Not what Islam teaches

THE Christchurch massacre (Al Fatihah) is a wake-up call – in all sorts of way. Innocents died for the misdeeds of others.

SITI THOTS

Sunday 31 March 2019

No barriers: People forming a ‘ring of peace’ around a mosque in Toronto, Canada, to show solidarity with victims of the Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand. The majority of whites and Christians in the West are against the white Christian supremacist ideology espoused by the terrorist who perpetrated the attack. — Reuters

I have always said I am for humanity first. If the lessons you take from your religion, politics or ideology puts you square against empathy for humanity, then those lessons are wrong. Absolutely wrong and despicable. You need to then re-look your religion, politics and ideology and make a change to those so-called “lessons”. God would never ascribe inhumanity to His religion.

At Christchurch, the terrorist was a self proclaimed “white Christian supremacist”. That is the ideology that he subscribes to and the motivation for his act. Such people fear the intrusion of the Muslim community into their land that is predominantly white and Christian. The same white Christian supremacy ideology in the United States and Europe is against Muslim immigration.

However, the majority of whites and Christians are completely against this supremacist ideology. That is why we have seen an outpouring of sympathy towards the Muslim community in New Zealand from all around the world. The white supremacist ideology is an anathema and an abomination to their way of life. By and large, Western civilisation believes in a liberal, inclusive, multi-ethnic, multi-religious society. That is the hallmark of its progress and the reason for its development and humanity.

The superiority of your religion or your race is in your behaviour and characteristics. It’s in your humanity. It is not what you may proclaim. No one cares what you claim. They care about your actions.

Therein lies the irony of Malaysian society, especially our Malay-Muslim community. While we condemn the vile white Christian supremacist ideology – that is in the minority in Western society – that led to the Christchurch massacre, we applaud, nay we promote with pride and arrogance, a Malay-Islam supremacist ideology in the form of ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) and/or ketuanan Melayu-Islam. And we do not even see how ironic nor how equally vile our ideology is.

This is not what Islam teaches.

Our Malay-based political parties, their leaders, members and supporters, from Umno to PAS to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, have no shame about shouting out ketuanan Melayu-Islam in Malaysia. And then they trot out the side corollary that “of course we accept other ethnicities too”, whatever that means. We have no shame not realising that ketuanan Melayu-Islam is the same strain of racist and religious bigotry as Nazism and the white Christian supremacy that we denounce in foreign lands where Muslims are minorities.

This selective amnesia and victimhood, this fear of the Other, has been perpetuated and promoted with glee by politicians and religious clerics, all for power and authority over the masses. The masses need to wake up to the fact that they are being used and abused. These people will vilify non-Muslims and non-Malays at every opportunity they get, condemning them as being too dangerous to even hold or share any power within this Malay-Islam land.

They even promote the idea that it is better to be led by a corrupt and criminal Muslim than a good, capable non-Muslim. How much more unIslamic can you get? “Malu apa Bos ku” (No shame, my Boss) indeed. What utter shameless people have we become?

This selectivism in victimhood and superiority complex – yes, absolute cognitive dissonance – is quite apparent in typical Malay-Muslim behaviour in groups. I know this because I and my Malay friends have been observing such aberrant behaviour in family or friends or alumni groups, especially in WhatsApp messaging groups.

Whenever there is an incident that victimises Muslims anywhere in the world, conversation becomes very active. Condemnation of Muslim victimisation and Islamophobia is high. Then cries of “why is this not called terrorism” will be heard. Some justified, some not. But most lack the awareness to realise that most media is calling it what it is, terrorism, when it warrants it.

Whenever non-Muslims come together to support Muslim victims, some will mention it and be thankful. But these mentions are usually very few. If these supporters are Jewish, most likely that piece of news will never be mentioned or shared in Malay WhatsApp groups.

But here is the piece de resistance: If there is any mention of terrorism or attacks by Muslims on others, bombings of churches or temples by Muslims, nary a word will be mentioned in such groups. Nothing. In fact, if one were to mention it, one would likely be accused of trying to make Muslims or Islam look bad. There will hardly be a mention of humanistic solidarity in sympathy with the victims of said attacks.

