Humanising politics in state polls amid ethnic, racial, religious divisions

SHAH ALAM - The process of humanising politics during the state elections becomes a challenge when voters remain entrenched along ethnic, racial, and religious lines, as seen in the recent General Elections (GE15).

Universiti Sains Malaysia's Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said that achieving consensus becomes difficult when one ethnic group dominates the political landscape.

He highlighted that humanising politics requires a broad perspective to create value within the social contract.

This involves providing space, access, opportunities, and suitable local infrastructure without compromising the core values that define Malaysia.

"At the same time, this agreement represents a significant stride towards upholding human values in the country's political ecosystem.

"It does not imply compromising religion, race, ethnicity, or the position of the Malay Rulers. Instead, it involves reinforcing them with evolving contemporary thinking," he said in a statement today.

Sivamurugan acknowledged that conflicts and disagreements are common in the political arena but stressed that unity through agreements and compromises is not impossible.

"Fairness in bringing forth an agenda needs to be approached with care in order to accommodate differences by celebrating diversity and equality based on human values.

"Incorporating a sense of responsibility will allow anyone to nurture and give meaning to political engagements if they desire their coalition to last for a long period of time," he added.