日前，阿末扎希以副首相身份出席巴东色海选举一场集会上，为希盟候选人站台时说，包容和团结的政治，是当下马来西亚最迫切的。
这名巫统主席兼国阵主席强调，国阵必须从错误中吸取教训。“否则，我们的政治将毫无意义。我相信希盟是一个很好的政治伙伴。”
他还表示，过去的政治恩怨就让它过去，“命运安排我们与希盟合作组成政府，正如你所知，这也意味著国阵和巫统（独霸）时代的终结。”
他希望联合政府各党派能够继续合作，不仅在未来五年，而是更长远。“我希望这不仅是五年，不是十年，我希望这将是一个大联盟，组成一个辉煌的政府，带领国家前进。”
这番话也可被视为呼应了国家元首及其他统治者在组建当下联合政府上的呼吁。
阿末扎希这番呼应支持国人紧密团结和拒绝种族和宗教两极分化政治的说词，能否对现有基于种族和宗教的政党结构带来改变？
非种族政党历史
在70多年前，巫统创办人翁嘉化拒绝了巫统基于种族的结构和政策，他认为这最终会损害国家的发展。
在这个有远见的前提下，翁嘉化呼吁巫统开放党籍于所有马来亚各族，并将党更名为“马来亚民族统一机构”（United Malayan National Organisation）。
当他的建议没有获得支持后，他于1951年8月26日离开巫统，成立了马来亚第一个非种族政党——马来亚独立党（IMP）。可惜，IMP未能赢得支持，并于1953年解散。这个非种族政党，无法击败当时的种族政党巨头，如巫统、马华和国大党。后者也通过民族宗教和身份政治的建构，根深蒂固一直持续到今天。
在15届全国大选后的当下，我们的联盟党派是时候重新探讨，如何拆除和重组现有的种族政党制度，并建立单一的非种族和多元种族政党取而代之。
在世界民主国家中，很少有国家出现类似马来西亚这种由种族和宗教政党主导的局面。在其他拥有多元种族人口的后殖民国家，也已经摆脱了我国这种根深蒂固的身份认同和民族宗教的政治。实际上，尽管联盟在独立后的最初几年为国家的发展奠定了重要的基础，但在实现民族团结和加强社会凝聚力方面却是失败的。
要打破这种建构于身份和民族宗教的政治，以及其对国家发展的影响，第一步也是最重要的一步，就是把目前各政党联盟组建成各单一的多元种族政党，并以这个多元种族和非种族主义的单一政党平台来竞选。
以目前的情况，半岛、砂拉越和沙巴的所有主要政党联盟，都可组成各别单一的非种族或非宗教性的政党。
希盟、国阵和国盟虽然各自由多个政党组成，但可以解散联盟下的各政党，然后，将这些政党合并为一个单一的非种族政党，而党员资格是不基于种族或宗教的身份。这情况也可适用于东马的政党联盟。
这除了可抑制各党内和党际之间的族群意识形态竞争外，也可让我们摆脱目前政党联盟下的结构限制，打破殖民者建构下的分而治之的政策和体制。真正的非种族政党之领导层和党员结构，将可改变一直以来毒害马来西亚政治和其他生活领域的种族主义和宗派主义的气围。
单一非种族政党崛起条件
单一的非种族政党要崛起，必须至少满足四个条件。这些是：
●须由现有联盟中的主导政党领导，即在半岛是公正党（希盟）、巫统（国阵）、土团党（国盟），在东马是砂土保党，以说服其他政党相信合并成单一的非种族政党的实用性和明智之举
●马来人和土著在新组建的单一非种族政党中发挥领导作用，以安抚占多数的马来人和土著选民
●须获沙巴和砂拉越政党的支持，以及让他们相信合并入单一的非种族政党，不会损害东马的利益
●公众认可和支持新的单一非种族政党结构
就目前而言，如果阿末扎希的说词可以作为一个指标，那自独立以来一直居主导地位的马来政党─巫统，可能会对组建一个非种族和多元族群的单一政党建议，持有更开放态度。如果巫统牵头领导这改变，将等于启动一场去种族化的政治竞赛，其将会对现有的政党制度起改革作用。希盟同样也可组建成一个走非种族和多元族群路线的单一政党。
林德宜《巫统或希盟能否构建单一非种族政党》原文：
Can UMNO or Pakatan Lead in Establishing a Non-Communal Party
Recently, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi speaking as the nation’s Deputy Prime Minister at a political rally to support the Pakatan Harapan candidate in the Padang Serai parliamentary by-election said that the politics of inclusivity and unity is now more relevant and real than ever before in Malaysia.
