Recommendations By Parliamentary Select Committee On Unity And National Service - A Waste Of Time And Energy?

There is an interesting report today in the NST about certain recommendations made by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Unity and National Service. The parliamentary panel has called on the Prime Minister’s Department to, among other things,

*** Organise inter-faith dialogues among religious leaders to promote harmony among the races.

*** Amend the Education Act 1996 so that public funds can be utilised for the teaching of religions other than Islam in government schools. Currently, public funds can only be applied towards the teaching of Islam. ("Section 51(a) of the Act should be amended as government revenue is collected from all contributors, taxpayers and various sectors regardless of ethnicity and religion," the panel wisely added.)

*** Draw up guidelines on a multi-culturalism policy.

*** Restrict the setting up of racially-based school clubs and associations.

*** Ensure that National Service trainers be made up of various ethnic groups, not just to reflect the programme’s philosophy but to ensure that its effectiveness and objectives are achieved.

*** Implement other recommendations pertaining to the racial composition in the civil service, religious practices and the distribution of wealth.

(The report, with 12 recommendations, is the committee’s first after its inception in December 2004.)

My question is whether the report and its recommendations are a just a waste of time and energy and if it is worth the cost of the paper it is written on? Racial discrimination and Islam are in the eyes of the Malay leaders in government, non-negotiable 'instruments' to be solely used and manipulated by them and which if touched upon by 'others' may cause a 'nationwide ethnic conflagration'. With that mindset firmly in place, do you think that recommendations made by a mere parliamentary committee have any chance of succeeding in making significant changes to the unjust way of life here? If you do, you are one of those rare persons blessed with exceptional optimism.

Take for instance the call for inter-faith dialogue. Can you picture that happening in the next few decades? Even with the present bunch of pemimpin2 having left the scene, the current second echelon would be no different in their perception of the issues at hand. The same indifference would also apply to the exploitation of the Never Ending Policy ad infinitum. In fact, continued opposition and open hostility to all the points raised would remain as long as there is no quantum change in the quality or source of future national leaders. As long as they spring from the same old jaded Umno rootstock, forget about any meaningful changes for the greater good of our country in your lifetime.
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