Don’t believe me? Ask any of our majority Malay-member groups to show where in their groups did anyone discuss the bombing of the church in Philippines earlier this year. Do any of them know how many were killed or injured? How about the bombings in South Thailand or the killings by Boko Haram or even the massacres by Islamic State and the taking of sex slaves by these self-professed Muslims?

How about closer to home: The tragic and vile murder and beheading by Abu Sayyaf militants of our own Malaysian saudara Bernard Then, God rest his soul? How many of our Malay-Muslim groups remember or even talked about it when it happened in 2015?

Why do Malays not discuss these and other abominations in the name of our religion and our God? To maybe see how such things could creep into our Malay-Muslim society in Malaysia and perhaps how to stop it in its tracks? Why the silence?

This is cognitive dissonance at its best. Then we claim victimhood even in a country where we are the majority. And in the next sentence we say we are the tuan in this land and no one else.

Let me remind everyone that there is no ketuanan Melayu or ketuanan Islam in the Constitution. There is an official religion, Islam. The way we have made the bunga raya the official flower of Malaysia. It’s no superior to any other religion in this country. It is superior to you, if you are Muslim, just as Christianity is superior to a person who is a Christian. That’s all.

What there is, is a special position for Malays and bumiputra, the way there is a special position for native Americans in the United States. It’s not out of superiority. It is out of empathy with natives and out of a legacy of weakness. So there, be humble.

If you still insist on shouting out that you want ketuanan Melayu or ketuanan Islam, do not blame others and the world for despising you, the same way you and they despise white Christian supremacy.

This is the biggest danger our nation faces today: the radicalisation, and normalisation of extremism, of Malay-Muslim society. We need to put a stop to this now. Instead, our Muslim leaders decry liberalism and inclusiveness, the very principles of our Rukunegara, saying they are a danger to our society. Maybe these “leaders” are the danger to Malaysia.

I have said it before. When you believe your religion is superior to those of others, and you judge those who are not the followers of yours as destined for abomination, then you will be easily radicalised. You will easily be inspired by those who sell dreams of glory in sacrifice to your religion. Forcing your religious beliefs upon others becomes a necessity. Even invoking terrorism to achieve your objectives is acceptable. After all, is not your life in the service of your God?

Just in case anyone has any doubts, Islam forbids terrorism. Ever. There is justified war to defend oneself and then there is terrorism. Terrorism is indiscriminate. It is not a defensive war. It is a vile, despicable, inhuman act carried out by vile inhuman animals.

The radicalisation of Malay-Muslims is the clear and present danger to the ummah (community), Malaysian society and the nation. Ketuanan Melayu-Islam has no place in Malaysia, just as white Christian supremacy has no place anywhere in the Western world.

It has come to a point where our society is actually on the brink of breaking apart.

Our economics are fractured not just because of thievery for the sake of greed but thievery to maintain power over radicalised masses. It cannot be sustainable.

Radicalised masses will not just be unproductive but also destructive. Society will implode when there is not enough largesse to spread around to those who do not contribute to the productive wealth of the nation.

In no uncertain terms, we are entering a new phase in this clash of civilisations. This is a war for the hearts and minds of the majority of our Malay-Muslim society and for the survival of this nation that we love. Who among the Malay leaders will step up to champion decency, unity, equality, progress and the Malaysian way of life?The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Sunday Star.

https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/siti-kasim-thots/2019/03/31/not-what-islam-teaches

A plea to Pakatan Harapan’s Malay leaders

I AM going to start my epistle with this quote “Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.”

Siti Thots
Sunday 10 March 2019

Malaysia’s moral compass: The idea of a nation is enshrined within our Rukun Negara, a philosophy worthy to be repeated and reminded to all today.

This is why I am appealing to our Malay leaders in Pakatan Harapan to wake up from their slumber pronto or they will not wake up at all in the next general election.

By-election turnouts are usually fuelled by committed voters. Voter apathy contributes to much lower voter turnout compared to a general election. Dispassionate and disenchanted voters stay away from by-elections. Semenyih was no different, in this case about 14% lower voter turnout. That is, 7,633 less people came out to vote than in the GE. However, while Barisan Nasional/PAS posts a 7.7% lower vote than in the general election, PH votes dropped a massive 24%. The margin of victory by Barisan/PAS is 1,914 compared to the 1,998 GE14 margin by PH over Barisan/PAS total. However, 5,562 less people voted for PH compared to a drop of only 1,650 for Barisan/PAS. Considering this massive net 3,912 less votes for PH (if it were to drop an equal number of voter as Barisan/PAS did), I would postulate that had the swing of votes, which would be mainly Malays, went from PH to Barisan/PAS the margin of victory would have been much larger and Barisan/PAS would not see any drop in its vote total compared to GE14. 

