Tolerance must prevail ..BY: By Zulkifli Abdul Rahman ..LD: THE theme "Malaysia is truly Asia" is indeed very apt. In fact Malaysia has more than what the rest of Asia has to offer, particularly in the context of race relationship. It is the least appreci.

(From New Straits Times (Malaysia))

THE theme "Malaysia is truly Asia" is indeed very apt. In fact Malaysia has more than what the rest of Asia has to offer, particularly in the context of race relationship.

It is the least appreciated and less understood phenomenon which makes Malaysia different and unique and that is tolerance.

Race relations is one area that makes or breaks a country if not appreciated, handled and taken care of properly.

Tolerance here must mean the ability of the citizens to extend goodwill and understanding among each other consciously and willingly without having to be coerced by the existence of any legislation which controls the conduct of the citizens' affairs and behaviour.

Professor Emeritus Datuk Khoo Kay Kim, the historian, in his column It's History on May 10, relating the history of ethnic conflict in the country which gained momentum in 1945, missed out the most important point in that in most of the incidents that took place, which culminated in the worst of it all in May 1969, there were hidden hands which not only provoked but also initiated most if not all of the incidents.

Soon after the surrender of the Japanese army during the Second World War and before the arrival of the British Military Administration (BMA), there was a power vacuum in Malaya.