Speaking to Malaysiakini, she said the recent spate of incendiary remarks and incidents appeared to have been masterminded by an extremist, Nazi-like faction.
Ambiga refused to speculate on who were pulling the strings and also noted that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak seemed powerless to quell these destructive elements.
"We should not rise to the bait but at the same time, not sit back. We must speak our minds," she stressed.
Ambiga was commenting on the statement by Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman that Chinese Malaysians are "intruders" in this nation.
His statements drew flak from various leaders and groups, who also called for the authorities to charge Abdullah under the Sedition Act.
"While I don't believe in using the Sedition Act. However, I expect all leaders to make a decisive stand on this issue," Ambiga said.
"All leaders must show their disgust... I am not only talking about those in the ruling party, but also people like (opposition leader) Anwar Ibrahim," she added.
Peaceful resistance needed
The former Bersih chairperson said this concerned setting the tone for the nation.
"If we are interested in progress, there must be a basic standard of decency. We must speak our minds," she added.
Calling for a peaceful resistance, Ambiga said that extremism must be countered with moderation.
"When they are aggressive, we must be peaceful. We must show them with our conduct. We must not descend to their level nor rise to their bait," she added.
Meanwhile, Ambiga also suggested that a survey to be conducted to determine if Isma represented the views of all Malay Muslims, as claimed by the movement.
"I believe otherwise. They are a minority who speak with loud voices," she added.
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