It is therefore quite safe to assume that PH lost in votes were from its voters not turning up, not because of natural by-election apathy but out of disenchantment of PH performance thus far. 

This is a wake-up call not about Malay issues but Malaysian issues. 

I have been travelling around the country on various matters over the last few months and it has dawned upon me that by and large the Malays hate the corrupt and are not that easily persuaded by religious or racial extremism. But they are longing for a decent and compassionate leadership.  

By and large all these loud voices of extremism do not speak for them. Otherwise, I would be spat at everywhere I go.

Instead, I was always welcomed, even when some were a bit hesitant at first. But the minute the ice was broken, we knew all of us were the same. They want what every other Malaysians like you and me want. A safe, peaceful and prosperous Malaysia where they can earn an honest living, raise their children and embrace their fellow Malaysians of all shapes, colour and faith. They want honest leadership from their politicians. Honest capable leadership.

But PH has failed miserably where it matters. It has failed the eye-test of competency and honesty in its government, which it had promised to replace the old regime with. 

When you accept people with fake degrees in your leadership appointments, your message is:Integrity does not matter to you either.

When such leaderships show obvious arrogance to clear cut issues like logging awards, wives appointed to official positions and the likes, the message is “we are no different than those we have replaced”.  

Competency is a massive issue at present with ministers who seem to be talking without thinking. Black shoes, swimming pools and Finnish model when the basic of teaching and what is being taught cannot or would not be addressed. No tolls and then not really, no tolls and let’s have flying cars instead.

Compulsory vaccination, then later backtracked. Don’t even mention the ICERD. The word ICERD is so taboo that it is dangerous to even say it out loud in the corridors of powers. Every pronouncement they made seemed intent on destroying the credibility of competency of this new government we have elected.

The toll is a bread and butter issue. Treat your voters, nay, your citizens, with respect. Do not insult their intelligence. No one you talk to on a daily basis goes to work or send their kids to school after 11pm. Please. If you cannot do it, be honest about it. Minimum wage is about a decent living, not about what your work is.

Then there is the politicking. What is with the impatience and the backstabbing and the jockeying undermining sitting ministers?

Where are the voices of reason and leadership to counter extremists of religion and race?

Why the disquiet and the acquiescence in the face of religious extremist demands and voices of hatred? 

Should we not remind ourselves that on September 16, 1963, Malaysia was born? In 1970, the idea of a nation was enshrined within its Rukun Negara, a philosophy worthy to be repeated and reminded to all today:

WHEREAS OUR COUNTRY, MALAYSIA nurtures the ambitions of:

Achieving a more perfect unity amongst the whole of her society;

Preserving a democratic way of life;

Creating a just society where the prosperity of the country can be enjoyed together in a fair and equitable manner;

Guaranteeing a liberal approach towards her rich and varied cultural traditions; and

Building a progressive society that will make use of science and modern technology.

This is our moral compass and idealism. Where has all that gone? Why have we taken these sacred and profound ideas and replaced them with chauvinistic, bigoted, exclusive through scare and hate mongering rhetoric of supremacist politics and religious extremism? 

Indeed, I implore our politicians and especially the leaders of this nation – our prime minister and the ministers – where are your principles in upholding the aspirations and ideals of our Rukun Negara?  Malaysians need leadership. Instead we are getting appeasement towards the extremist elements in our society. 

Why can’t the Malay leadership in the PH Government step up, invoke and reiterate the need to uphold the ideals of our beloved Rukun Negara? Explain and exhort why the most important and critical value the nation must uphold, is unity of all races. To not listen to any voices that intend to divide but be the voice of reason, unity and progress for all Malaysians. 

Why can’t the Malay leadership in the PH Government take the lead, stand up and proclaim that the Malays have nothing to fear but fear itself? That we, the Malays, are a race capable of leading a progressive and developed nation, competing with everyone else on equal terms proudly. That is the reason we deserve to be in leadership, not because we are entitled to it. 

