Datuk Nasir Safar, special officer to the Prime Minister, has been alleged to have failed to promote the spirit of 1Malaysia but uttered racist remarks that hurt the feelings of Chinese and Indians during a 1Malaysia seminar at the Malacca International Trade Centre.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wishes to implement the 1Malaysia spirit. In addition to revising government's policies, he must also prevent damages caused by officials with rigid thinking. This kind of people can be found everywhere, including somewhere near the Prime Minister. It is indeed very hard to guard against these people.

DAP leader Lim Kit Siang revealed that the speakers of the forum organised by JAKIM (Islamic Development Department) for 800 civil servants had made remarks full of hostility that undermined the spirit of 1Malaysia. Would these civil servants become another "Nasir"?

The Biro Tata Negara (BTN), which had been given a budget of more than RM600 million since 2,000, as well used national resources to brainwash university students and civil servants through racial courses. So far, the BTN's training modules and speakers have not yet been revamped and replaced. I wonder how many mindsets are going to be poisoned?

The 1Malaysia concept has been included in Najib's Government Transformation Programme, but he does not eradicate artificial barriers first. In fact, it is very difficult to remove these obstacles currently.

After the BTN's brainwashing courses for two to three decades, as well as the political education from UMNO members and followers, there are "Malay sovereignty" believers in the public domain and every corner of the society. For them, perhaps it is no big deal for Nasir to say that "Indians came to Malaysia as beggars and Chinese women came to Malaysia to indulge in the 'flesh trade'." It is normal just as Utusan Malaysia plays up the issue accusing "Malays being oppressed in Penang".

The resignation of Nasir was casually reported by Utusan Malaysia Wednesday (3 Feb). It told the readers neither the remarks he made, nor the discontentment of non-Malays. Instead, it reported the news saying "Penang people are dissatisfied with Lim Guan Eng" at a great length.

This is the biggest crisis for Malaysia after 53 years of its independence. If Malays and non-Malays are having totally different thoughts, how are they going to unite and integrate? It has nothing to do with Chinese education or the multi-stream education system. Instead, it is about mindset. Chinese and Indian educations will never teach "Chinese and Indian sovereignty". The key lies in political factors.

Nasir has resigned and some people asked him to apologise or wanted him to be charged in court. But for me, the most important thing is how to stop allowing extreme racists from holding high positions in the government? How are we going to stop racism from spreading? How can we build a truly Malaysia that allows our descendants to peacefully live together forever?

It must be done by the government and only the government is having the capability and resources, including making law to prohibit racist remarks and politics to correct the mistakes made over the past 30 years.

Stop playing up racial issue to win votes. Stop racial politics to maintain power. Stop Malay remarks to establish authoritativeness.

Political interests are ephemeral and only the country is the forever home for the 27 million Malaysians. (By LIM SUE GOAN/ Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily)