two and calling non-Malays “pendatang”.

Malaysia is a multicultural society, and we must therefore learn to accommodate our diverse religions, education, cultures, dietary habits and customs so that we can live together harmoniously. Unfortunately, our politicians have exploited our differences and created inter-community confrontation especially during election time. Once the cracks have emerged, mending the disrupted relationship will be extremely challenging.

August 31 Merdeka Day is a day to commemorate the nation’s independence due to the unrelenting efforts of the nation’s founding fathers, a day that must not be desanctified by anyone. If we recognise that Malaysia is our one and only country, then we should adopt the one and only National Day logo and theme set out by the federal government. Malaysians must not divide the nation into two separate entities just because of political differences.

The six state elections have already drawn to a close, and it is now time for the elected governments to get down to work and resolve the many problems encountered by the rakyat. This is when parties on both sides of the divide must come together and work hand-in-hand for the people’s well-being. Pan-politicisation will only aggravate our self-exhaustion. When even Merdeka logo and theme can become politicised, the politicians’ selfishness is fully exposed.

Perlis menteri besar Mohd Shukri Ramli said if the PN central leadership agrees, the four states ruled by the coalition will adopt the Merdeka logo and theme proposed by the PN Youth.

Terengganu menteri besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar nevertheless said the state would adopt the federal government’s version. However, he agreed that heads of state governments had the power to decide which Merdeka logo and theme to adopt. That said, if the federal and state logos and themes can be placed side by side, then why should we make a big fuss of this non-issue in the first place?

PN Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari at the centre of the controversy backed down on Monday, saying it was just a proposal. As National Unity Minister Aaron Ago Dagang has said, PN’s adoption of own Merdeka logo and theme will disrupt national development agenda.

Looking back at when Anwar Ibrahim was PKR’s de facto leader in 2012, the National Day theme adopted by the four states under then Pakatan Rakyat, “Sebangsa, Senegara, Sejiwa” was obviously a  deviation from the federal government’s “Janji Ditepati”, but that does not mean Anwar’s decision back then was justifiable. As a matter of fact, anything that would not help strengthen national unity should be best avoided.

Minister Aaron Ago Dagang also said Malaysia’s harmonious multicultural society is the pride that we can show off to the world. He urges political leaders not to undermine this harmony which has not come by easily.

Sarawak’s premier Abang Johari is apparently much more progressive when it comes to handling of religious and racial issues. He says controversy over Malays eating with chopsticks or non-Muslims using the word “Allah” is non-existent in Sarawak, adding that radical racism will only disrupt our inter-racial and inter-religious harmony.

It is hoped that our politicians will come to realise that we are all one family under the same sky, instead of highlighting our differences.