Who at PH has the character, courage and capability to show that he or she can lead the Malays and the whole nation as its leader for a modern Malaysia? Who among all of you elected representatives are going to stand up to be the leader for ALL Malaysians and not for specifically Malays first and then only for the rest? 

And what is this with the cowering to the extremist elements in the Malay-Muslim community?

I am appalled at the knee-jerk reaction of the so-called insults to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and Islam. Are we going to allow the Malay society to degenerate into a foaming in the mouth outrage community at the slightest hurt to its ego and so called sensitivity like in the Middle East and Pakistan? Do we intend to have government religious policing of citizens’ opinions based on extremists’ interpretations of what insults and whatnot entails? Isn’t it better to use the religious agencies we have to reform our institutions and to explain to the people that Islam is a peaceful and inclusive religion?

People challenging ideas and values are normal. It’s how we learn and grow. Having unusual, “radical” or “extreme” views does not mean that the person is insulting to Islam or others, but promoting citizens to snitch on others as a means to punish people is a concern. Instead of looking at the means on how to catch on people who allegedly “insulted” Islam, our leaders ought to look at the root cause of why these people appear to be so hateful of Islam. These people are angry. Some are lashing out but most have remained silent.

There are a number of factors that contributed to the shaping of anti-Muslim sentiment among some segments of the public.

While politicians who are riding on Islam to wrestle power are a big reason, segments of the media, and religious leaders have also played a role in stoking anti-Muslim bigotry. Just as other faith- based groups have a responsibility to lean in, Muslim communities also need to lean in. So, when Muslims see those preaching divisive rhetoric about Islam, they need to stop it.

Then, you have people in the administration and institutions who are closely connected to the established extremist elements of Islam.

Our leaders need to rein in these elements and make it right again.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, had non-Muslim neighbors and family members who he loved, cared for, and had strong bonds and relationships with. If Islam taught Muslims to kill and hate all non-Muslims simply because of their faith, then he should have been the first to do it. However, that was not the case.

The Quran clarifies the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims as being one that is based on love and compassion. The Quran states Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity. (Quran 60: 8).

The Prophet, peace be upon him, himself was insulted throughout his life but never once did he punish those who insulted him. Umar Ibnu Khattab was a most cruel opponent of Islam, who was intent on his murder. Did the Prophet, peace be upon him, ever made a condemnation against him? Never. Umar eventually converted and became the second Caliph of Islam.

In a healthy, cohesive society, contentious issues ought to be debated. But there’s a fine line between curiosity and ridiculousness, and all too often it seems that the questions we get – no thanks to some hysterical media and populist politicians –are of the latter kind. It is a false notion that Islam teaches Muslims to hate all non-Muslims. Instead of accepting sweeping generalisations of a religion that is over 1400 years old, it is advisable to examine the Quran and see what it teaches in this regard. Does Islam actually teach Muslims to hate and commit violence against non-Muslims?

To all those out there insisting and screaming for punishment for such insults towards the Prophet, peace be upon him, and Islam, you are bringing nothing but shame and disrepute to Islam. You are showing that instead of being a great religion of peace, Islam is intolerant, thin-skinned, draconian and harsh. 

So, dear Malay leadership of Malaysia, please wake up and lead as decent, unemotional but passionate leaders for all Malaysians. Be kind hearted, compassionate and progressive Muslims who can be admired by non-Muslims for that is what brings respect to Islam.

Great leaders are great listeners, and therefore my message today is a simple one - talk less and listen more. The best leaders are proactive, strategic, and intuitive listeners. They recognise that knowledge and wisdom is not gained by talking, but by listening. Being a leader should not be viewed as a license to increase the volume of rhetoric. 

The world has seen enough violence and hatred carried out in the name of our religion. We need to show that we are different and we are admirable human beings.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind and heartless.

TAGS / KEYWORDS:Politics , Siti Kasim , Siti Thots , Pakatan Harapan

https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/siti-kasim-thots/2019/03/10/a-plea-to-pakatan-harapans-malay-leaders

Religion cannot be the legal basis

LET me get to the point. I don’t care what your religion says - wrong is wrong.

