Sabah, the land of ethnic tolerance 23 December 2008

“Saya nak tahu kaum apa diorang ni. Tapi yang pasti diorang memang bukan rupa Melayu,” I said to my father.

We were in a night market beside the sea, smack in the middle of Kota Kinabalu. Enjoying a late night tea during our four day visit to Sabah.

My dad shrugged to signal his own ignorance of the ethnicity of the various peoples of the night market. To satisfy our curiosities, we caught hold of the stall keeper serving us.

“Kamu suku kaum apa?” my father asked the young girl, who couldn’t be more than 17 years old.

Of course, she was startled.

“Orang sini. Orang Sabah,” was the reply.

“Ya, tapi kaum apa?”

“Mak orang Bajau. Ayah orang Bugis.“

If it’s one thing I learned from my short trip to Sabah, it’s that it’s way more multi-cultural than anywhere on the peninsular. Sabah’s ethnic makeup is unique in the sense that no one ethnic group has a clear, commanding majority in the state. That is why the issue of ‘ketuanan‘ of one ethnic group, a rhetoric that plagues the peninsular, is by and large non-existent in Sabah.

In Sabah, they cherish their multi-culturalism. My uncle married a Sabahan Kadazan-dusun (who converted to Islam). Yet during Hari Raya, her Christian relatives would visit her, so much so that the first day of Aidilfitri is fully booked for her to entertain her relatives. When my cousins got married, the nights will be filled with religious activities whilst the day witnessed cultural activities such as the Kadazan’s tarian sumazau. And one of her children married a Bajau, to further add into the melting pot another ethnic mixture.

In the peninsular, our multiracial tolerance is considered ‘healthy’ if other races are mixing freely with each other. In Sabah, they bring tolerance to a whole new level.

I think there’s a lot we can learn from Sabah. Here is a state with at least 32 officially recognized ethnic groups with a multitude of different faiths, from Christianity to Islam to animistic beliefs. Yet, whilst they may differ ethnically and religiously from each other, they see themselves as Sabahans. They have their native languages, but they converse with each other in that Sabah dialect of Bahasa Malaysia.

Yet it is said that this mystical land, this beacon of ethnic tolerance and integration has been increasingly sidelined by the developments taking place in West Malaysia. My journey to Sabah was limited to places accessible by roads, but I have read that there are still many places cut off from any major forms of transportation. Not to mention the lack of basic amenities such as water and electricity. In this month’s edition of Off the Edge, there is an entry by Mr. Joe Leong entitled “No Bailout for You – Part II“. The article brings to our attention the plight of the people of Pitas, within the Kudat peninsula, a region known for the hardcore poor in Sabah. They live in huts with no furniture, their children will probably not finish school and they have to ‘borrow from here and there to meet ends meet’. No electricity, no water and public transport is non-existent.

Even in places with access to electricity, water and transportation, the facilities pale in comparison to the worse areas in the peninsular. Along the way to Simpang Mengayang, the northernmost tip of the island of Borneo, we had to pass through a stretch of road which was not tarred. And to think, Simpang Mengayang is a tourist destination, not some far off village!

But oh how we have plundered the  East Malaysian states dry. Their rich natural resources has provided a steady revenue for the federal government. And we can’t even provide basic amenities for their people. Daylight robbery?

Supporters of the New Economic Policy, who claim that there’s nothing wrong with the policy and it should not be reviewed, should spend some time in Sabah. They will see that a policy based on ethnicity and not on merit will not ultimately serve its purpose. The children of well-connected Datuks will obtain assistance under the policy, but the poor youth in Kundasang will be forgotten, if we continue with the New Economic Policy without any attempt to review its effectiveness.

Actually, I think a lot of Malay ultras and ethno-nationalists (especially those from the ruling coalition) should spend some time in Sabah. They will realize that the whole concept of supremacy of the Malays as the indigenous people Malaysia, will not hold water in Sabah. Malays make up only 11% of the population, yet somewhat perplexingly, a Malay chief minister (from UMNO) leads the state. The argument put forth by the ethno-nationalists that this state or that state must be lead by a Malay because Malays are the majority doesn’t seem to apply to Sabah. If going by that argument, a Christian Kadazan-dusun should be the Chief Minister. Of course, in saying that, I myself am bringing to Sabah the racial ‘logic’ from the peninsular. Maybe Sabahans do not care who leads them, as long at the end of the day, he/she is a Sabahan.

My father continued his ‘interrogation’ of the Bugis-Bajau stall keeper.

“Mak orang Bajau, bapa orang Bugis ye? Jadi, kamu orang apa?“

“Orang Sabahlah!” she replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The Star interviews my Sultan 2 December 2008

The Star carried an interview with HRH Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the Sultan of Selangor. It’s a great read.

Here are some excerpts.

On racial politics:

For example, I am disturbed that some of our politicians, regardless of their political parties, prefer to dwell on trivial issues. They are harping on issues that have no relevance to the country. With the global economic crisis, I would expect them to focus their energy and resources on how best they could help Malaysians face this financial uncertainty. But the issues that these politicians have brought up are disappointing. I am concerned with the manner some politicians exploit racial issues for their own agenda.

