Why Anwar Ibrahim is not Prime Minister Material – Part 1

Dr. Chandra Muzaffar will attest that there are two people who have been consistent about Anwar Ibrahim since his days in UMNO; a chap in USM Penang and myself. I have since the first time I heard him speak found him to be a person who delivers grandiose entertaining lectures with little meaning. I found his speeches lack depth. (Unfortunately, we can find many of these folks in the training and development business too).

I am not saying that Anwar has no outstanding talent. On the contrary he has some really outstanding competencies which I will elaborate in part 2 of this article. However, his strength does not match the capacity and skills needed for general management. This is especially for the number one position of a CEO or PM. As early as 1990, I predicted that he was unlikely to become Malaysia’s Prime Minister – and if he did, he will not last for long. Events over the last two decades have proven me correct.

If you are an Anwar fan, or from Pakatan, or a supporter of the political coalition, before you go into conniption, spewing angry words, accusations, and going mad with this article, kindly note that I would have written this article even if Anwar Ibrahim is still in UMNO. I suggest you lend me your ear, and listen to my rationale. Thank you.

For a start, let me explain with three simple examples.

1)    When he was the Minister of Education he introduced Bahasa Baku – a more difficult way to pronounce words where we were told to pronounce BM words as they are spelt. For example ‘teknologi’ is pronounced as technolo-‘ghee’ and ‘universiti’ is pronounced as ‘oo’-niversity – articulating the ‘u’ as per the pronunciation of the first syllable for oolong (tea). Historically, language especially the spoken variety does not evolve that way. You cannot force it on the population. In fact spoken words evolved from the more difficult to pronounce to one that is easier to vocalize. For example, in the English language we have the silent ‘k’ in knife, know, knight etc.

These are remnants of Old English, and wasn't silent at all but was pronounced along with the 'n'. This change is believed to have transpired sometime around the 16th to 17th centuries. Basically, "kn" was considered to be difficult to pronounce and it is much easier and comfortable to follow the "new" pronunciation "n”. (Others: gn, hn, hl, hr, hw -to know more please Google phonotactics constraints). In modern day Indonesia when one says, “Ori”, it is understood it means ‘Original” as the language has evolved to make words simpler.

While we do not expect Anwar to know this as he is not a graduate of linguistic studies but top management must be equipped with the ability to ask the right questions to get to the right answers in order not to end up with such blunders.

2)    During his budget speech as the Finance Minister, analysts were made to pay attention to language rather than economics, the Dewan Bahasa Dictionary rather than to the calculator. That was Anwar’s biggest contribution to the budget speech. Big Bahasa Malaysia words. Unfortunately, bombastic words cannot make an economy fly let alone help us out of the 1997 Financial Crisis.

As a young man I was rather worried when most Malaysians were debating the meaning of BM words rather than the budget allocation and plan. I felt that perhaps as Anwar is not that confident with economics, he focuses on showing off language instead. It ended with Anwar not truly explaining the budget and the nation not really understanding his speech. Sigh!

3)    A more recent example is the push to abolish the PTPTN. Accordingly, the loan scheme was approved during Anwar’s time. Some say it was him who approved it too. Events today made it obvious that Anwar did not really understand the economics of the loan then when he sanctioned it. I am convinced that he has no idea on the repercussions of abolishing it in favor of free education for all. Loan schemes like PTPTN are not just good noble platform to help people; but rather it is also good economics and therefore good for business. Let me explain.

The purpose of business is to create customers.

Only when a business creates customers, do they add value to society. When a business creates a customer, it sets a chain reaction of interconnected, interrelated, and correlated businesses from raw materials to end products coupled with service needs like distribution and communications that is required for delivery and information. IN SHORT, BY CREATING CUSTOMERS, BUSINESSES CREATE JOBS. As such each time a business sells to one customer they touch the lives of thousands if not millions of people.

Any smart and pro-business government policy must help the creation of customers. Basically there are four main ways for businesses to create customers. Innovation, Advertising and Promotions, Selling and Credit.

For example, the INNOVATION of the hand phones has created jobs we never knew could exist. ADVERTISING and PROMOTION draws us to product and service offerings that we are not aware of – like waking up on a Saturday and discovering there is a furniture sale at Fella Design and making a trip to the store and get that nice easy chair you have always wanted. As for SELLING, sales people help us understand product features and benefits better thus helping us decide what, when, where, and whom to buy from.

