If some newspapers are to be believed, we are in the midst of ethnic warfare. The sentiments are so strong that some Malaysians have taken to demonstrating with the severed head of a cow to make their point. They claimed that they were at the end of their tethers; that the Pakatan Rakyat assemblyperson they voted for had betrayed Islam and that their MP was a liar.

The decision to relocate a Hindu temple into a predominantly Muslim neighbourhood is the reason for the protest. Meanwhile up north in Penang, a group of Indian Malaysians took the state government to task by holding them to their unfulfilled election promise. They now face eviction from their homes, an urban village once belonging to the Brown family.

In the hallowed halls of Universiti Malaya, the Indian Studies faculty members successfully got their case heard and no less than in the cabinet. MIC's sole minister gave them assurances that the status quo remains; their department will not be "changed" and that an Indian Malaysian would be appointed departmental head.

NONEAre these three incidents isolated with nothing to do with each other? Some are saying that the first two is evidence of an orchestrated plot to destabilise the Pakatan-held state governments; or a prelude to things even nastier. One ex-minister dredged from the past reasons for the expulsion of Singapore stating clearly that any challenge of Malay hegemony (Ketuanan Melayu) will lead to chaos.

The reality is that all these three incidents happened because of the ‘racialisation’ of Malaysia. Despite the 1Malaysia concept, some refuse to let us see ourselves as human beings. Instead, we are told to see only through the prism of race and religion.

In the case of the Indian Studies department at Universiti Malaya, what was originally a proposal to expand the department has evolved into an attack on ‘Indians’. Reporters should do their homework and ask what exactly ‘Indian’ means in ‘Indian Studies’. It is very obvious why the MIC has a vested interest in being the voice of the Indian Studies department in cabinet: it gives them relevance.

In UM, ‘Indian Studies’ is quite inseparable from Tamil and Hindu. We all know that Tamil is one of the oldest languages in the world and Tamil literature is truly a great gift to humanity. We also know the special place Hinduism has as one of the world's great religions, how it inspired the development of the arts, music and culture. A department devoted to the study of Tamil history, art and literature or Hinduism need not justify its existence.

But ‘India’ and ‘Indian’, to my mind, also refers to a myriad of other cultures. There is Islamic India, Buddhist India, India of the colonial raj and modern-day India. Surely, Indian Studies should be expanded to include all these other ‘Indias’.

If that was the original purpose of UM's administration, it should be encouraged even if it means altering the complexion of Indian studies in UM. Instead, we get the good news that there will be no changes in Indian Studies; it is status-quo!

Urban problems

In the case of Kampung Buah Pala and the proposed temple at Section 23, many are apt to dismiss both cases as ‘Indian’ problems. Some are even saying that the problems have arisen because the government is now weak.

If the opposition was not the government in those states, these two incidents would not happen. Presumably, a strong BN government would mean the village would have been bulldozed, whilst the temple would have been built in a place totally unsuitable.

Luckily, for most Malaysians, the blinkers have finally come off. We all know that these two cases are directly related to the developmental model that the BN government encouraged in its pursuit of material development.

In fact, residents of all creeds and ethnicity face the problem that Malaysians are familiar with: lack of consultation and real-estate driven development. Because we have no mechanism for communities to decide what they need or want, we have tempers flaring and people forced to take increasingly radical actions to make their voices heard.

NONEHow a cow's head, dripping with blood, being spat on will solve problems, only the ring-leaders of the protest can answer.

But the home minister is giving the residents the benefit of the doubt.
Perhaps some agent provocateurs brought the severed head. The dye is cast. Malaysians now see the issue through the lens of race and religion. It is now a case of the state government betraying this largely Muslim neighbourhood.

But there is an unintended positive consequence to this incident. Many Muslim Malaysians cannot agree with the action of spitting and stepping on the severed head. Many felt compelled to stand up and be heard. These Muslims feel differently from those who keep telling them to "rise up". They know and understand that there need to be compromises living in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation. Many have said so on the Internet and for that, non-Muslims are most grateful.

The solidarity and understanding that we see demonstrated on the Internet and the various websites is something we must now extend to the people living in Section 23 Shah Alam.

It is absolutely correct that the Selangor state government hold briefing sessions with them. Perhaps, they should even be allowed to vote on the issue but the question should not be a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The residents of all three sections affected should be allowed to dialogue and provide a suitable solution.

This is the only way forward for Malaysia. If we are to seriously live together, we need to work towards collective and sustainable solutions. The same must be sought out for the folks at Kampung Buah Pala. They now know that they have been duped. To blame the state government may now feel like the best thing to do. It is obvious to those outside that all state governments, now and in the future, will have to abide by the rules of the game.

Yet, there might still be time for a lasting solution if Malaysians are willing to see Kampung Buah Pala as an urban problem rather than one caught up by race and religion.

NEIL KHOR has recently completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge. He is co-author of 'Non-Sectarian Politics in Malaysia: The Case of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia' (2008).