EMERGING TREND: Young Malaysians are voting across racial lines and this is a sign of unity, National Unity and Integration Department director-general Datuk Azman Amin Hassan tells Tan Choe Choe

In Malaysia, our politics is still race based, so there's still this demarcation by race when it comes to the election. But there's been a shift -- not just the Chinese shift to DAP. I've talked to the youths and the Malay Pas boys told me that they voted for DAP. They told me it's because they are Pakatan -- that there's an understanding between Pas and DAP.

Tan Choe Choe, NST

Question: What prompted you to call on politicians and the media to stop inciting racial tension on May 13?

Answer: After GE13 (the 13th General Election), some people were taken aback and started this blame game, even though Barisan Nasional won with a simple majority. There was unhappiness expressed against the Chinese and all that. This is bad for the nation. We've got to look at what really happened, what caused the shift in Chinese support -- and it isn't communal or racist. It was a breakdown of MCA's strength within BN because of a leadership tussle. From interacting with them, I found that they don't see anyone up there in MCA (that they recognise) as their leader. There is a vacuum in BN, so, there was a shift in the Chinese vote towards DAP because the latter was very strategic. The same goes for Gerakan. The Chinese feel none of these parties were aggressive enough in fighting for their rights. We should look at the issue from many perspectives, but there are people who just looked at it along racial lines.

Question: It's easier to talk about it along racial lines.

Answer: It's easier, yes. But what we should do now is move forward, to look at Malaysia first. The nation should come first, not political parties or our differences. If we want to look at our differences and condemn each other, there's no end to it. There's a new cabinet now and a new government -- let's see how we can reconcile with each other. We need to come together, to have this strength and move forward.

On May 28, our department is inviting some academicians, community leaders and politicians to give their comments on what actually happened at GE13 and after that, what's the next step for the country. This is what we should do when we look at reconciliation and there's still hope that we can resolve this issue amicably. Yes, as Malaysians we will face this kind of problem from time to time, this kind of flaring of tempers, but we will cool off soon after and be more sensible and less sensitive. But we need some intervention because if we let it (fester), it will be bad for Malaysia.

Question: Why is it always easier to fall back on race?

Answer: In Malaysia, our politics is still race based, so there's still this demarcation by race when it comes to the election. But there's been a shift -- not just the Chinese shift to DAP. I've talked to the youths and the Malay Pas boys told me that they voted for DAP. They told me it's because they are Pakatan -- that there's an understanding between Pas and DAP.

Ten years ago, you would never see an Indian boy or a Chinese boy voting for Pas and you would never see Pas supporters voting for DAP -- never. Yet today, we can see this happening, especially among young voters. They are different.

So, this is (a demonstration of) the democratic space that we have today. It is transparent, everyone has a chance to vote and this is a new emerging trend we can see among youths.

Question: Are you happy to see this? I mean it seems to show that the people are really coming together to vote across racial lines.

Answer: Yes, you're right. When they talk about the democracy, this is the real thing that's happening at the grassroots level.

In that sense it is good. But when people are not happy with the results, when they have lost or when they didn't win enough because they didn't get a two-thirds majority, they don't feel it (is a positive thing). To get a two-thirds majority in the world today is not easy any more, even a simple majority is good enough in the politics of today but these are the things that the old-timers are not willing to accept. This is the gap between the young and the old-timers like me. The way we think is different.

It's Gen Y -- they are all for the new media and they interact easily on it and you can see a lot of things are bridging the gaps (between the races). They interact with each other on issues. In that sense, they are more open.

Question: So, these youths are exposed and deliberating more on national issues than ever before?

Answer: Yes, they are more interactive. So we, the ones more used to the conventional ways, must adjust. These youngsters have a very different way of thinking. This has been expressed in 2008 and more so now in GE13. The new media is very influential because even if the information they get may not be correct, they tend to believe it because everyone else is talking abut it.

Question: Were you worried that there would be violence post-GE13?

Answer: Yes, I was so worried, especially on the night before polling day, so much so that I could not sleep. So I prayed a lot, asking for peace to prevail and thankfully it did. I have my operation rooms nationwide to monitor the situation and they regularly reported to me; we were on our toes and ready to intervene if anything went wrong.

Question: So, your department was monitoring it through the Rukun Tetangga?

Answer: Yes, through the Rukun Tetangga and our state level offices. We monitored even post-election because we wanted to make sure things go back to normal. This would usually take about a month.

It took even longer for things to settle down in 2008 because the opposition was not prepared to be the government in the states they won as they didn't expect to win. I think this time it will be faster.

Question: There were many inflammatory remarks posted online.

Answer: A small percentage may be a bit violent, but the majority are moderate people. It's just about five per cent in our community who really lost their minds and got emotional. Some may be educated or are public figures, but when they speak out, they become over emotional.

Question: Are these mostly the older generation?

Answer: Yes. Their mindset hasn't prepared them for this kind of situation, so, they were shocked.

Question: What about the media?

Answer: When I read some of the headlines, I felt it was too much. I was very alarmed and very concerned about it. Even though it was meant for Malay readers, the way the arguments went could incite the general public. It was worrisome and I think the Home Ministry should intervene and put a stop to it, not only to that paper, but any other paper that crosses that line. We need to give a balanced report. In a multicultural and multiracial society, we should be conscious about these things. But sometimes when I read the paper, (it feels like) they have also lost their minds; they became very emotional and hit (certain communities) hard. It's very bad for nation-building.

Question: In the build-up to the elections, there were already a lot of racial slurs being thrown around.

Answer: As in many past general elections, it is very hard to stop the issue of race being brought up. Every time, there will be some seditious or sensitive issue being brought up, even when we say, "Please don't raise all these things". I remember being in the United Kingdom in 1984 and attending the election campaigns of the Conservative and Labour parties. They were given 30 minutes each to talk about what they had to offer to the electorate, so, they spoke, then shook hands. There was no incitement, or ill feelings. Why can't we be like them?

Question: Can we move forward now?

Answer: When we have this one-day roundtable discussion, we will come up with resolutions on what's next: for example, do we need to advise the police or government? I will go through (the resolutions) with my new minister and see what we're going to do. Instead of making any more statements, we want to engage everybody and really look at what we can do, because sometimes the thing that we (feel we should) do, may not be that correct. So it's wise to get everyone's perspective first on what we should do next. Maybe we should invite the media editors, too.

Question: It's 14 days after GE13, how do you feel about national unity now?

Answer: I'm glad there's been no violence. I'm happy that there are also non-governmental organisations that are coming out to say that they want peace. We're ready to move forward.