Malaysia belongs to all races, not just the Malays. The country is what it is today because of the contributions of all races and that is something we must acknowledge.

On the PKNS general manager issue:

I think it was a non-issue. The person has served in PKNS loyally and effectively for 30 years, so why should her promotion be questioned? If she’s not good, she would have been sacked a long time ago.

On Datukships:

This year, I have decided that only a few people would be awarded Datukship, two Dato Seri and one Dato Setia.There would be no politicians, either from the past or present government.

His Highness’ Birthday wish:

It’s simple. I like to see the people of all races live together in harmony. We have been able to do that for the last 50 years and even before independence and I believe the ordinary people love peace. What they want in life is simple – to live happily, have a decent life and see their children have a future in Malaysia.

I must say that I have newfound respect for His Royal Highness. What he said is a breath of fresh air, especially with politicians using race to further their personal goals. The political deadlock in the country has allowed the Malay Rulers to assert their influence and they seem to relish what is in essence their Constitutional role.

Although, I must disagree with returning royal immunity to the Rulers. I mean for every Tuanku Mirzan, Raja Nazrin and Sultan Sharafuddin, there are others who are ‘less than royal’ in their attitudes.

Daulat Tuanku!

The diversity of Malay-ness 25 November 2008

I have a confession: I find it highly amusing when some people talk of ketuanan Melayu.

Case in point: UMNO Deputy Youth Chief aspirant, Datuk Reezal Merican Naina Merican is always in the forefront when ‘defending’ Malay rights. He is the president of the Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS), an unashamedly UMNO-supporting outfit. He constantly talks about ketuanan Melayu and telling non-Malays not to cabar orang Melayu.

However, Datuk Reezal is a Malay who is ethnnically not Malay (or my short form: “MENM”).

The term Melayu or Malays in Malaysia differs from the anthropological understanding of what constitutes an ethnic Malay. This has been largely due to Article 160(2) of the Federal Constitution, which defines a Malay as someone who:

professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom and -

(a) was before Merdeka Day born in the Federation or in Singapore or born of parents one of whom was born in the Federation or in Singapore, or is on that day domiciled in the Federation or in Singapore; or

(b) is the issue of such a person;

This definition is wide enough to cover people from many different ethnic backgrounds, not merely people who would ‘traditionally’ be an ‘ethnic Malay’.

Thus, even though ethnically Datuk Reezal is a MENM, Article 160 of the Constitution defines him as Malay.

Of course, Datuk Reezal is not alone in this. There are many who MENMs who qualify as Malays by virtue of the Constitution. Malaysian Malays hail their ancestries from all over the world.

There are Malays, like Datuk Reezal, with Indian ethnicity. There are those with Pakistani blood, those tracing their lineage to Arabia, those who are ethnically Javanese, Cham, Chinese, Minangkabau, Bugis and many others.

Of course, these days, Malays of various ancestries are beginning to share a common culture, in line with the ethno-religious identity created by the Constitution. This has been helped by the fact that Malay culture has always been very open and very inclusive: it allows for the seamless assimilation of non-Malay elements. Similarly, the Malays themselves do not find it a problem to embrace non-Malays as one of their own. I have seen this most prominently in the case of Chinese-Muslim converts, who most of the time will start to adopt Malay culture and soon accepted as a Malay. So they become MENMs.

That is why it is very amusing to see people like Datuk Reezal ranting and raving about defending the Malays from ‘the others’.

Both my grandfathers were ethnic Bugis. Both my grandmothers were ethnic Malays. As such, I have  a mixed ancestry. In Indonesia, I might be considered a Bugis or a Melayu (and of course, more importantly, an Indonesian). Yet in Malaysia, I am officially a Malay. I am a Muslim, I speak bahasa Melayu (Malaysia?) and I conform to Malay custom. Thus, I am Malay.

See my point? Officially, my Bugis blood is of little relevance in Malaysia. I am most definitely a Malay because of the Constitutional definition.

Similarly MENMs legally become Malay by virtue of the Constitution. MENMs socially become Malay by virtue of the inclusiveness of the culture and the people.  MENMs become Malay when the line ’separating’ the Malays and non-Malays were widened to include them.

As such, it is simply hypocritical for people like Datuk Reezal Merican keep harping on that line of separation between ‘us’ and ‘them’.

Some fatwa suggestions… 24 November 2008

By now, I’m sure most of you have read about the fatwa of the National Fatwa Council banning Muslims from practicing yoga. You can read the fatwa here.

I don’t really want to comment much on this matter. Members of the National Fatwa Council are supposed to be the ‘best of the best’ in their field. I wouldn’t like it if someone not versed in the law to question my findings. Similarly, I do not feel that I can legitimately question the edict for the simple fact that my knowledge in this matter is very limited. That does not stop me from forming my own personal views on the matter, of course.