Last but perhaps one of the most powerful components of customer creation is CREDIT. Credit can create customers almost out of NOTHING AT ALL simply because we humans have learned to trust each other with ‘a promise to pay back at a later date’ system. Can you imagine if we do not have credit facility to purchase houses, cars, and start a business? There would be a total collapse of the world economy and the loss of millions of jobs.

PTPTN is a credit facility. PTPTN has created customers not only by way of students but all other interconnected, interrelated, and correlated businesses from construction, teaching and administration, transportation, food and beverage, retail, entertainment, etc in an endless chain reaction that made not only the world a better place by giving needy people an education but by making our economy more viable, jobs aplenty, and profit for taxes.

It was PTPTN that helped spur and catalyst our education industry like the mushrooming of colleges and universities in the Sunway area. Not only we attracted students from Malaysia but also from all over the world who did not benefit from PTPTN but contributed to society and our well-being.

Let me put it simply. If we take away PTPTN, not only the lecturers, administrators and rich owners of the colleges and universities will lose their jobs and money but that poor Makcik selling nasi lemak in front of the institute of learning will need to close shop because there would be not enough customers buying her products.

End of part 1

“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do Sir? “

 – John Maynard Keynes

Anas Zubedy

Kuala Lumpur

.

Tale of a busload full of Bangladeshi voters

A friend’s family friend owns a tour company. Here’s their story.

1. On May 5, 2013, A tour bus with 42 Indian national tourists traveling from Johor to Kuala Lumpur for a short KL tour. And then From KL they were going to Genting Highlands. The bus is a bonafide tourist coach.
2. While in KL the tour guide who is a Malaysian wanted to vote. He was registered at Bukit Indah, Ampang. He got permission from his tour company to stop by and vote. Therefore he parked the bus full of the Indian national tourists about 500 metres from the poll station (Bukit Indah school). the bus driver and the tourists waited in the bus.
3. While waiting for the tour guide to finish, some members of PKR and PAS (they were wearing tshirts with the party logo) asked the driver to come down and explain why they were there, in the meantime, the rest of the PR members went into the bus and started questioning the passengers in a very harsh and rude manner, accusing that they are illegal voters.
4. They forced all the passengers to come down from the bus, but the bus driver insisted that the tourists stay in the bus. Then PR people insisted on holding up the tourists and the bus.
5. Then they started arguing and yelling at each other. The bus owner came. By this time, there was a huge crowd outside the bus. All from the same political party. The youth members were the rudest ones. Without questioning, they assumed those are phantom voters.
6. Then they started spreading the news around, taking pictures video, uploading it on FB, etc - saying that there are phantom voters in Ampang.
7. They almost got into a physical fight, but the bus owner managed to sort everything out and the PR people escorted the bus out of Ampang.
8. This entire commotion went on for about 1 hour and no policemen came even though the police station is only about 150 metres away.

My note:

My dear Malaysians, we can be better than this. We have the capacity to respect foreigners. Even those who come here to make a living in our nation of plenty as labourers; remember, many of our forefathers were just like them. We need to heal ourselves from hatred, arrogance and racism.

Thank you.

Anas Zubedy

Kuala Lumpur

p/s:Malaysians will believe that AA can fly 40K Bangladeshis with 100 flights without disrupting their already very tight schedule but not a tour guide stopping for half an hour to cast his vote. Malaysia Boleh :)

The 13th General Election And Its Aftermath by Dr. Chandra Muzaffar

It is a shame that eight days after the 13^th General Election, there are some Opposition leaders who continue to denounce the result as a “massive fraud.”

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s scurrilous allegation about 40,000 Bangladeshis and other foreigners being air-lifted to vote in the election has been exposed as a monstrous lie. Opposition parties such as the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the Democratic Action Party (DAP) have not been able to produce a single foreigner who had voted in the election!

In fact, it is Opposition vigilantes who have harassed and humiliated legitimate Malaysian voters who they claim looked like Bangladeshis. If this isn’t vicious racial profiling, what is? 

Opposition leaders and their supporters know that if they have any evidence of electoral fraud, they can always petition the Courts for remedy. A cursory look at the record of our Election Courts will show that they have been fair in their decisions.

It is wrong of leaders like Anwar and Lim Kit Siang to whip up mass passions on the outcome of a general election which both local and ASEAN observers have assessed as free of fraud. There is a lurking danger in this sort of mobilisation. Since the vast majority of attendees at the rallies organised by them come from a certain community, they could easily give rise to ethnic tensions.

