Kuala Lampur, Aug. 30 -- Every Merdeka, we become very good at displaying Malaysia. We bring out the batik, songket, saree and cheongsam, rediscover our many cultures, celebrate our food and languages, and listen as politicians remind us that diversity is our strength.

I do not say this cynically because these rituals matter, and it is genuinely beautiful seeing the country represented in all its complexity.

But sometimes I wonder whether we have become much better at displaying diversity than talking honestly about what happens underneath it.

We celebrate kita very easily every August. What we talk about much less is how often our politics seems to require a mereka.

I do not mean only racial slurs, religious insults or the vicious th...