As we leave the tumultuous days of 2020 behind, we carry forward two practices that have become habitual during the year: sanitising our hands and taking our temperatures every day. For many, it has to be done more than once a day.

After we return home from work or shopping, we sanitise our hands once again before taking our bath, and immediately washing the clothes that we had worn. We are hell bent on destroying the coronavirus, leaving nothing to chance.

The Covid-19 pandemic has opened our eyes to realise how fragile life can be.

It declared to the whole world that the biggest existential threat to humans is not a nuclear war as touted by many over the last couple of decades but that a minute virus is enough to wipe the earth clean if the human race does not get its act together.

It was a mere coincidence that last year was also supposed to have seen the realisation of Vision 2020, an idea conceived 30 years ago for the eventual rise of a single race, that of Bangsa Malaysia.

Unfortunately, the bigoted “Sheraton Move” last February showed that it was the last thing that the Malay political parties had in mind or ever wanted.

I had personally hoped that while we were sanitising our hands daily, this action would have helped cleanse our souls of racism and religious bigotry that was prevalent.

The various movement control orders provided a perfect interlude in our lives for us to reflect and discover our sense of purpose in being Malaysian. It was a God-sent opportunity for each and every one of us to wipe the slate clean.

I had thought this would have egged us on to move away from the public racial mudslinging and name-calling and never again engage in race-baiting or hold on to festering hatred and animosity.

Was this the case? I am afraid it was far from it, to be honest.

Malaysians of all races and religions continue spreading the “virus of racism” in social media with total disregard for the fragile situation we are in. Some Yang Berhormats or YBs, a misnomer in my opinion, are unapologetically race-baiting and using religion to further their political ambitions.

Like most older Malaysians, a good part of my life was under the watch of Dr Mahathir and his Bangsa Malaysia vision. Besides several other unattained lofty aims, this was one of the biggest failures of the policy, in my opinion.

Instead, we see the use of racial insults reaching a frenetic pace in the social media with Malaysians calling each other names using the usual stereotypes.

The Chinese were referred to as DAPigs and communists. Indians, on the other hand, were drunkards or thugs and caused all accidents involving drink driving. Malays were referred to as terrorists or a race which was over-dependent on government crutches. And the list goes on.

We actually let slip a golden opportunity to build a truly great nation devoid of bigotry and racism. I am not sure but the racial hatred spewed in the social media sometimes makes me wonder if these are the hidden sentiments simmering in most Malaysians waiting to let loose.

We have it in us to accept the way of life of the others if we want, without trying to hammer home that one race or religion is supreme; all Malaysians, irrespective of creed, built this glorious nation.

The many profound slogans or pronouncement of unity will simply not work if we cannot co-exist with unconditional acceptance of each other’s cultures and ways of life. This is fundamental and there is no option, I am afraid.

Instead of coming together in the face of a serious pandemic that has brought about untold misery and uncertainty, Malaysians continue their narrow-minded pursuit of racial and religious supremacy.

The Umno and PAS politicians, with the help of breakaway PPBM and PKR factions, started it by pushing their narrow agenda, forcing a “backdoor coup’ in the name of saving Malaysia by a majority Malay-Muslim take-over.

After that, the keyboard warriors in the social media continued this vile racism and bigotry, and raised the inter-racial temperature to a new high.

In the past, I remember most leaders emphasising the need for tolerance among the races. But this is too low a benchmark for a country like ours. We have to move beyond mere tolerance and start accepting each other’s ways of life and rights.

Acceptance should be the new benchmark.

Tolerance does not allow you to understand one and another. Most of the time, it is superficial and what you see is not what you get. It is a sign of agreeing to put up with each other without clearing out the distrust that simmers under the surface.

This standard of tolerance will collapse when tensions mount, as we have experienced a number of times in our country.

The Covid-19 pandemic can be construed as a message that says we are all equally vulnerable. Whether you are white, brown, black or yellow, no human being is more special than another, and the colour of everyone’s blood is red.

Let us all rise to the occasion during these depressing days, to teach our children and grandchildren that we are all Malaysians first, with ethnicity coming a distant second.

Let’s sanitise their souls as they grow up to become the future of Malaysia, the nation that we all call home.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.