These rallies also have implications for our national sovereignty. There is no doubt at all that Anwar has the backing of some powerful interests in the West. The overtly biased reporting in many Western media channels on the election and the post-election scenario testify to this.  By keeping alive in the media, challenges to an election result which did not go in their favour, these interests are seeking to undermine the legitimately elected government of the day and install their proxy in power. The larger aim is to pursue the US’s geopolitical agenda in Asia, specifically in relation to China, with the help of this proxy, as has been analysed by various commentators such as Tony Cartalucci. (see Global Research 9 May, 2013). Malaysians should be fully aware of the game that is unfolding before us.           

           

 There are other important facets of the 13^th General Election which we should reflect upon.

• UMNO remains the most formidable political actor in the country. It increased its parliamentary representation to 88 from 79 in 2008 and its representation in the state assemblies to 242 from 239 five years ago.
• The MCA, Gerakan, PPP, and SUPP continue to decline. Would this lead to their demise? Should the Barisan Nasional  itself be re-structured? What sort of role can UMNO play in this?
• Opposition parties command substantial support among the populace. Their growing strength means that a two-third majority in Parliament for the BN is a thing of the past. The emerging situation calls for greater mutual respect between the BN and the Opposition.
•  Since Merdeka there has been both Malay and non-Malay opposition to the ruling coalition. There is rural as well as urban opposition. That pattern repeated itself in the 2013 Election.
• Three out of thirteen state governments are in the hands of the opposition parties. Given this scenario which may well continue into the future, it is imperative that the centre and the states cooperate closely for the well-being of the people.  The BN and the Pakatan Rakyat should be committed to ensuring the success of federalism as a mode of governance. 
• What is unique  about the 13^th General Election is the almost unanimous rejection of the BN by Chinese Malaysian voters and their complete endorsement  of Pakatan, especially the DAP. It is estimated that 90% of the Chinese who voted chose the Opposition.  The driving force behind their choice was the desire to “Ubah”( change)  --- to get rid of the UMNO led BN.
• What explains this rejection? Is it because many Chinese --- like the non-Chinese voters --- perceived the BN as corrupt and guilty of wrongdoings? Is it because they, like other Malaysians, were yearning for good governance?
• While integrity and governance were important considerations, they do not tell the whole story. If good governance was uppermost in the minds of the Chinese voters, why did they reject Dato Seri Muhammad Ali Rastam in Melaka and Dato Seri Abdul Ghani Othman in Johor? There is a deeper reason for their en masse vote against the BN.
• From the very beginning of the Malaysian journey, a lot of Chinese have felt that they are discriminated against, that they are marginalised, that they are “second-class” citizens. It explains why achieving equality with the Malays has been their overriding political goal --- a goal which they sought in the 13^th General Election through “ubah.”
•  This goal galvanised into a powerful emotion in 2013 for a number of reasons. 1) The DAP’s stunning victories in Perak and Selangor in 2008 which indicated that they could control power in Malay majority states. 2) The leadership provided by a Malay politician --- Anwar Ibrahim --- who was prepared to criticise “Malay supremacy”, pledge to end the NEP and eliminate “racial discrimination.”  3)  The enlargement of democratic space through the abolition of the ISA and other restrictive ordinances and the enactment of new laws such as the Peaceful Assembly Act which has emboldened the Chinese community to act as seen in their participation in Bersih 3 and Perhimpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat. 4) The emergence of a host of new Chinese civil society groups focussed upon democracy and change and 5) The skilful exploitation of the new media by the proponents of  Ubah to create a mass emotional wave within the community.
• The critical question is:  are the Chinese justified in seeing themselves as a marginalised community? Is it true that the Chinese are the victims of inequality and injustice?  If we examined the real situation of the Chinese in almost every sphere of society what is the picture that emerges? Who dominates the upper stratum of the economy? Which community is the most significant component in the middle stratum of the economy? Given the cultural background of the land, isn’t the Chinese language and culture overwhelmingly pervasive in Malaysia --- a situation which has few parallels anywhere else in the world?  Even in politics, isn’t Chinese participation remarkable, considering that Malaysia evolved from Malay Sultanates?  Is it fair to describe a community with such a powerful role in society as“marginalised” and “unequal”?     
•  How can we correct this widespread misconception that an entire community labours under? Are Chinese politicians, community leaders, business elites, social activists, academics and others with influence prepared to tell the truth to the community? Are they prepared to explain the background and the context of this nation to them for principles such as equality can only be understood if they are grounded in reality?  Are they prepared to make the Chinese aware that in reality the people who were actually unequal in the economic sense at the time of Merdeka were the Malays, 64% of whom lived below the poverty-line? Since their leaders were prepared to confer citizenship on a million Chinese and Indians on incredibly liberal terms, the Special Position of the Malays and later the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak was incorporated into the Constitution in order to safeguard their economic interests.  
• Are Chinese and Indian opinion makers willing to admit that all said and done Special position and the New Economic Policy (NEP) that grew out of it have contributed immensely to the nation’s well-being? Without the accelerated development of the Malays which the NEP was largely responsible for, a strong Malay middle-class with significant representation in almost all professions, and in the upper echelons of commerce and industry would not have emerged in less than a generation. It is this Malay middle-class which has stabilised ethnic relations.  It is because a once impoverished people enjoys an appreciable  degree of equity and justice today that the Malays continue to place their faith in a market economy and parliamentary democracy which in turn have benefitted everyone, including the Chinese.
• By acknowledging the positive aspects of the NEP, one is not denying that in its implementation there have been accesses and abuses. In a number of instances, opportunities for non-Malays in education and the economy have been unjustly restricted. Well-heeled Malays and other Bumiputras have also sometimes taken advantage of what is essentially an affirmative action policy meant for the poor and deprived, to advance their own interests.
• In the last four years Prime Minister Mohd Najib has sought to address some of these issues. Non-Malay recipients of Federal Government scholarships have reached an all-time high. There is a concerted effort to increase the number of non-Malay public servants and non-Malay personnel in the police and the armed forces. All 1Malaysia ventures are blind to ethnicity and religion. Even in strengthening Malay entrepreneurship, new approaches that discourage rent-seeking are being tried out.

