Do religious leaders give any thought to what they say? Some of them appear to excel in the art of making the Malays look more ‘stupid’. To a large extent, some religious authorities have a role in undermining the Malays and seemingly opening them up for ridicule.

You may wonder why few Malays have dared to criticise these religious men and their statements. Their hesitancy stems from the knowledge that other Malays will accuse them of insulting Islam.

Moreover, rent-a-mob thugs may be used to target their homes, businesses and members of their family. Cast your mind back to March 2015, when Aisyah Tajuddin, the presenter of the video clip ‘Does hudud fill our rice-bowl?’, was threatened with rape and death.

The Malay is the product of his environment. Decades of abuse by his leaders and brainwashing by religious leaders have mentally crippled him.

He will not speak out against corrupt leaders for two reasons.

First. The opportunist hopes to fill in the vacuum at the top, and enjoy the riches guaranteed to the holder of the position. In the climb up the greasy pole, he dropped the values and social mores which his elders once held dear.

He may think he is working smart. In fact, he is destroying his and his children’s future. He only thinks of today, and not tomorrow.

Second. The Malay is tribal. He will not speak out against one of his own, because it is akin to a betrayal. His gut tells him that the wrongdoing perpetuated by another Malay should be stopped, but his heart tells him that kinship matters more.

On the eve of voting, someone will offer the Malay RM50, or RM500 (depending on his social standing) and warn him that a win by the opposition, which is aligned to the DAP, will lead to a Chinese PM, and a nation overrun by Singaporeans and Christians.

Former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad observed the weaknesses of the Malays and despite an avowed wish to help them, the Malays became the victims of their own dilemma.

Forty-seven years after ‘The Malay Dilemma’ was written, affirmative action policies have produced a bigger Malay middle class, but ironically many Malays feel victimised. The persecution complex, which makes them think that they will be trodden on by the Chinese and the Christians, still runs deep.

The tribal Malay thinks his rulers can do no wrong. When the Sultan of Johor lashed out against the Arabisation of the Malays, he was praised for his frank views. When ordinary Malays said more or less the same thing, they were denounced for being anti-Islam...