What I can question is the selection of issues that the Council delivers its edicts upon. Yoga is hardly the most pressing of issues plaguing Malaysia’s Muslim community.

How about delivering a fatwa on money politics? Yes, everyone knows that rasuah is haram, but what is rasuah? Is giving RM100 to ‘beli baju Melayu‘ considered rasuah and therefore haram? How about RM500 as duit minyak? Corruption is rampant amongst Muslims, yet all we have are yoga and pengkid edicts?

How about going an extra mile? How about deliberating on whether the Internal Security Act, which allows arbitrary detention without trial, is haram or not? I have actually seen our prime minister using verses from the Holy Quran to justify the use of ISA, something which I feel is very wrong. From those people well versed in Islam who actually are actually brave enough to comment on the Act, it would seem that the ISA is un-Islamic and haram. The National Fatwa Council should use its considerable expertise to decide on the issue once and for all.

In fact, why not issue a fatwa on the concept of Malay supremacy? I’m quite sure that the concept of the supremacy of one race over and above other races is un-Islamic. No such thing as racial supremacy in Islam. All are equal before the Creator.

So how about it, revered members of the Fatwa Council?

Bloomberg interviews Ali Rustam 12 November 2008

The scene – March 2009. Datuk Seri Mohd. Ali Bin Mohd. Rustam has just won the Deputy President post in the UMNO elections. By convention, he has also been appointed to be the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. Soon after, criticism began to mount on his credentials as Deputy Prime Minister. Amongst those criticisms are that he lacks knowledge in foreign relations and the economy and also of his poor command of the English language.

In order to dispel those criticisms, an interview was arranged with American news company Bloomberg. Here is the transcript of that interview.

Interviewer: Good evening, you’re with me, Condelezza Cruz on a special interview with Mr. Mohd Ali Mohd Rustam, the new deputy prime minister of Malaysia. We will be asking his views on a number of pertinent issues in Malaysia and the world. First of all Mr. Ali Rustam, congratulations on being elected as Deputy President of the United Malays National Organization or UMNO, a part of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

Ali Rustam: Tenkiu very much. Actuallyyyy… I want to correct you. I am actuallyyy a ‘Datuk Seri’. You know ‘Datuk Seri’? It’s a title we give in Malaysia. Like the ‘Sir’ that your Queen give you. But we got a lot of titles, got Datuk, Datuk Seri, Tan Sri and oso Tun.

Interviewer: My humblest apologies, Datuk Seri. And I believe that you are referring to the knighthood awarded by the Her Majesty the Queen of England. However, Bloomberg is an American company.

Ali Rustam: Amerika? Sorry, sorry, you all look the same. Of course, Amerika. Oh you got Obama right? Obama is good! He is negro but he become President. Goodlah like that. Amerika now good, hopefully doesn’t become setan anymore. You know setan? We Muslims believe got Setan. Devil. Setan very bad. Amerika oso very bad last time, like devil. Now maybe with Obama Amerika can become good.

Interviewer: Yes, Mr. Obama is the first African American president of the United States.

Ali Rustam: Yeah, his father is negro, right?

Interviewer: (ignoring the ‘negro’ remark) It’s interesting Datuk Seri that you brought up Mr. Obama as the first black American president. Can you ever see the same thing happening in Malaysia?

Ali Rustam: No, no, no, Malaysia don’t have negros. Indians have lah.

Interviewer: Can an ethnic Indian become the prime minister then? Or an ethnic Chinese?

Ali Rustam: No, no, no, cannot! Only Melayu can become PM. You see, the Malaysia is last time owned by the Malays Only later the Indians and Chinese come. We take them in, of course. We got this social contract between the races. They cannot become PM, of course. In Malaysia we got ketuanan Melayu, you know?  You know ketuanan Melayu?

Interviewer: Yes, I am familiar with the concept of ‘ketuanan Melayu’, or Malay supremacy.

Ali Rustam: Yes, yes, Malays are supremacy. Malaysia used to be tanah Melayu you see? Now it is Malaysia, but still belong to the Malays. You see, you must understand, Malays have our own ajenda. The Chinese and Indians must understand. They are Malaysian oso, but they cannot lebih-lebih, you see?

Interviewer: So it’s impossible to see a non-Malay PM in Malaysia?

Ali Rustam: Not impossible-lah. Nothing is impossible. But cannot lah. Like I said, Malays have got our own ajenda. The Chinese and Indians oso got thier ajenda. So we got to compromise lah. You white people won’t understand.

Interviewer: Actually Datuk Seri, I am Hispanic.

Ali Rustam: Why you panic?

Interviewer: Hispanic. It’s alright Datuk Seri. Moving on, with the world being embroiled in the global financial crisis, what steps will Malaysia take to buffer the effects?

Ali Rustam: Buffer means what?

Interviewer: To cushion the effects.

Ali Rustam: Oh, kusyen. Actuallyyyy… this ekonomi question all you don’t ask me. The Finance Minister is Datuk Najib, our PM. Or you can ask the mamak guy, what’s his name? Oh Nor Yaacop. Ekonomi is not my portfolio. I am ketua menteri Melaka. I know about tourism. You know Melaka?

Interviewer: It is a state in the Federation of Malaysia, am I correct?

Ali Rustam: Correct! Goodlah you, you know Melaka. You must already watch the Shah Rukh Khan movie One Two Ka Four right? Good movie right? You know, we give Datuk to Shah Rukh Khan? He told me he is very happy, he said he will come to Melaka always. We oso thinking of naming a street after him. Jalan Shah Rukh Khan. Probably in those DAP areas.

Interviewer: Can I just pick up on what you said. You mentioned the Democratic Action Party or DAP, part of the opposition coalition of Pakatan Rakyat, or People’s Alliance. Last year, the oppositon have made siginificant inroads during the 12th General Elections. Can you share with us your thoughts on why this occured.

Ali Rustam: Actuallyyy… these opposition they lie to the people. They say that UMNO is bad. We are not bad. We are good! We lead Malaysia for 51 years you know! You see, Malaysia now very developed! They won  a lot because they lie to people. But I think now the people understand, the people realize that only UMNO and Barisan Nasional can take care of Malaysia.

Interviewer: But you cannot deny that their influence have increased, especially under the leadership of Mr. Anwar Ibrahim.

Ali Rustam: Anwar? He is big liar. He lie to the people. he said last year September 16 he can make the government, but don’t have! We still the government! No one believes him. You know, he got big problems already. You know he has court case? I don’t want to say anything lah, but a guy said that Anwar sodomized him. I don’t want to say anything about that lah. But the guy swear on the Quran that Anwar did it. Swearing is not a small thing you know!

Interviewer: …

Ali Rustam: But like I said, I don’t want to say anything about that. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. I tell you what I think later, okay?

Interviewer: … Moving on, as the new deputy prime minister, what is your vision for the future of Malaysia.

Ali Rustam: Vision? Oh you mean Vision 2020. That one last time our former PM, Tun Mahathir, you know him?

Interviewer: Yes, Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohammad.

Ali Rustam: Good, you know! So last time Tun came up with vision 2020. Wawasan Dua Puluh Dua Puluh, we say in Malay. And then you know Pak Lah become PM. You know Pak Lah?

Interviewer: Yes Datuk Seri. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the former PM.

Ali Rustam: So Pak Lah came and he extended vision 2020. So now vision 2020 is in 2050.

Interviewer: So its now vision 2050?

Ali Rustam: No, no, no, you whites don’t understand. It’s still vision 2020, but in 2050. But now that Datuk Seri Najib is the PM, I dunno whether its still in 2050 or 2020. But to answer your question, yes, I have vision 2020.

Interviewer: … That is all the time we have for this interview. Once again Datuk Seri, congratulations on being the deputy UMNO President, and congratulations on being appointed as the deputy prime minister. All the best to you and your country.

Ali Rustam: Your welcome. This interview shown on Astro, right? What time?

Interviewer: … We’ll inform you later.

Note: This is a purely fictional interview, conjured up for the sake of humour. I am not implying that Mr. Ali Rustam is a bad at foreign relations, ethnic relations, the economy nor am I implying that his English is bad. Basically, I am not implying that the real Ali Rustam is an idiot. I’m sure he isn’t.

“Malaysia, A Lost Democracy”, indeed! 3 November 2008

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, former de facto law minister recently delivered a speech at the 22nd LawAsia Conference held in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. His speech is entitled, ‘Malaysia, A Lost Democracy?’.

It was one of the best speeches I have heard. It examines and identifies precisely what is wrong with the state of democracy in our country. And what gives the speech more credence is the fact that Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is a member of the ruling UMNO (for how long?) and for a short while, a minister in the Barisan Nasional government.

He began by taking us back to 31 August 1957.

The quest for self-determination has not been one that recognised race. It has been, simply put, a Malayan one.

… one of the elements that gave confidence to the Alliance leaders, and all Malayans was the knowledge that a constitutional arrangement that accorded full respect and dignity for each and every Malayan, entrenched in the Rule of Law and established a democratic framework of government had been put in place.

Thus,  the Consitution of Malaya was drafted to allow for constitutional government whilst preserving the status of the Malay sultans and the giving special position to the Malays (and later, the bumiputeras of East Malaysia).

If at all there was a social contract, it was the guarantee of equality and the promise of the Rule of Law.

He then went through the race riots of 1969 and the creation of the New Economic Policy (NEP), to correct the economic imbalance between the races. The NEP was envisioned to be a temporary measure to help the Malays. It had nothing to do with Malay rights.

However, in the 1980s, there was a unilateral restructuring of the so called ’social contract’ by certain segements of the Barisan Nasional leadership:

Bandied about by UMNO ideologues, the Social Contract took a different, more racialist tone. The essence of its reconstructed meaning was this: that Malaya is primarily the home of the Malays, and the non-Malays should acknowledge that primacy by showing deference to the Malays and Malay issues. Also, Malay interest and consent must be allowed to set the terms for the definition and exercise of non-Malay citizenship and political rights. This marked the advent of Ketuanan Melayu, or in English, Malay Supremacy. Affirmative action and special status became a matter of privilage by reference to race rather than of need and questioning of this new status quo was not to be tolerated.

(The emphasis is mine.)

Thus according to Mr. Zaid, Ketuanan Melayu is in fact a fairly recent UMNO creation. Never was it envisioned by our founding fathers nor by the Constitution. Equating Ketuanan Melayu with the social contract is simply a big, fat UMNO propaganda.

Indeed, he opined that it is impossible to reconcile the principles of equality and civil rights of the people of this country with the primacy of one group over all others.

Of course, this new ’social order’ would not be easily accepted. In order to ‘force’ the compliance of this new social order, harsh laws such as the Internal Security Act, the Official Secrets Act, the Police Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, and the Sedition Act were tightened further.

A prominent UMNO up-and-coming UMNO leader had said that there is ‘no need for judicial reform as it does not benefit the Malays’. To this, Mr. Zaid remarked:

In saying as he did recently that there is no need for law and judicial reforms as it will not benefit the Malays, he typifies what is perceived as the kind of UMNO leader who appeals to the right-wing of Malay polity.

That he may be right is sad as it leads to the ossification of values that will only work against the interests of the party and the nation. This type of thinking may pave the way to a suggestion in the future that we may as well do away with general elections altogether as they may not be good for the Malays for if the justice that a revitalised Rule of Law would allow for is not to the benefit of the Malays, what is?

More inefficiency, more corruption and a more authoritarian style of government perhaps. We are a deeply divided nation, adrift for our having abandoned democratic traditions and the Rule of Law in favour of a political ideology that serves no one save those who rule.

Mr. Zaid wondered whether one day we would do away with general elections as ‘it does not benefit the Malays’.

One of the tenets of the Rule of Law is that everybody is equal before the law. Thomas Paine, the English philosopher, stated that “for as in absolute governments the king is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king; and there ought to be no other.” The Rule of Law dictates that laws must be applied evenly and fairly to all. But such is not the case in our country.

Let me point a few out to you. A gathering of one group constitutes an illegal assembly but not that of another. A speech or publication is seditious or constitutes a serious threat to the security of the nation such as to warrant detention without trial under the ISA if published by one person but not another.

We claim to be a constitutional democracy. Yet how can the democratic principle of separation of powers be practiced? How is the triumvirate of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary check and balance each other if the judiciary is subservient to the executive? Or if executive decisions cannot be challenged? In other democracies, judicial review provides for a powerful tool to curb the excesses of the executive. Not so in Malaysia.

For instance, where government compulsorily acquires land for a public purpose, the Courts are prevented from questioning the bona fides of the acquisition. Where a discretion is exercised by the Minister of Home Affairs under the Internal Security Act, the Court is barred from examining the exercise of the discretion except so far as to ensure that the procedural requirements have been followed. Such detention without trial would be considered repugnant in any system predicated on the Rule of Law.

Our attitude towards these long established tenets of democracy have resulted in a climate that promotes fear and division. We do not seem to be concerned with nation-building, we’re more interested in bickering over each other for our ‘rights’. We have failed in dealing with complex issues of society. We have forgotten about discourse, we have not remembered what it was to talk and to listen to each other. Everything these days is deemed sensitive, a threat to the nation. So we sweep under the carpet the issues of the day.

The Ketuanan Melayu model has failed. It has resulted in waste of crucial resources, energy and time and has distracted from the real issues confronting the country.

I agree with Mr. Zaid. This UMNO propaganda, this recent creation, this unconstitutional and un-Islamic concept of Malay supremacy has well and truly failed.

We will not succeed in promoting, a united country and allow for the evolution of Bangsa Malaysia if we do not subscribe to the Rule of Law. We need the openness, freedom and social justice that will be possible only with it in place and democracy. How do we bring unity to the people if we are not prepared to respect their dignity?

But no, day by day, we are served with a dose of racial politics. Be it in the form derogatory remarks, to ‘warnings not to play with fire’, to illegal assemblies, protest, colour co-ordinated student ‘walks’, to blatent lies in Utusan Malaysia, everything is about race and nothing but race. The politics of division, rather than unity. The Malays are especially bombarded by fears of ‘bangsa asing’ (a deragatory term in itself).

The Malays are now a clear majority in numbers. The fear of their being out numbered is baseless; they are not under seige. The institutions of government are such that the Malays are effectively represented, and the there is no way the interest of the Malays can be taken away other than through their own weakness and folly.

Is all this for the benefit of the nation?

At the end of the day, we must ask ourselves what it is that will allow us to protect all Malaysians, including the Malays? Good governance is about good leadership; and good leadership is all about integrity. We must have leaders of integrity in whom people can place their trust. If there is no integrity in leadership, the form of government is immaterial – it will fail.

In closing, Mr. Zaid said this:

I would like to say more about law, democracy and about our beloved country. But time does not permit. In any event, I have to be careful. The more we say, the more vulnerable we become. But my parting message is this: The people of goodwill must continue to strive to bring about change, so that we can rebuild the trust of all Malaysians. From that trust, we can rebuild the country where we do not live in fear, but in freedom; that the rights of all Malaysians are acknowledged, respected and protected by the system of law that is just and fair. There is no quest more honourable and a struggle more worthy of sacrifice.

Actually, my short summary of Mr. Zaid’s speech do not do justice to it. I urge all Malaysians who yearn to create a new Malaysia, a better Malaysia, to read and understand his speech. It can be found here.

When he finished, the hall erupted in applause. The audience gave him a standing ovation. Mr. Zaid must have felt a sense of satisfaction. In UMNO, he was treated like a pariah for having principles. In the government, he tried his best to bring change, but he found himself facing a brick wall. Indeed, in an interview right after he resigned as a minister, he said:

Although I thanked the PM for his suggestion that I go on leave instead, I am not tired. I’m just disappointed

He must have felt himself to be alone in trying to bring about change. But at least now he knows that there are many Malaysians that share his thoughts and his desire to make Malaysia better.

DPM: In the future, NEP is to be replaced 24 October 2008

This is an interesting piece of news.

From Malaysian Insider:

Najib ready to end special privileges for the Malays

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is ready to end the special privileges for the Malays, but stressed that this must be done gradually.

In an interview with Bloomberg Television, the Prime Minister-designate said “if we do not change, the people will change us”.

“In the not-too-distant future, we will see all the elements of the New Economic Policy being replaced.” He didn’t say when that might occur.

“It’s a huge challenge,” Najib said in the interview yesterday. “There must be this political will and desire to change within Umno. I don’t think we can expect people to look at us in more favourable terms unless we change, unless we rectify our weaknesses.”

The Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition used the scrapping of the NEP as a campaign pledge to inflict record losses on the ruling Barisan Nasional in the March general election.

The NEP was devised by Najib’s father, Tun Abdul Razak, when he was Malaysia’s second prime minister to boost the Malays’ economic status — through job allocations, cheaper homes and other benefits — in a country where ethnic Chinese had long been more prosperous and remain so. About 65 per cent of country’s 27 million people are Malay.

According to Bloomberg, by offering to scrap the NEP, at an unspecified time, and replace it with a needs-based system, Najib is moving closer to the stance of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who also supports a system based on economic need.

Anwar is trying to seize power but said on Wednesday he is finding it difficult to woo ruling coalition lawmakers to his side.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi plans to step down in March and has named Najib, his deputy, as his successor. Abdullah sped up his planned 2010 exit from the political stage as racial tension increased.

Some analysts Bloomberg spoke to expressed doubt that Umno, the leading party in the ruling coalition, is ready to give up a programme that helps its members. Political consultant Karim Raslan said Umno hasn’t fully accepted how much it needs to change.

“I don’t see enough frankness in terms of challenges facing the party,” Karim said. “Many of the party leaders feel that by replacing Abdullah they will overcome these weaknesses. I have to disagree with them. I don’t see many signs of revival,” Bloomberg quoted him as saying.

Najib’s family has held top positions in politics and business for generations. His father led Malaysia from 1970 to 1976. Najib’s cousin is the current education minister. His younger brother Nazir Razak runs the country’s second-biggest bank CIMB Group Bhd.

Abdullah picked Najib to succeed him despite misgivings by some over controversies surrounding the deputy prime minister.

Najib has denied suggestions that he is linked to the murder of a Mongolian woman in 2006, and that he had an affair with the victim. A political analyst who worked for Najib is on trial for abetting two police officers in the murder.

Anwar also has accused Najib of profiting from defence contracts and of being behind criminal charges that the opposition leader had sex with a man. Anwar denies the sex charge, and Najib denies both being involved in bringing the case against his opponent and making money from defence contracts.

Bloomberg also quoted former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as saying that Najib has to explain all things that are said about him. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any other candidate. We have no choice but to choose Najib,” Dr Mahathir said.’

In the interview, Najib called the allegations against him baseless.

“I’m telling you, I wouldn’t stay in office a day longer if I knew I am involved in these allegations,” he said. “There’s no proof, no basis. I can sue people, but it’s going to be a tedious process in court.”

First off, I think the report is misleading and has fallen into UMNO’s trap of equating the New Economic Policy with that of Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, the special position of the Malays. A more thorough examination of this can be found in my post: ‘Artikel 153, DEB dan Membela Nasib Rakyat‘.

Now I must applaud the DPM for this admission that the NEP will be gradually replaced. Many, including myself, has advocated a review or replacement of the NEP as an economic policy as its relevance is fast becoming obsolete. The policy, which was crafted to promote an equal playing field amongst the various ethnic groups in Malaysia, has been abused by the ‘UMNOputeras’, invidividuals within UMNO or linked with UMNO for the benefit of these select few at the expense of the community as a whole.

I still have my doubts as to whether this is merely Mr. Najib’s way of gaining support from the moderate Malays and the non-Malay. After all, replacing the NEP has been an effective mantra for Paktan Rakyat, and as pointed out by the report, this statement from Mr. Najib brings him ideologically closer to his political nemesis, Mr. Anwar Ibrahim.

More interestingly, I wonder how Mr. Najib’s statement will go down with the vast majority of UMNO members. Many of them believe that the NEP is their God-given right, encapsulated in the concept of ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ i.e. the Malays are the masters of the land. The most frequent criticism levelled to those within Pakatan Rakyat is that with Pakatan, the Malays would lose their ketuanan and their ’special privilages’. Recall, just after the political tsunami of 8 March 2008, when newly appointed Penang Chief Minister supposedly said that the new Penang government will not practice NEP, a bunch of Malay jaguhs from UMNO (and its kunco-kunco) in Penang protested in front of the Komtar building at the Chief Minister’s alleged statement. Recall also, the numerous times Utusan attempts to paint Pakatan and its leaders as anti-Malay (for the non-Malays) and pengkhianat bangsa (for the Malays).

Now, their very own selected prime-minister-to-be has said that the NEP will one day go away.

To many of those in UMNO, the question of replacing the NEP does not arise. To them, the NEP is not a way to even the playing field, but a right, supposedly enshrined in the Constitution and agreed upon when the ’social contract’ was drafted.

I wonder how they are going to reconcile Mr. Najib’s statement with thier far-right leanings in terms of the NEP.

But one thing is for sure. You won’t see GPMS protesting in front of the DPM’s office. You won’t see the Badan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu or any of those Malay NGOs protesting either. You won’t see UiTM students with colour-coded uniforms marching to Putrajaya. You might not even see a report on this carried in Utusan Malaysia.

I reckon, all these Malay jaguhs will do is just pretend that Mr. Najib never said those near-blashphemous words.

Race bla bla bla… and we’re behind 21 October 2008

It seems that every time I go out of the country and return to it, I dread.

Maybe its a case of the grass being greener on the other side. But as soon as I set foot in Malaysia, the things that I dislike about the country hits me in the face.

Race. Racism. Racialism. Ketuanan. Melayu. Cina. India. Bumiputera. Bukan bumiputera. Hak. Prejudice. Us vs them. Social contract. Bla bla bla.

Again and again and again.

For what?

Yeah, keep fighting amongst each other. Keep eying each other with suspicion. Keep your prejudices. Your ‘all they want to do is control the country’. Keep looking at our differences.

All around us, the world is moving faster and faster. Things are happening.

Don’t blame anyone else but ourselves when we one day discover that we’re left behind.

Spin, media, spin! 30 July 2008

Be wary of the BN-controlled mainstream media.

They are masters at ’spinning’ stories. In fact, they’re so good at what they do that even BN leaders themselves fell for their spin. Look at the media onslaught prior to the March elections. They painted such a rosy picture for Barisan that their masters themselves thought that they still had the rakyat’s support. That is why when the tsunami hit, they were left speechless, trying to pick up the broken pieces of their parties, conducting postmortems after postmortems.

Yet the media has not stopped spinning. Their target? Systematic attacks on the opposition Pakatan Rakyat and the 5 states they control.

UMNO controlled Utusan Malaysia continuously plays the racial card with its readers, with notions that the fictitious ketuanan Melayu is at risk by non-Malays. English dailies like the Star and NST on the other hand are playing up to the fears of the non-Malays, especially with Islamist party PAS.

With the recent muzakarah issue between UMNO and PAS, both the English and Malay language medias have a common source to spin their stories. Utusan played the issue of muzakarah for ‘Malay unity’, whilst the English dailes aim to create fear and distrust amongst Pakatan supporters.

Let’s see how the media spin the statements from Tuan Guru Nik Aziz today. I quote here a Bernama report, taken from the Star:

PAS proposes hudud laws if it merges with UMNO

KOTA BARU: PAS will propose the implementation of hudud and qisas laws, among other things, if the proposed PAS-Umno merger becomes a reality.

PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said the proposal was in line with Islamic principles and could be implemented if both parties, which were now having ongoing discussions on Malay and Muslim issues, agreed to it towards forming a new political entity.

In Islamic law or syariah, hudud usually refers to the class of punishments which are fixed for certain crimes, including theft, robbery, illicit sex, alcohol consumption and apostasy, where the punishment for these offences are corporal in nature.

Qisas (law of retaliation) refers to offences that involve bodily injury or loss of life, the punishment of which is death or imprisonment, but compensation in the form of money or property is accepted if the guardian of the victim forgives the offender.

Nik Aziz said in the muqabalah (discussion) spirit between PAS and Umno, any cooperation in forming a new political entity must be based on Islam, including implementing hudud laws as required by the religion.