These and other worthwhile efforts should continue, the negative Chinese electoral response notwithstanding. They should continue because it is a question of justice and fairness. Who knows they may persuade a small segment of the community to do some soul-searching.

It is this soul-searching within the influential stratum of the Chinese community that is the greatest need of the hour ---- a serious, sincere reflection on prevailing realities and the Chinese position; on its understanding of equality in the context of the larger nation; and on its future in a society whose very survival rests upon multi-ethnic cooperation. 

Call for unity on anniversary of M'sian race riots By Melissa Goh - Channel News Asia

KUALA LUMPUR: The call for unity has gathered momentum across the country -- on radio, television, and online, various campaigns were launched by Malaysians to foster unity and racial harmony. This comes as the country marks the 44th anniversary of the deadly race riots of May 13, 1969.

In the newspapers, members of the private sector took out a full page advertisement, calling for a truce.

Months of intense politicking, leading up to the bruising political battles of the 13th general election, has left the country scarred.

Anas Zubedy, a businessman, said: "What happened is both sides of the political divide have been throwing a lot of hurtful words at each other. So, we are a nation with wounded hearts. We have a whole nation of millions of people with wounded hearts and we have to do something about it. We have to heal it.

"The most important thing to do right now is that when you look at an article, which sells the idea of hurtful words or any racist article, the first thing we have to do is to ignore it."

Younger politicians from both sides of the divide have echoed the call for unity.

On Twitter, UMNO vice president Hishammuddin Hussein and youth chief Khairy Jamalluddin backed Parti Keadilan Rakyat deputy president Azmin Ali's call to reject divisive race-based politics.

As tens of thousands of Malaysians gathered at nationwide rallies organised by the opposition to reject the outcome of the May 5 elections, which they claimed were rigged, they are also championing the agenda to fight racism -- which they say has no place in the new political landscape in Malaysia.

Rafizi Ramli, the Member of Parliament for Pandan, said: "I look at May 13 as a reminder that we need to get rid of the scourge of racism in this country, and eradicate race-based policies. It's a good reminder. There's a lot of lessons to be learnt from it. But I don't fear it, and neither, I think, the majority of young Malaysians -- who have stopped looking at May 13 as a bad thing or something to be feared of."

Malaysia has a relatively young population -- more than half of the people were born after the May 13 race riots in 1969. Many were impatient and have no fear in their pursuit of change.

