Fifteen years ago, I would never go to the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia fearing that I will be chopped into pieces if I was involved in an accident with a Malay fellow or their kampung chicken. Seeing a PAS flag would caution me to be extremely careful as it was a label of "unsafe" territory for non-Malays.
Stories of non-Malay motorists being beaten to death was the first thing that crossed my mind whenever I saw these flags hung across the truck roads many years back. It also reminded me that if I was involved in an accident, never, never stop but drive all the way to the nearest police station, it was safer. (Police stations were safer back then).
Same goes for a DAP flag, the rocket. It was to me at that time never a symbol of democracy but a symbol of communism, the China way of administration. I was not comfortable with the party and kept a fair distance away as it was the opposition party. Well, that was 15 long years ago. Time has passed and people changed, I changed.
Today, I see PAS championing non-Malay issues, DAP fights for non-Chinese communities. What a change of perspective indeed. I believe this is 1 Malaysia, where leaders from different race care for other races without discrimination.
Maybe there were no policies changed all these while as far as these parties are concerned, and they have been promoting 1 Malaysia all along but it was just my believes that changed. It was the changes in the political scene that made me realized how easily one can be blinded by political "smoke screens".
So, you tell me, who promoted 1 Malaysia first?
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