An anti-ICERD demonstrator holds a banner condemning Waytha Moorthy as they march from Masjid Jamek to Dataran Merdeka December 8, 2018. — Picture by Hari Anggara

COMMENTARY, Dec 20 — Going by the hate and racist remarks against P. Waytha Moorthy, with even an American Wild West-style wanted poster demanding the minister’s sacking, one would think that he had set the country on fire.

The minister in charge of national unity and social wellbeing — a vague and impossible portfolio if there ever was one — had simply questioned the allegedly slow emergency response when riots first broke out at the Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam temple in Seafield on November 26.

Waytha Moorthy’s claim about police arriving at the scene almost two hours after violence broke (which the police have denied), by the way, was a joint statement made with Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar, Human Resource Minister M. Kulasegaran, Rural Development Deputy Minister R. Sivarasa and Batu Kawan MP P. Kasthuriraani.

So why the focus on Waytha Moorthy, whose termination is being demanded by over 294,000 people in a petition?

Did the joint statement by him and his Pakatan Harapan (PH) colleagues really incite the riots at the temple the next day, therefore indirectly causing the mob attack on firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim and his subsequent death?

In a deeply partisan country where political parties are delineated across race (albeit with a missing Indian-centric PH party), it is only natural that PH’s ethnic Indian lawmakers felt the need to stand up for their community.

The Malays have a slew of parties in PH and the Opposition, the Chinese have the DAP and many business leaders, and the Sabahans and Sarawakians similarly have parties across the divide.

It is highly likely that the protesters who demonstrated in a show of support for the Hindu temple on November 27 — less than 24 hours after hired thugs clashed with the devotees — would have gathered anyway, regardless of the statement by the ethnic Indian ministers.

Whether or not the politicians’ criticism of the emergency response time contributed to the rioters’ alleged assault of Muhammad Adib is also debatable. Mobs by nature, regardless of ethnicity, are irrational. They cannot be reasoned with.

Because Muhammad Adib was a firefighter, his first instinct was to run towards danger, not away from it. For that, he paid with his life.

Those responsible for his death must be prosecuted, of course. But while the police investigate the case, we should resist making others — in this case, Waytha Moorthy — the target of our bloodlust.

Anti-ICERD protesters gather near Masjid Jamek LRT station in Kuala Lumpur December 8, 2018. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

The vitriol heaped on Waytha Moorthy, who is also the leader of Hindu rights group Hindraf, to the point that he had to deactivate his Facebook pages, seems to indicate a much bigger issue that people refuse to admit publicly — they just dislike this man.

They don’t like his politics and his explicit support for the interests of Hindus/Malaysian Indians, even though it is perfectly acceptable to defend Bumiputera privileges.

It is fair to ask if endorsing a particular minority is suitable given his “national unity and social wellbeing” portfolio. Perhaps not. But the portfolio was ostensibly created to pay more attention to minority groups.

The ever-elusive goal of “national unity” cannot be achieved through people singing “Rasa Sayang” and holding hands, or through empty interfaith dialogue that produces nothing more than stilted group photographs.

Unity, harmony, and mutual respect is everyone’s responsibility; parents, teachers, religious leaders, individual citizens, and government.

If we want to talk about the government’s responsibility, since Malaysians love to give the state so much power over their lives, then each minister, lawmaker, and government official is collectively in charge of promoting unity.

Before looking for an easy scapegoat for Muhammad Adib’s death, like a man who shares the same skin colour as the firefighter’s alleged killers, we should reflect on our own prejudices.

Politicians could also benefit from examining their own and their party’s behaviour, before throwing the unaffiliated Waytha Moorthy to the dogs.