A widow should not have to die in a fire with the dead husband. And under no circumstances whatsoever shall a child be married off to a man. 

Siti Kasim

Sunday 8 July 2018

Cruel practice: Imagine the lost childhood and potential life opportunities snatched from that child with child marriage to grow as full human beings.

Malaysians need to demand that our Government put a stop to child marriage. We need to demand that our politicians, Ministers, Deputy Prime Ministers, their offices and officials uphold basic human rights.

Their allegiance must be towards the protection of children without any ifs and buts. There must be no negotiation or consideration when it comes to protecting our children. Child marriage is abuse of the worst kind. 

Torture was once an acceptable punishment. Slavery too was once acceptable. But neither is today.

We are no longer living in the middle ages where a child, especially a female one, is deemed a property, a chattel to be traded for money, influence or favours. Something that may be the norm of ages past or even years past does not justify its continuation in any way, shape or form when human civilisation has progressed and we are informed by knowledge and values that say such practices are an abomination of human rights. 

Malaysia is the perfect case study where religion is allowed to dictate the laws of the land and in so doing has failed its people miserably. Malaysia’s civil law dictates that the legal minimum age of marriage is 18 for male and 16 for female. And yet in the period between 2010 and 2015, approximately an average of 1,045 child marriage applications were recorded per year to Muslim children (Hansard May 19, 2016).

Let that number sink in. 

Imagine the lost childhood and potential life opportunities snatched from that child, and possibly for his or her progenies, to grow as full human beings. Imagine the horrors a young girl goes through at the hands of a sick paedophile. All this in the modern world of 21st century Malaysia! 

Why? 

Because in Malaysia, in spite of our civil laws, the state Islamic laws allow 16 as the marriageable age for girls and the Shariah courts can provide consent for any age below that. That endorsement provided the implicit authority for paedophiles and perverts, weak parents, authority figures, even police and political leaders with a certain religious conservative-bent to be not just apologists but also enablers of child marriages in this country. 

And thus we hear the office of the Deputy Prime Minister suggesting a standard operating procedure for child marriages? Really? For child marriages? This can only happen when religion trumps reason. 

In the midst of a contentious American presidential campaign in 1960, John F Kennedy famously said “I am not the Catholic candidate for president. I am the Democratic party’s candidate for president, who happens also to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me”. 

That is how our elected representatives and political leaders need to be if our nation is to be united and to progress, and our citizens irrespective of beliefs, and non-belief, is to be treated equal and with full dignity and human rights. 

And here we are with child marriage, and the only defence for it has been by religion. That is precisely why religion and its influence cannot have a place in governance. Any right-thinking human being educated in this century will never agree to even a hint of allowing child marriages. But religion and the religious do not care for right-thinking.

It only cares that you follow its edict, despite many scholars casting doubt on the veracity of the saying, or hadith, used to assert Aisha’s young age. Reason and humanity be damned. 

Taking all known accounts and records of Aisha’s age at marriage, estimates of her age range from nine to 19. Because of this, it is impossible to know with any certainty how old Aisha was.

What we do know is what the Quran says about marriage: that it is valid only between consenting adults, and that a woman has the right to choose her own spouse.

As the living embodiment of Islam, Prophet Muhammad’s actions reflect the Quran’s teachings on marriage, even if the actions of some Muslim regimes and individuals do not.

A stateswoman, scholar, mufti, and judge, Aisha combined spirituality, activism and knowledge and remains a role model for many Muslim women today. The gulf between her true legacy and her depiction in Islamophobic materials is not merely historically inaccurate; it is also an insult to the memory of a pioneering woman.

Those who manipulate her story to justify the abuse of young girls, and those who manipulate it in order to depict Islam as a religion that legitimises such abuse have more in common than they think.

Both demonstrate a disregard for what we know about the times in which the Prophet lived, and for the affirmation of female autonomy which her story illustrates.

When we invoke religion, faith or belief in public policy, worse still in law, how do we determine truth? Faith and belief by its very definition has no anchor in reason. Who will be the judge of it? As it is we already have a Chief Justice of the Shariah Court in Selangor proposing an SOP for evaluating the mystical and witchcraft (sihir) in adjudicating cases.

Once unreason takes hold of authority, who will stop it? They cannot be reasoned with. 