“What worries me is that if the pact materialises, there’ll be people trying to sabotage it by putting up an independent candidate who is against the proposal, to challenge our candidate,” the Kelantan Mentri Besar told reporters after launching a building fund for the Baraah mosque here on Wednesday.

He said based on the spirit of democracy in the country, all quarters including Umno and the Chinese and Indians could hold discussions and give their views towards a better understanding of Islam and its laws.

However, he said, what was of utmost importance to him was ensuring the success of the PAS-Umno dialogue first before discussing the future of the Muslim community in this country.

On Perak Umno liaison chief Datuk Seri Mohd Tajol Rosli Ghazali’s offer for PAS to form a new coalition state government with Barisan Nasional for Malay political unity and Islamic interests, Nik Aziz said the matter would be discussed at the party’s Central Working Committee meeting at the PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. — Bernama

But what did the mursyidul am really said? Here is the report from Harakahdaily:

UMNO Perak kini semakin gelabah

KOTA BHARU, 30 Julai (Hrkh) – Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat menyifatkan pelawaan Umno untuk menubuhkan kerajaan bersama PAS di Perak menggambarkan parti itu kini semakin gelabah.

Mursyidul Am PAS berkata, pelawaan itu membuktikan parti tersebut begitu menyesal terhadap apa yang telah dilakukan terhadap PAS selama ini sehingga terpaksa mengajak untuk bergabung sekarang.

Bercakap kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan majlis pelancaran tabung Penambahbaikan Masjid Al-Baraah dan Ceramah Israk Mikraj di perkarangan Pasar Besar Siti Khatijah hari ini katanya, tindakan seperti dilakukan Umno Perak menggambarkan mereka bermasalah.

“Kalau di dunia sudah memperlihatkan masalah, apa lagi kalau di akhirat, lagi bermasalah,” kata beliau.

Kelmarin Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan Umno Perak, Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali dilaporkan mengajak PAS menubuh kerajaan campuran di Perak sebagai simbol perpaduan Islam dan Melayu.

Ekoran tawaran tersebut Dewan Pemuda PAS Kubang Kerian petang semalam membuat laporan polis kerana menyifatkan tindakan bekas Menteri Besar Perak itu mempunyai unsur-unsur rasuah.

Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz yang juga Menteri Besar Kelantan bagaimanapun berkata, keputusan mengenai perkara akan dibuat dalam mesyuarat jawatankuasa PAS Pusat di Kuala Lumpur esok.

Beliau yang akan menghadiri mesyuarat itu esok menjelaskan pendiriannya tetap sama sebagaimana sebelum ini iaitu muqabalah dibolehkan dengan Umno dan tidak mungkin untuk bergabung dalam pakatan politik.

“Muqabalah dengan sesiapa sahaja boleh, sebab Islam sendiri telah mengajar pertemuan perlu diadakan sekiranya ia dapat menyelesaikan masalah masyarakat.

“Nabi Muhammad saw pernah mengadakan muqabalah dengan kaum musyrikin untuk menyelesaikan masalah masyarakat di zaman baginda.

“Begitu juga sekarang muqabalah dengan sesiapa pun boleh, tetapi jangan libatkan gabungan politik,” ujarnya.

Menurutnya, muqabalah, muzakarah, musyawarah atau seumpamanya tiada masalah diadakan, sebaliknya berbincang politik dengan parti lawan (Umno) perlu berhati-hati kerana peristiwa lama telah berlaku 50 tahun lalu.

Beliau menegaskan PAS memang terluka hati dengan tindakan Umno menyingkir PAS setelah bergabung dalam Barisan Nasional pada 1970-an.

“Peristiwa Memali, peristiwa Lubuk Merbau, penubuhan Jabatan Pembangunan Persekutuan di Kelantan dan membatal pendaratan minyak dan gas di Pantai Senok Bachok adalah antara peristiwa yang tidak mudah dilupakan,” ujarnya.

Beliau juga berkata, muqabalah yang diadakan di antara pemimpin PAS dan Umno sebelum ini menyebabkan situasi tidak tenang berlaku di kalangan penyokong PAS.

“Mereka marah saya macam-macam sehingga pedih telinga mendengarnya,” ujar beliau. – mj

What the Tuan Guru said about muqabalah or muzakarah is not mentioned in the Bernama report at all.

“Begitu juga sekarang muqabalah dengan sesiapa pun boleh, tetapi jangan libatkan gabungan politik,”

Similarly, his remark about PAS supporters being angry:

“Mereka marah saya macam-macam sehingga pedih telinga mendengarnya,”

And of course, his remark about UMNO Perak:

“Kalau di dunia sudah memperlihatkan masalah, apa lagi kalau di akhirat, lagi bermasalah,”

The Tuan Guru’s position on the whole issue is clear from the start. You can muqabalah all you want, but it must not involve any political co-operation.

Unfortunately, many of us still fall for the mainstream media’s trap. Even so-called Pakatan ’supporters’. And even some veteran politicians in Pakatan itself.