Except for the riots of May 13, 1969, multiethnic Malaysia's story has been one of harmony. Of late, this national harmony has come under threat.
Seeing it as a security challenge, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar has issued a zero-tolerance warning to those out on a mission to fan the flames of religious and racial conflict. Showing his seriousness, the prime minister has put the country's security forces on alert.
We believe Anwar's move is to avert the inevitable. There are those who witnessed the tragedy that May 13 was. They don't wish that on anyone else.
A tragedy like May 13 mustn't be allowed to happen again. And that responsibility to avoid it rests with every Malaysian.
Anwar's message must not be seen as being directed at Malaysians of one race or religion. To be seen as such would be a major mistake.
Race and religion are sensitive issues to every Malaysian and they must be handled with great care. Hate is not the way to the heart of Malaysians.
People are born into a race or religion. We must let it be. To taint the birth into either with hate is to go against the grain of human nature.
Anwar is right. If issues on race or religion arise — in multiethnic Malaysia, they are bound to — they should be resolved peacefully through talks. Venting hate on social media or resorting to other uncivilised behaviour isn't the right thing to do. Hate only begets hate.
Consider two recent "incidents", which peaceful talks could have helped avert. Begin with Anomalist Production's controversial film, Mentega Terbang, which Muslims find offensive to their faith.
No less than the Malaysian Islamic Development Department has said that the film's content went against the principles of Islam.
Anomalist Production should have been sensitive to this, but it wasn't. But this doesn't mean that those who are offended should be free to vent their hate and threats on the filmmakers in any way they choose.
Malaysia isn't a rogue state, at least it is not one yet. Anarchy isn't the Malaysian way. While the offenders must know what is offensive in a society such as ours, the offended, too, must know how not to respond.
The law must be given precedence, not ridicule nor hate.
Peaceful talks, too, could have helped arrest a poster controversy caused by Impact Malaysia, an agency under the Youth and Sports Ministry, which purportedly invited non-Christian Malaysians to a church programme it was organising.
Proselytising to Muslims by members of other religions is prohibited in Malaysia. This is clear. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh had denied that the Impact Malaysia programme was aimed at promoting other religions to Muslims.
Again, just as in the first incident, the controversy could have been averted if people sat down to talk things out. This didn't happen.
But still, this is no licence to take to social media to crowd it with rancour. What the two incidents tell us is this: race and religion are sensitive issues in Malaysia.
They may not be important to you, but they are to others. Do not take them lightly.
Think before you offend. If you don't, you will only imprison yourself in your own hatred, a prison far worse than any in the country.