Malaysia will lose economic competitiveness if it continues to be held “captive” by extreme racial and religious based politics, warns former senior diplomat Tan Sri Razali Ismail. Even if Malaysia cannot avoid political polemics, that must not be allowed to affect state welfare. He said many countries like Singapore, Thailand, China and others are moving forward, and that Malaysia, as a multi-ethnic country, needs to create a lifestyle structure as a national convergence to advance with the rest of the world. Razali also urged the government to address corruption in all forms.