KUALA LUMPUR: Former federal minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz has called on the government to break free from any racially-biased mindsets and to utilise the best brains from the various ethnic communities to bring the nation forward.
When speaking to an online portal here, Rafidah, who was also a longtime Wanita Umno chief known as the 'iron lady' of Malaysian politics decades ago, stressed a necessity for politicians to abandon the 'we and they' mentality when governing the people and the nation.
"Malaysia cannot afford to lag and be dragged behind by a discordant social and political environment that causes unnecessary bad blood and polarisation among us.
"How can we achieve harmony when some people keep sowing seeds of discord for their own reasons?
"Very often, we seem to be bombarded with news and issues which can be regarded as ridiculous, upsetting, disgusting, and sometimes beyond belief," she said as reported by Free Malaysia Today.
Rafidah suggested establishing a Malaysian Development Council which will be tasked with formulating a realistic new vision for the nation that focuses on the common interests of a united people of Malaysia.
The council, she said, should look at meritocracy, among other things.
"Experts from the various races should lead discussions on the path forward in socioeconomic development for the future, with a focus on competence, skills and meritocracy," she said.
Rafidah also said there is a need to "resynchronise" the national compass and drop policies that are no longer relevant in an increasingly challenging world.
She said a "precious legacy" should be left to the younger generation which would not burden them with racial considerations.