The GRC System is more relevant today than ever before!

Looking at the way politics are shaping up in Indonesia, one can't help but feel a sense of concern.

After independence in 1965, in order to protect peace and stability, both the governments of Malaysia and Singapore banned their newspapers from each other's country. This is because whatever happened on one side of the Causeway can affect the people on the other side of the Causeway.

A borderless media world

Today we live in a different world. With the advent of the internet and social media platforms like facebook and twitter, the media world is practically borderless. Facebook is blocked in China but one can still overcome that Great Firewall with a VPN.

News travel far and fast.

Race-based and faith-based politics

Increasingly in Malaysia, politics has become race-based and faith-based. The same is being played out in Indonesia. The incumbent governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) was soundly defeated by former Education Minister and academic, Anies Baswedan in the second round of the election held on 19 April. Race and faith played a big part.

These are our close neighbours and we are sandwiched in between. We cannot pretend that we will always be immuned to the changing landscape in Malaysia and Indonesia and events that happen there.

Multi-culturism is a destiny, not an arrival

Embracing diversity and multi-culturism is always an aspiration to work towards, a destiny and not an arrival. One never arrives.

Against the rising tide of race-based and faith-based politics in the region, today, more than ever before, we need the GRC system.

Preventing race-based and faith-based politics

The GRC system is like the guardian of a multi-racial and multi-religious society.

It ensures that political parties have no choice but to be multiracial in their composition if they want to stand for election, unless the party is content with contesting only in single-member constituencies. Multi-racial political parties requires parties to be multi-racial in their outlook and ideas.

Take away the GRC system, parties can organize themselves only racial lines as seen in Malaysia where there is UMNO (United Malays National Organization), MIC (Malaysian Indian Congress) and MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association).

The GRC system is good, relevant and essential. Keep it that way.