The UMNO President and BN chairman emphasised that his coalition must learn from its mistakes. “Otherwise, our political lives are of irrelevance. I believe PH is a good political partner.”
He also said now is not the time to look back and talk about the past. “It is our fate to work with PH in government and this is the end of the existence of BN and Umno as you know”.
He hoped that the unity government could continue to work together not only for the next five years but beyond that. “I hope this is not only for five years, not 10 years, but I hope it will be a grand coalition to form a glorious government to lead the country forward”
This speech can be seen as taking the lead provided by the Yang Di-pertuan Agong and his fellow rulers who have been instrumental in the formation of the present unity government.
Can Zahid’s speech which echoes the upsurge of public sentiment in support for the country to close ranks and to reject the politics of racial and religious polarisation see the restructuring of racially and religiously based parties?
Past History of Non Communal Parties
More than 70 years ago, Onn Jaafar, founder of UMNO, rejected UMNO’s race-based structure and policies which he regarded as ultimately detrimental to the new nation’s development.
Acting on this visionary premise Onn Jaafar called UMNO to open its membership to Malayans of all races, and for the party to be renamed as the United Malayan National Organisation.
When his recommendations were not supported, he left the party on 26 August 1951, to establish the Independence of Malaya Party (IMP), the first non-communal party in Malaya. IMP was not able to win support and was dissolved in 1953. It was a party that could not defeat the strength and resources of the communal party giants of the time, namely UMNO, MCA and MIC. It was also a party that was well ahead of its time in seeking to reconfigure the ethno-religious and identity politics that was being embedded and remains until today.
Today after fifteen national elections, it is time for our coalition parties to go back to the drawing board and see how to dismantle and restructure the communal party system and to forge single non-racial and multi-racial parties in their place.
Why The Need to Evolve From The Present Coalition Party Structure
Amongst democratic nations of the world, few countries have seen the phenomenon of the dominance of racial and religious political parties as found in Malaysia. Other post-colonial nations with multi-racial populations have moved away from the identity and ethno-religious politics which remain entrenched here. It is also a fact that although coalition parties have provided an important beginning for the nation’s development in the early years after independence, they have lost their way in bringing about national unity and social cohesion.
This emphasis on identity and ethno-religious politics and the debilitating effect on the nation’s development can be broken if the first and most important step is taken. This step is for the present coalitions to establish single multiracial parties and to compete for power as single multi-racial and non-racial parties.
For now, all the major coalitions in the Peninsula and Sarawak and Sabah have the potential to begin establish single non-racial or non religion based parties.
Pakatan, Barisan and Perikatan, although having several parties in each of them, can bring about the dissolution of the subscribing parties in each of their coalitions. Each coalition can then work for the merger of their respective parties into a single non-racial conventional party with membership that is not based on race or religion. The same possibility is also applicable to the East Malaysian coalitions.
Apart from the positive impact this can have on dampening the intra and inter-party dynamics and rivalries based on communal membership that dominate the current coalitions, this move away from the present configuration of coalition parties can break the colonial construct and divide and rule policies in our governance. Membership and leadership of truly non-racial parties have the strong possibility of taking away the oxygen of communalism and sectarianism that has poisoned politics and the other spheres of life in Malaysia.
Requirements For Emergence of Single Non-Racial Parties
At least four requirements must be met before single non-racial parties can emerge. These are
●Leadership by the dominant party in each of the coalitions, that is, PKR, UMNO, Bersatu (Peninsula), Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) and Bersatu (Sabah) to convince the other parties of the practicality and wisdom of the merger into single non-racial parties
●Malay and Bumiputera leadership in the newly reformulated single non-racial party to reassure the majority Malay and Bumiputera electorate
●Support by Sabah and Sarawak parties and their confidence that their participation in the single non-racial party will not sideline their state interests
●Public approval and support for new single non-racial party configurations
For now, if Zahid’s speech is anything to go by, UMNO which has been the dominant Malay party since independence may be more open to the formation of a single non-communal and multiracial party. Should UMNO take the lead, the party may provide the nation with a race to de-communalize politics through reform of the existing party system. Pakatan similarly has the possibility of establishing a single non-communal and multiracial party.
