All solidarity seems to have been thrown out the window.

I remember a few years back, I had a Bahasa Malaysia tutor (because my BM was rather weak – and still is, in fact) – whom I fondly call Mr Pandu. He and mom used to talk very often, and I often joined in. We’d get immersed in the conversations because all of them were very profound ! And so it came to pass that on one of those days when I had class with him, he talked about how in the sixties and seventies, the spirit of solidarity was very strong, regardless of ethnicity or creed. He even told us that back then, whenever there was a cause to pray for, or to give thanks to God, everyone would sit together and pray. Everyone with their own prayers, one common voice, one common cause.

I wonder whether this can be achieved today. At the rate things are going over here………. it seems almost impossible.

Three months of National Service will not work, it seems like an effort in the nick of time, just to try to change the behaviour of people whose personalities have already been formed.

All those talks on togetherness will be nothing but empty words scattered into thin air if the seeds of solidarity are not sown amongst the hearts of children, as well as in our own hearts.

Sadly, but truly, we don't see this happening. At home, I must admit - I've seen that some parents are prejudiced against other people that they pass their sentiments to their children, who start hating a group of people of a particular kind because of what their parents say. In schools, there is heavy segregation : Ahmad goes for his Islamic Studies class whilst Ah Seng and Arumugam go for Moral Studies, and whatever goes on in the Islamic Studies class is unbeknownst to me - all I know is that the Moral Studies syllabus does hardly anything to bring us together, because it's more exam-orientated and it isn't focused on bringing in a new breed of Malaysians - a fraternity.

Children are more colour-blind than we are. We are the ones who have grievances towards others. Hence there is a sort of underlying tension amongst us, and it only needs one person to set us all on fire. Have we not realised this : who are we to cast dispersions on others ? Who are we to say that a certain group of people is bad ? Do we not realise that if we segregate others based on ethnicity or religion, God will judge us in a similar manner in the end of time ?

We all are the same, even if we have differences. It's time to cast aside our differences and stick together just like our forefathers did. We all believe in a Higher Being - the same Higher Being, even if there are different ways of reaching Him. We all live in the same motherland - we call Malaysia our home. We all sing the same national anthem, and we are willing to stick together whenever we are at the mamak stall - we all bond over food. Let's go beyond that. If anyone here says God poses challenges to us, he is right - the challenge we have right now is to live together as one community, without any differences. The challenge right now is to mend the hurt that some people have caused. In other words, the challenge is to be Malaysian.

The task is not on the government to make us unite. The task is limited in our schools, but ultimately, the task is placed on our shoulders. The willingness to change should come from within.

Are we going to extend our hands and take the next step ?