by Chris Lee Chun Kit

Throughout history, one can notice that there has always been an elite class of rulers in every nation. And the elite who wield executive powers have always done whatever they could do to remain in power. One only has to look back to the Arab Spring revolution that happened very recently in the Middle East.

See how the leadership simply refuse to give up power and rather start throwing all sorts of accusations at the growing opposition to their rule. Whether it is religious, racial or an economic system, it is clear that all who gain power are afraid to lose it.

History will also teach us that exploiting the insecurities of the average human can also get them to run back to the devil they know vs the angel they don’t. Why? Simple, people are afraid of the unknown. Who has seen the future and come back to tell us?

Well, no one has and so the cycle goes on and on with the elite exploiting the people’s fear of the unknown in order to consolidate their grip on power. This robs the people of their ability to choose and have a say in their own government.

This nation will be no exception. As a multiracial society, we are still divided in many ways due to the elite exploiting rather than explaining our differences. This creates a generation of people growing up being suspicious of one another rather than acceptance.

This also gives political opportunists many areas to exploit to their benefits. Human insecurity is what drives dictatorships in to power and the same thing keeps them there. And trust me, the elite in every country knows how to exploit this

Faith has always been a sensitive subject to talk about. Faith is not something that can be questioned without touching a raw nerve in every person. Then again, faith has been exploited since the dawn of time to establish a ruling class that keeps society in line. One only has to look at Dark Ages in Europe to grasp how an entire society were kept in submission to the elite that spoke in the name of faith.

The difference is that our beloved nation being a multi-racial and multi-religious nation presents a lot of opportunities for differences to be exploited thus keeping society divided and securing the elite’s grip on power. And sometimes all it takes is for one individual to say something that is completely insensitive to the other faiths or ethnicity.

Out of many who are patient enough to ignore the irresponsible remark, there will be some who will react with something equally insensitive and thus even the most liberal of any religious groups will feel the sting.

With the sting, comes the thought in the back of the mind.

“What if the elite was right about the other faiths?” and thus society continues to be further divided.

This is a psychological warfare that has been perfected for generations and it is while many won’t fall for it, many more will. Especially if there is constant mudslinging between people of different faiths.

Provocateurs will constantly be present to throw the first shot, but if there is tolerance and patience, let them go ahead. Provocateurs will only gain prominence when we choose to give them their day in the sun.

So what is our role then? It is to see the bigger picture and that is to break apart this neverending cycle of offending and counter-offending. The next time some opportunist tries to get you to react by saying something irresponsible, ignore the person. For if there is a reaction with an equally insensitive remark about faith. No

matter how liberal a person is with their faith, they will feel the sting. And that sting is the very reason why the elite feels secure about their positions. Always understand fact from perception, for a vulnerable mind is easier to jump to negative conclusions. We have to learn to see things from the eyes of someone who has a different faith.

I have faith in my fellow countrymen. I know that they are capable of avoiding all the traps laid down by people who seek to profit from politics.

Never let the opportunists win. We keep the straight and narrow path and fight on.

The choice is ours to make. And I do believe that this is the formula of ending the division in order to start moving towards a truly united nation.

Just a thought.

* Chris Lee Chun Kit is the Penang DAP Youth Deputy Chief. He is also a Councillor at the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP)
* The views expressed in this article are the personal opinion of the columnist