The unreasonable have God in their corner – so they say. The apologists caught between unreasoned belief and humanity does not have the courage to act on their humanitarian conscience because they believe their God dictate it so. And society and the citizenry suffer. Who shall rescue the poor children? 

Religion must be banished from government and governance. Humanitarian empathy and reason must be the primary driver of law and order.

Our children cannot be bargained or compromised for any God or faith.

There is no excuse that justifies the destruction of a child’s life in return for pleasing a supposed religious allowance. 

It is time our elected government and representatives put a stop to this travesty of human misery and child abuse.

Raise the minimum age for marriage to 18 irrespective of religion and/or custom without exception. No SOP required.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/siti-kasim-thots/2018/07/08/religion-cannot-be-the-legal-basis-humanitarian-empathy-and-reason-must-be-the-primary-driver-of-law

The real Malay dilemma

The issue is whether any of the Malay leadership would be willing to change its society from a religious-centric one to one that is progressive and modern in character.

Siti Thots
Sunday 26 August 2018

Old politics: If the leadership keeps to the racialist, feudalist and religious-centric tactics and policies of the past, thinking this is what they need to do to keep the votes, it will just be the repeat of past mistakes of the Umno era.

A HIGH-level panel has been announced to review the administration of Islamic Institutions at the Federal level. Commendably, all views from the general public is welcomed. The Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal is also quoted as saying, in the announcement of this Panel, that it was appropriate that the related institutions undergo improvement so as to protect the religion of Islam, as well as promote its universal values in the country.

So here is a short opinion - Islam does not need protection, nor does it need to be institutionalised.

As a Muslim, I believe in God Almighty. His religion does not need anyone’s help, least of all from fallible human beings. Islam and God has no need for anything, but human beings do. No one represents Islam. Everyone represents their version of Islam that suits their wants and needs. These include those in political parties that say it represents Islam but simply do not. They merely represent their personal human interest for power and authority.

We need our Government to protect us from people who want to wield powers upon others by using religion as their weapon. That is what we Malaysians, Muslims and non-Muslims need. I want to ask the political leaders of Malaysia, elected and unelected: What do you intend to do to protect us from those in power whose interest is to wield their religion over others?

In Malaysia today, we are obsessed with religion. Politicians and Ministers talk about religion and upholding religion. We have dedicated channels and programmes on religion on mainstream TV. Teachers force their religion and religious interpretations on children. Even the technical department, JKR (Public Works Department) for example, has set up sign boards espousing religious thoughts. Ever go to civil service offices? Observe just how many religious seminar banners and thoughts are plastered all over these places. Sometimes I wonder whether these are public services departments or religious propaganda functionaries.

Why this parade of religion in the public sphere? Is it because our people obsess on religion, as they personally have got nothing else of substance to promote that would enhance their work and the lives of the people they serve? Or that they have to cling to religion as that is their one and only part of their lives that provide them any sense of self-worth?

this parade of religion in the public sphere? Is it because our people obsess on religion, as they personally have got nothing else of substance to promote that would enhance their work and the lives of the people they serve? Or that they have to cling to religion as that is their one and only part of their lives that provide them any sense of self-worth?

Today, our Malay society has become a society so religiously judgemental that the sight of a woman without head-cover is practically blasphemous.

Think about this, after all the hue and cry of the 41 year old with 2 wives, from Kelantan who groomed his third, 11 year old child bride from the poor family in Thailand, the state religious authority penalised him for an unregistered marriage and then, instead of voiding it, basically approves the marriage. A significant portion of our Malay- Muslim society rejoiced!

Can a Malay society, more insular and superstitious in thought, that is now funding thousands of religious schools and Tahfiz centres/boarding houses than ever before in its history, create a population that is competitive to succeed in the 21st century?

Can it even compete on a fair footing with the rest of the Malaysian non-Muslim population? Malays have been given preferential places in universities, GLCs and the civil service for more than 40 years now, what have we got to show for it? Uncompetitive universities, a significant pool of unemployable Malay graduates and with most being employed by the civil service and the failed GLCs, and such corrupt administrations that a 93- year-old man has to come back to be the Prime Minister, that’s what. Would more religion help? Or would it make the population less competitive? Let us all be honest.