In a Kuala Lumpur neighbourhood, spring flowers (flags) have sprouted once again, in defiance of an earlier police order to ban them. The organiser said the project, dubbed the Malaysian Spring, was not to topple the government but to bring hope for a better Malaysia.

Click here for more news

Storytelling Jamming Session

Project Linkages Organizing Committee Cordially invites 

You

to the Launch of  

Linkages Cer-Cerita Storytelling Jamming Session

18 May 2013, Saturday at 9.00am

Rumah Arboreta, FRIM, Kepong 

Please join us as our guests. Do bring along your friends and family, and especially elder citizens. We got some special gifts for them, besides paying them a tribute for sharing stories ... on life in the good old days; health & wellness; tips & remedies, etc.  

This event brings together young and old across all communities and cultures to share knowledge and wisdom within a window of 48 hours. Set in the midst of a serene forest, this will be a nostalgic and enriching family outing to be cherished by elder citizens.  It offers a great opportunity to tap and narrate the wisdom and indigenous knowledge of our elder citizens - creatively and compellingly. 

Prizes and recognition of elder citizen's wisdom, wit and knowledge captured in videos and photos  awaits creative participants.   

Please RSVP before 15 May 2013.  

Warm regards

Ramesh Pillai

Manager, Project Linkages 

017 8828 302 

www.linkages.my 

Note:    1. Please let us know if you want us to officially invite any senior citizen as our Special Guest or Story Teller.

            2. Please forward this invitation to your circle of friends, colleagues and family.

            3. Please follow us on our Facebook and  Like www.facebook.com/projectlinkages 

INVITATION Please watch:  Linkages Video 

Please watch:  Linkages Video 

PROGRAM

Please Sign me up:

Name:  ........................................................................................

Organization: .............................................................................

Email Address: .........................................................................

Accompanying Senior Citizens:....................                   (pax)

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Email to ramesh@macri.com.my 

Or register with Cer Cerita Jamming at FRIM  or Cer Cerita Jamming Online     

 Special Gifts for first 50 registered :

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Please Tick the relevant column to confirm your participation	Registration 9.00am	Session I 11.30am to 1.00pm	Session II 2.00am to 3.30pm
Launching Ceremony  & Lunch reception
Video Contest : Connecting Past to Future	Void
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Filmmaking Tips & Tricks	Void
Discovery Trail : Guided tour to Herbal Garden, Ethno Botanic Garden	Void
Nature Walk : Guided tour to Razak Trail, Kepong Botanic Garden	Void

   

Let's Recolor May 13 by Healing Malaysia through...

Dear Malaysians,

We are calling you to join us in Healing Malaysia.

Since 2008, for 5 years our country has been split into extreme partisan blocs where we throw hurtful words at each other. This has wounded many hearts and the vibrancy of our peaceful society, thus we need to heal ourselves.

Let us focus our energy on putting back love, respect, and dignity in this country. To achieve this, we need your help. To heal our country, we need to work hand in hand, heart in heart.

We have to change from within. We have to admit our mistakes. Many of us have erred and we must admit it. We first must forgive ourselves and then we must also forgive others. This is the time to reflect and instead of looking at what others should do, look at what we can do without expecting others to change at all. We take the first step regardless.

Everyone starts with themselves.

What is Healing Malaysia?

The Healing campaign starts now with the groundwork until we reach Hari Merdeka. We must stop resending, sharing, reposting any hate mails, any racist remarks.

We must be strong and find the strength to ignore them. We may think we are helping by posting and sharing but in actual fact we become the very agent for those people who are spreading hate and hurtful words. By ignoring them, we have already won.

It takes some time for people to embrace the outcome of the 13th General Election, let us give ourselves room for this. This campaign period is approaching us and we need time to plan the impact we intend to achieve when the time arrives.

With #SaySomethingNice campaign, we spend 17 days from Hari Merdeka to Hari Malaysia encouraging truce and showcasing the best about our nation. During this short period, we portray Malaysia in a very positive light; we appreciate Malaysia. This is the third year we are running this campaign.

For 17 days, we put aside our partisanship, we put aside our locality, we put aside our race; rich or poor it does not matter, we just be Malaysians. And we say positive things about Malaysia.

