The fiasco over an ustaz insulting Hinduism is his bad luck, but the true blame lies in the endemic racism entrenched in the country's divide-and-rule politics.
 
"We are born into a system of divide-and-rule. If we cannot break the system with a class struggle, then people of all races will lose out and suffer.
 
"Only the capitalists, racial extremists and religious fanatics of all races will win," Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) secretary-general S Arutchelvan (left) said in a statement last night.
 
Arutchelvanwas commenting on the "curry powder" fiasco over a leaked video of preacher Shahul Hamid hurling insults at Hinduism, that went viral over the Internet.
 
"To me, the ustaz was merely unfortunate to be caught on video," he said.

The PSM leader said Shahul's behaviour wasn't an isolated case but part of a systematic problem.

Part of larger problem
 
"The reality in Malaysia is that racism is pervasive," Arutchelvan said.
 
"Many Indian and Chinese leaders at closed door forums also do the same thing, call on the people of their race to only buy goods from their own kind and make jibes at other races.
 
"Only at multiracial programmes do they speak in a beautiful language that pleases everyone's hearts," he quipped.
 
Arutchelvan also took a swipe at MIC for demonstrating against the ustaz, saying the party was behaving just like prominent Malay supremacist groups.
 
"MIC held a demonstration and many Hindus made police reports, just like the tactic used by Perkasa and Isma in previous incidents," he said.
 
Shahul, a PAS Penang member, has since apologised profusely for his remarks and expressed hope that the Indian community would publicise his apology.