This has been the unintended consequence of the assimilation of Islamic values in governance (“penerapan nilai-nilai Islam”) instituted in 1985. The road to hell, they say, is always paved with good intentions.  If nothing is done this nightmare is just beginning for the Malay society and Malaysian in general will suffer for it.

If we want to see where our nation is headed with this type of ideology and cultural religious mind-set besetting 60% of our population, we don’t have to look far to Saudi Arabia or Iran or even Aceh, we just need to see the state of governance and life in Kelantan. Democracy is only as good as an informed and intellectually challenging population. The Nazis in Germany and the Mullahs in Iran were all elected by the majority. Today, the Iranians are rebelling against their repressive theocratic Government but the Mullahs are not going to let go of power that easily. Thousands are in jail. But our Malays don’t seem to see or learn the lesson. Erdogan is taking Turkey on that road to already disastrous consequences and many of our Malays applaud.

The only reason the majority of the Malays today are satisfied with their lives to carry on being religiously obsessed, thinking non-stop of the afterlife and judging others, while the non-Malays are focused on bettering themselves in this life, is that the Malays, by and large, has been able to live off the teats of the Government in one way or another. It has been a fulfilled entitlement that will end sooner rather than later.

This gravy train has stopped. Mahathir and Robert Kuok, two 90-year-old plus statesmen, had to go to China almost in tribute with offerings, to extricate us from the mess our Malay leaders have created.

Unfortunately, Malays are oblivious to this fact. In fact, even most non-Malays are oblivious to the fact that if we do nothing, 30 to 40% of the population cannot sustain 100% of us. You need the remaining, at least, majority of that 60% to be able to truly contribute economically and not be consumers of tax from the minorities. And religion is not an economic contributor. It is an unproductive consumer of epic proportions with no returns.

Mahathir came to lead the Government in 1981 and transform an agricultural hamlet into an industrial one with liberal economic policies powered by an industrious non-Malay population and the liberal segment of the Malay society.

This was the population that made the country progress. Mahathir was not popular as a result of Islamisation. Mahathir was and is popular because he brought progress, prosperity and in-turn unity and pride in the country to everyone as Malaysians. He brought revolutionary change to real life. For all intents and purposes, he was a liberal progressive leader.

A progressive leadership will only be elected by a progressive society. The only reason the Pakatan Harapan government was elected was because the progressive societies of the non-Malays and the liberal Malay voted for it. We saved the nation, again. Unfortunately, that liberal segment is now forgotten and vilified. Malay liberals who are capable and focused on a productive life are labelled blasphemous and extremists, and shunned by the leadership in power, no matter who are in power.

The religious conservatives, on the other hand, are courted and coddled as if they will be the ever-lasting vote bank that must be assuaged.  Think again on this paradigm. Malay swing votes are persuadable but only if the leadership shows the way.

If the leadership keeps to the racialist, feudalist, and religious-centric policies of the past, thinking this is what they need to do to keep the votes, they will just be repeating past mistakes of the Umno era. More of the Malay population will move to the right of centre towards the Mullahs. It is an inevitable outcome of such a policy. Islamisation was a counter to PAS, it only made Umno the old PAS, and PAS the new Taliban and a stronger party every year from that time onwards.

Religion by its very nature will always veer towards conservatism and fundamentalism, no matter how one wants to spin those words. Because institutionalised religion is about following. The attractiveness of institutionalised religion is the abdication of thinking to religious leaders with easy answers one shall not question. More so, when the population is uncompetitive against the outside world. In Malaysia, we have one of the most sophisticated array of institutionalised Islam in the world today.

So, without a change from the religious-centric environment the Malay society is currently in, and an education system that indoctrinates rather than enhance critical thinking, Malay society will continually drift towards the insularity of religious conservatism and away from progressive capabilities to succeed in the modern world. And population demographic will ensure that a progressive Government will eventually lose out.

Therein lies the real Malay dilemma.

Would any of the Malay leadership be willing to change its society from a religious centric one to one that is progressive and modern in character?

Do you want our Malay society to continue to regress and be uncompetitive? Do you want it to drag the rest of us down the road of conservatism and economic ruin?

As Malay leaders, do you placate or do you lead for change?

How do you lead that change? 

