Malaysia’s leading opposition party made some changes to its top leadership a few days ago. Some old stalwarts like the indomitable Lim Kit Siang announced his retirement, after 56 years at the forefront of Malaysian politics.

Whether one appreciates his brand of politics or not, Mr Lim Kit Siang’s commitment to the dream of a just Malaysia cannot be doubted. Despite being detained and being unfairly treated on numerous occasions, he never backed down from voicing his opinions.

Isn’t this what we all want? A fair Malaysia?

Earlier this week, a columnist in a national daily opined that there are more positives than negatives about Malaysia. The writer also argued that we are a “wonderful, unique and hardworking people with warmth and simplicity in our hearts.”

You cannot fault Malaysians who always paint our nation in the best light. No one likes to be made to feel that their beloved motherland is fraught with negativity.

With so much being said about the ‘wrongs’ in our country, everyone needs a ‘feel good article’ to remind us that Malaysia is indeed a blessed country.

I cannot really disagree with this sentiment.

Of course, we are not beset by natural disasters, and we have a wealth of natural resources, but ultimately, just to count our blessings seems like a utopian ideal that we all like to hold on to.

However, sweeping our nation’s many flaws under the carpet is disastrous for the future.

Those of us who muster up the courage to highlight what needs rebuilding, rebranding, and recalibration in Malaysia are often termed ‘dissidents’ and ‘subversive’.

But people who stand up for a better nation, like Mr Lim Kit Siang and so many more of his ilk, are as much Malaysian patriots as those who gush about how wonderful the country is.

In fact, I reckon that only people courageous enough to voice out the realities of what happens in Malaysia should be seen as true patriots who will help the nation transform.

Malaysians must change the way we interact and alter our relationships with each other. Only when we do this, can our behaviour patterns and cultural norms change over time.

As a nation, we still grapple with racial parochialism and narrow-mindedness.

Though the nations of the world have shown that this type of insularity is well past its sell-by-date, here in Malaysia, we continue to highlight and broadcast our differences. We haven’t, until now, resolved to come together as a group that has a shared history.

This year will see us completing 65 years of being an ‘independent’ nation, yet we seem to be constantly ‘re-colonised’ by our fear of each other.

When will we realise that what we tend to do only drives a wedge between ourselves?

Perhaps the subtle and institutional prejudices our country propagates with quota-systems, preferential rates, and exclusive rights, continue to encourage narrow-minded people to stoke the fires of racial intolerance.

Even in political parties like the DAP that stand for egalitarianism at its core, the grassroots of their movement don’t seem to exemplify inclusiveness. In their recent central executive committee (CEC) election, only one Malay leader got elected to a top leadership position.

So, it seems that there has been little focus on strengthening the ties that bind and unite us.

Instead, our inherent predispositions simply enhance our racial differences.

Maybe we are all just fundamentally racist?

Before you start recollecting former times and regaling yourselves with anecdotes about happily eating in each other’s homes, it is naïve to think that in the current highly charged racial environment, simply dining together will fix decades of inequality and discrimination.

Fundamental disparities that persist must be addressed.

The key to creating a fairer society starts with understanding where our biases come from, and how to counteract them. There is a lot of social psychology research that reveals that all of us have natural triggers for the ‘us versus them’ mentality if we perceive a threat.

But the problem is that even erudite and secure people who suspect that they have racist tendencies, find it hard to fight against them. We all seem to be fixed in fear of each other.

Education is the only way to counter these inherent prejudices we have. Malaysian parents must start teaching their kids how to be non-racist.

Research from Stanford University, clearly shows that if you teach children not to see race, they essentially don’t see racism. If you teach children anti-racist norms, they are actually friendlier to people who are different from them, and they will engage more with them.

Malaysia needs to stop our political masters from dividing the population by race and religion. If our education system is infused with huge amounts of religious and ethnic doctrine, how can we then expect the children of our nation to live together and thrive in a multi-ethnic society?

So, while I agree that Malaysia is a land of many positives, I suspect that if we do not free ourselves from religiosity and the grip of entrenched racial dogma, the negatives will ultimately outweigh the blessings.

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