What can you do? Examples:

•  If you are a social entrepreneur, invite your audience to join the campaign.
•  If you are the Minister of Culture, feature a different Malaysian culture each day for 17 days.
•  If you are a sports writer, write about one great Malaysian sportsman daily for 17 days.
•  If you are a student, spend the 17 days telling your teachers how much they have impacted you daily.
•  If you are a radio announcer, have your audience talk about 17 wonderful things about Malaysia daily.
•  If you are a photographer, capture 17 moving pictures that represent the country and post one daily for 17 days.
•  If you are someone good with videos, make 17 short videos or movies about Malaysia and upload one every day for 17 days.
•  If you are from BN, say something nice about PR and vice versa.
• If you are from a government agency or a business organisation, find ways to praise those from other departments.

If you are from a non-government entity, put up a message board in your office and during the campaign period, have everybody write something nice about others on that board. 

This is our bid to Heal Malaysia.

It goes out to all. We hope our voice is heard by millions of Malaysians who are bloggers and vloggers, social media enthusiasts, schools and colleges, governmental and non-governmental organizations, local and multi-national companies, Malaysians abroad, social entrepreneurs, political and community leaders, and radio and television personas. This is a Malaysian project. This is our project.

On our part, we seek to:

• Act as the campaign coordinator.
•  Put up posters online; our blog, Facebook page, and Twitter.
•  Work with third parties to put up huge posters of #SaySomethingNice campaign on buildings.
•  Get school and college students to join in and participate using their own creativity.
•  Bloggers, vloggers, local celebrities, Malaysians abroad, and social media enthusiasts to participate and spread the message through social media and their writing.
•  Non-governmental organizations to promote the message.
•  Radio and television announcers to announce the message and encourage listeners to join in.
•  Companies and organisations to put up a #SaySomethingNice board in their offices for their employees to write nice short notes about each other.
•  Social entrepreneurs to give talks about this campaign.

The future, OUR HOPE.

We want to make this an annual event. We hope one day this campaign will be celebrated by all Malaysians in the same manner the Japanese celebrates Sakura Festival, how India celebrates Holi Day, or how Rio De Janeiro celeb-

rates Mardi Gras (minus the booze of course). This in the long run will help feature Malaysia and bring people from all over the world to come and see our Unity.

At zubedy, we have a team of enthusiastic young people who are willing to work but we need your help to make this project a success. Our team is small but we have big spirit and big hearts. Our spirit and hearts want to connect to your spirit and hearts. We need your support and participation. We are calling for your help and we hope you can join us for this campaign.

We can do this. We can make this country better. We can Heal Malaysia.

To know more about this campaign and to show your support, visit us at facebook.com/saysomethingnicecampaign

Anas Zubedy

Kuala Lumpur

This full page advert will be featured on Monday in The STAR

Rise above divisive politics By Isabelle Lai, P. Aruna and Martin Carvalho

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak must be a statesman and transcend party politics to ensure the national reconciliation programme is a success.

International Islamic University of Malaysia lecturer Prof Datuk Seri Dr Syed Arabi Idid said the Prime Minister must invite all political leaders for an apolitical discussion.

He added that there were core fundamental issues that needed to be addressed as Malaysia moves on after the general election.

“Several studies show people cite the economy and crime as two major issues. Our political leaders can work together to address them,” he said.

The results of GE13 saw a big swing among urban voters for Pakatan Rakyat while Barisan Nasional retained most of its traditional vote banks in rural areas.

The Chinese also made their voices heard with many supporting the Opposition, especially in areas where DAP was pitted against MCA.

Two ministers, Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha and Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung, lost their parliamentary seats.

Social entrepreneur Anas Zubedy agreed that the reconciliation programme should not only involve politicians.

Noting the intense emotion and anger exhibited by both sides of the divide on social media, he questioned whether the hate politics peddled online should be allowed to continue.

“We must rise above it and leaders from both sides will have to lead the way. Both sides must tell their followers to stop such behaviour,'' said Anas.

1Malaysia Foundation chairman Prof Dr Chandra Muzaffar, meanwhile, said it was essential for the various communities to “rededicate” themselves to the fundamentals on which the country was founded.

He called for the establishment of a national consultative council involving not just politicians but civil society groups as well.

“The fact remains the Chinese did play a part in generating this victory for DAP. Likewise, PAS may say it is not ethnic-based but its appeal is largely Malay. So how can one say ethnicity did not play a part?” he questioned.

Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute CEO Tan Sri Michael Yeoh said Najib's call was timely as the nation was divided.

“It is time to reach out to all the ethnic groups and unite on common ground,” he said.

Read more on this article