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/siti-kasim-thots/2018/08/26/the-real-malay-dilemma-the-issue-is-whether-any-of-the-malay-leadership-would-be-willing-to-change

New Malaysia springs from within us

I AM writing this column at the birthplace of Harry Potter, exactly 21 years and one day since the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the very first book in the series. I am on a “Potter Pilgrimage” in Edinburgh, a much-needed respite following nine months in an intensive masters’ course on public policy.

   

Lyana Khairuddin 

Sunday 30 June 2018

Time flies by these days. Next week, the 2017/18 batch of Chevening Scholarship recipients will have our farewell event. There are 44 Malaysians in this group, around 3% of the total.

With my time in Britain coming to an end, I am getting a feeling of déjà vu. Eight years ago, I was in this exact same position – leaving a country where I gained not only quality education but also lifelong friendships and enriching life lessons, to go home.

My return in 2010 was filled with anxiety and I must admit, forced me into a bout of depression that lasted three years. I felt that back in Malaysia, my wings would be clipped professionally.

Despite coming home then to an assured position with a public university, I felt I would have benefited more from working as a post-doctoral fellow in laboratories overseas rather than fighting for bench space and teaching students a curriculum that had not changed from the time I was myself a student there.

Worse, I did not realise how much Malaysia had changed in the four years I was away. Suddenly, the fact that I returned with a PhD from a laboratory that founded the cervical cancer vaccine did not matter as much as my hair, the way I dress, my weight and my marital status.

Petty things, but these are the issues I had to deal with. The Malaysia I returned to in 2010 was adamant in making me “the other”, and it was resolute in dividing and pitting Malaysians against each other.

Such rhetoric would make anyone sick. It took me three years, several professional counselling sessions and countless marathons to overcome my depressive state.

My new year’s resolution for 2013, the year I turned 30, was to instead contribute towards the Malaysian society that I want. I started volunteering my time and portions of my meagre salary to soup kitchens and social enterprises, started to meet more like-minded Malaysians and participated in gatherings that promote an inclusive multi-ethnic, interfaith society.

This time around, I will be returning to Malaysia with a lighter heart. The lingering post-GE14 euphoria notwithstanding, the lessons I have learnt after my first return will arm me with the necessary resilience to face old rhetoric and new challenges.

This past month, and even in my few days here in Edinburgh, I met Malaysians who have studied and worked overseas claiming that they are now ready and willing to return home.

I applaud them, but I hope that my journey as documented here will serve as a reminder to all of us that change doesn’t come overnight. Nor does it come without us, ourselves, making the necessary changes within.

Despite a new government, there is still discrimination, xenophobia and injustice.

Cases in point: the recent “suggestion” by the Human Resources Minister to only allow local cooks in restaurants; the early morning arrest of Siti Kasim for allegedly “kidnapping” an adult woman, although she was acting as a lawyer for the woman when providing her with lodging; and the backlash against ministerial press statements in languages other than Bahasa Malaysia.

Despite a new government and more women in Cabinet, as state representatives and in politics than ever before, women are still objectified and vilified for our choices.

Strangers will still police what we wear. Colleagues will still question why Malay women do not wear the tudung, are not married, have not had children or are not having more children, and speak predominantly in English. And Internet trolls still call out our weight and body shapes.

Despite a new government formed by a coalition with two multiracial parties, there are still those who question a multi-ethnic open house held recently at the Prime Minister’s residence, calling it a Chinese New Year celebration rather than a Hari Raya open house.

There are still those who continue to divide, incite racial tensions and spread animosity.

Yet, I have learnt that regardless of who is in power, Malaysians can always be counted upon to surprise even the most cynical of us and come together, especially for a good cause.

Any call for help will be respon­ded to with enthusiasm, showing that indeed, our strength lies in our ability to come together while maintaining our diversity.

Rome was not built in a day. It is the same with Malaysia; it is still a work in progress. To those of us returning home, learn to contribute as well as embrace the eccentricities known only to us.

Let this New Malaysia be what we all hope for.

Lyana Khairuddin is a Chevening-Khazanah Scholar who pursued a Master of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. The views expressed here are entirely her own.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/naturally/2018/06/30/new-malaysia-springs-from-within-us-regardless-of-who-wins-elections-the-nation-is-at-its-best-when/