The intense political rhetoric of race and religion is definitely turning some Malaysians into heartless people. Many of them inadvertently expose this negative trait in social media with their tasteless comments or actions.

A couple of viral clips recently showed the ugly side of Malaysians. One was the case of a mentally-challenged man who accidentally knocked his motorcycle into a food stall.

The public chose to beat and kick him when he was down instead of finding out first why he could have done that.

Apparently, some wrongly assumed that he was under the influence of drugs. Even if that was true, that is not how anyone should be treated. When his health condition became known, many Malaysians must have felt rotten to the core.

Another clip, also involving a mentally challenged person, was of a man entering a mosque near Petaling Jaya and causing a stir by lying down on the floor in an apparent prayer motion.

A few of the mosque-goers were seen pushing him to the ground to restrain him when he did not fight back. Others were seen kicking him while his family members rushed to try and pull him away.

One person even tried to punch a man who was trying to stop the unprovoked abuse.

This happened right inside the prayer hall. The congregation at the mosque is said to comprise well-educated Malaysians including retired senior civil servants and successful businessmen.

The two incidents just showed how heartless and irresponsible some Malaysians have become, not choosing to find out the underlying causes before acting in a dehumanising manner against fellow human beings.

Anti-Gaza tirade

Then came the incessant criticism of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his Madani government for pledging to build schools and hospitals in war-torn Gaza. Most jumped on the bandwagon and commented in a way that bordered around religious bigotry.

They forgot for one moment that the people there have endured untold suffering brought about by geopolitical bandits with vested interests. And the people are helpless when the big powers fight the war there in their name.

Now is not the time to argue about who caused the Gaza conflict and why other rich Muslim nations are not coming to the fore. Neither is it right to point out that there are many hospitals and schools in Malaysia that need upgrading first.

This is taking an absolute micro view which is based on the political climate in Malaysia where citizens are divided by race and religion. Shouldn’t we open our closed minds and stop looking at the situation with a religious lens?

Yes, there are areas that need attention in Malaysia but just leave that to the ministers, state governments and others in power. It’s their duty to right what’s wrong in our country. If things are lacking or not being attended to, it’s the people in power designated to attend to these problems who are not doing their job. Go after them.

What’s very annoying is that a large number of naysayers base their comments just on the headlines of news reports, missing the point that funds will come from other countries, individuals and the corporate sector too. Obviously, such a huge venture as the rebuilding of Gaza cannot be undertaken solely by Malaysians.

How it will be done

For those who do not read news reports in full, here is how reconstruction will be financed: through a joint effort between Japan and Malaysia to launch a fund through an East Asian initiative called the Conference on Cooperation Among East Asia Countries for the Palestinian Development. They will start with the construction of a school, a hospital and a mosque.

Malaysians tend to have selective and short memories. The government led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the early 90s stepped in with several other countries to help rebuild war-torn Bosnia Herzegovina.

We were there to help Timor Leste during its independence and Aceh in Indonesia after the tsunami in 2004. Malaysia also built a hospital for the suffering refugees in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.

Malaysia has always been part of the international humanitarian community. Let’s not forget that when Malaysia needed help, help came from many countries comprising people of different races and religions.

Political motive?

People have accused Anwar of using the Palestinian cause to shore up the government’s low support from the Malay-Muslim voters. Can we use this as a reason to stop someone from helping others in need just because we speculate it’s being done for political support?

I admit there is a thin line here. However, we should not play God and question good deeds done in the name of humanity. Let’s not judge, it will be a big mistake in hindsight.

None of the rescuers anywhere in the world are identified by their race. They are referred to as rescue teams from the respective countries, not Muslim, Christian or Hindu nations.

If one day, Malaysia faces a huge calamity, the government will be asking all nations for help. And they will land here to give their support unconditionally.

So, ease up Malaysians, we are just helping human beings who have not seen peace in decades. Let’s have a heart.

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