At any given moment, there are public discourses concerned about humanity's wellbeing and progress.
The discourses include equality between men and women, peace, governance, public health and development, to name a few.
They must be carried out in a rational, logical, ethical and civilised manner, failing which only indicates we have not grown and developed into a mature democratic society.
This includes recent discourses on vernacular schools. Why must some claim that it is not healthy or requires police intervention?
If someone makes a police report citing various reasons, that does not mean he or she is guilty. It only invites the police to investigate.
Today, people express all sorts of issues through TikTok, YouTube and other social media platforms.
It is healthy to have public discourse so that people can understand the pros and cons of issues. It must be debated in a civilised manner and should not go overboard.
As long as they are managed, the trajectories of the discourse will be in the right direction, bearing in mind the need to be cautious and conscious of what they say and write, so as not to provoke or stir ethnic tension.
We must appreciate people's ability to comprehend issues of the day and be educated enough to show that we are going on the correct path towards a civilised and democratic society.
K.T. MARAN
Seremban, Negri Sembilan
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times