Peace is a fragile thing that can shatter so easily
Peace is a much underrated value until it’s gone. Malaysia has had a relatively peaceful history – for this we owe a lot of thanks. Our prosperity and development since independence has rested on the country’s enduring peace and stability. Look around the region and you will see instead a history of bloody civil wars, killing fields, violent conflicts, and even ethnic cleansing.

Peace and prosperity are intricately related. Many of the poorest countries today – Afghanistan, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen – have suffered years of violent conflict. Often, violence erupts due to a lack of political access or negotiation. An inclusive, stable government is a key pillar of peace.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister was recently in Germany trying to woo foreign investment. As he and many other politicians have said through the years, a major priority for foreign investors is political and social stability. A country where issues can easily become inflamed and tinderboxes for violence is not an attractive investment climate.

Imagine, a foreign company makes an imprudent mistake, and then, despite making amends, faces violent attacks and eventually a decimated business. Would they want to invest in such a climate?

Preserving our peace and stability must be a top priority. Our unity government should be bending over backwards to do so. And yet, we’ve had some politicians actively creating disunity and very little being done by others in response, such as the recent controversy of socks printed with the word “Allah” being on sale. Whatever happened to our Unity Minister’s voice here?

In our multicultural society, an incident that is disrespectful to a community should be handled promptly and carefully by political and local leaders. Conflicts need to be defused before they explode. Disturbingly, however, we are seeing a trend of people resorting to violence.

Last year, a bomb-like device was left in activist-lawyer Siti Kasim’s car. In January, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the house of Beruas MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, damaging his cars and house. And recently, three petrol bombs were thrown at outlets of the convenience store involved in the socks issue. No one has been charged in these attacks.

The calculated use of violence for political ends or to instil fear is simply an act of terror. We need to use the full force of the law to draw a clear line on what’s acceptable. And we have ample laws for this.

For example, someone committing a “terrorist act” intended to advance “a political, religious, or ideological cause” or to “intimidate the public” can be charged under Section 130B of the Penal Code.

Section 289A of the Penal Code covers offences related to causing disharmony, disunity, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will, or prejudice. Section 504 criminalises insults “with intent to breach the peace”. And Section 505 provides for punishment against hate speech, such as statements intended to cause “fear or alarm to the public”.

But these laws are used very selectively – invariably to curb freedom of expression. Violent extremists seem to act with impunity. That’s why a sword-wielding politician can dare to incite fear and violence.

“It is crucial to hold extremist actors accountable to preserve peace and harmony,” says Aizat Shamsuddin, founder and director of Initiate.my, a data-driven initiative that works to build social resilience to extremism, provide counternarratives to extremism, and promote engagement between civil society and the government. It includes former radicalised youth.

Aizat says swift action should be taken against those openly calling for violence, adding that the issue of violent extremism is underestimated in Malaysia: “A particularly concerning trend is the romanticisation of the May 13 incident among young people online,” he says, referring to the race riots on that date in 1969.

The radicalisation process is complex, he says. One root cause is the “dehumanisation of others” on an ethnoreligious or political basis, perceiving them as “the enemy” or threat, which could “potentially justify actions such as discrimination, coercion and violence”.

While he calls for standing firm on the rule of law, he also advocates a restorative justice approach.

“For example, the perpetrator should make a public apology and engage in dialogue with the aggrieved individuals or communities, allowing for remorse from the perpetrator and closure within the community,” he says.

Although violent extremism is often linked with religion, the full picture is more complex. A study of 1,200 youth in Selangor and Sabah in 2019 found key causation factors to be an inability to think critically or feel empathy, feeling powerless, losing one’s identity to a group, and mental health issues. The study by peace-building think tank Iman Research found about 10% of surveyed youth had a propensity towards violent extremism.

The think tank advocates proactively preventing violent extremism. This includes empathy training, and programmes to counter extremist narratives or to help youth develop critical thinking so they are able to challenge extremist information.

Dialogue is central to building bridges and understanding, both for couples and communities. And just as relationships between couples are delicate and can suddenly shatter like glass over an issue, so can relations between communities. Look at Yugoslavia’s explosive descent into bloody wars. Peace is a fragile thing. We need to fight hard to protect it if we want a successful future for the country and our children.

Human Writes columnist Mangai Balasegaram writes mostly on health but also delves into anything on being human. She has worked with international public health bodies and has a Masters in public health. Write to her at lifestyle@thestar.com.my. The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.
Human Writes,Politics,Mangai Balasegaram,terrorism,peace,extremism,religion,KK Super Mart
Do Malaysians appreciate how we live in relative harmony compared with so many other countries?