In the wake of the fiasco over the Jawi raid on a prominent nightspot in Kuala Lumpur last month, a host of human rights NGOs, organisations and public intellectuals (not to exclude a number of level-headed politicians) have come out against what they saw as the deliberate abuse of religion for the sake of power. We need not repeat the circumstances of the event that led to this debate, suffice to say that more than a hundred Malaysian citizens were humiliated, degraded and abused in public by a number of self-appointed 'moral guardians' - whose own conduct that fateful evening could hardly be described as moral or decent in any way.

Following the storm of protests, the usual suspects have crawled out of the woodwork to rush to Jawi's defence. They include sections of the Islamist party PAS, as well as some right-wing communitarian race-based NGOs. The arguments that have been used thus far read as a catalogue of the same tired and worn-out clichs: It was even implied that to question Jawi's methods and tactics was somehow an affront to some Muslims and to Islam never mind the fact that it was Jawi's own actions that did the most damage to the image of Islam itself!

But amidst this din of acrimony, we forget that it was and is the victims who have been doubly victimised. It was sad to see that some right-wing conservative groups have gone as far as suggesting that there should be even more rigid enforcement of laws, in order to police the allegedly 'wayward' behaviour of the young. Invariably, as authoritarianism marches forth, it is always the weakest sections of society, particularly the young, who are made to pay the price.

The question that I wish to pose to the older generation of Malaysians today is this: If you are so concerned about policing the behaviour and private lives of the youth, what makes you think that you are any better?

Leave the kids alone

Malaysian parents are a curious breed indeed. They produce children who never asked to be produced in the first place, and then demand as their right that their children grow up to be exactly what they wish them to be. The parental culture of this country, like in many other Asian societies, is still based on an unequal power relationship where the elders seem to think that their offspring are merely extensions of themselves, or worse still, potential human capital to be put to work later. The words of Khalil Gibran should be tattooed on the head of every Malaysian parent: "Your children are not YOUR children, but they are the children of Life's longing for itself."

How many times have I come across the wrinkly denizens of this country who say with a smile: "I have plenty of children so that when I am old they will look after me." Is that what parenthood is about? Having kids so that when one is old and grey and soiling the bed one can turn to one's kids with the expectation that they will be there to clean up after you? Are children being produced merely so that they can one day add to the family coffer and stay at home to take care of their parents?

As a Malaysian student studying in Europe many years ago, I was shocked to discover that practically all of my fellow Malaysian students had their subjects and career paths chosen by their parents (usually their overbearing fathers). "I will study economics because my father wants me to", "I will become a lawyer because my father is one", etc were the common explanations given to me. This came as a surprise as I had the choice to doing what I wanted to do coming as I did from a broken dysfunctional family myself (Thank God!).

Malaysian parents still live under the assumption that they have the right to decide what is best for their kids, what they should study, where they will live, who they will marry and so forth. It is hardly a surprise then that the younger generation (particularly those who have lived overseas and tasted freedom for the first time) find it hard to survive in these dry climes.

The calls for 'policing' the behaviour of the youth today are being made by the same type of conservative, aged and aging Malaysian citizenry who still do not comprehend the fundamental value of individual rights and identity. Perhaps it was because so many of the aged Malaysians were living under colonial rule at one time, and have grown used to being policed themselves. Which brings us to an interesting and important historical episode in our nation's history

'Wayward youth' against the British Empire

Allow me to state that I barely qualify as a 'youth myself', and that I am not a lover of clubs, discos or other nightspots frequented by the late-sleepers of Malaysia. Having said that, I have an abiding respect and regard for the so-called 'wayward youth' of Malaysia, for it is in them that I see the future of this country.

The aging Malaysians around us should remember that they were young (once) and that they too were forced to deal with the challenges and complexities of their time. Doubtless they also had to labour under the overbearing paternalistic domination of their parents who wanted to keep them at home and planted before their school books, doing homework and nothing else.

But we must remember that this nation was born out of struggle, and that struggle was initiated by the very same types of 'wayward youth' whom we denounce today. At the height of the British Empire, the might and weight of British imperialism bore heavily on this land. In the 1920s and 1930s however, there emerged a generation of 'wayward youth' who did not listen to their parents, did not remain locked up in the kitchen and did not stay home to do their homework. Their mothers must have been crying their eyes out then, but these 'naughty boys' actually did a number of 'wayward' things like create underground societies, joined the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI) of Sukarno, read texts on anti-colonialism and they eventually formed the Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM), which later became the nucleus of the first Malaysian nationalist movement against the British. These 'wayward youth' included founders of the nation such as Ibrahim Yaakob, Burhanuddin al-Helmy, Ahmad Boestaman (father of Rustam Sani) and others.

In their late teens and early twenties, these 'wayward youth' had the guts and gusto to challenge the might of the British Empire, the most powerful military-industrial complex the world had ever seen. What were the adults doing then? Probably saying 'Tenk yu Sahib' to the big British boss-man and singing 'God Save the Queen'!

The pattern is repeated the world over, as the human condition is fairly common in most cases. The younger generation are always the most active, critical, rebellious and 'wayward' simply because they are not yet integrated into the political-economic structures of the state. It is this relative marginalisation that makes them a weak constituency (and thus an easy target for right-wing groups), but it is also this that makes them the most creative and imaginative section of society. The youth's relative isolation and alienation from the mainstream means that they can play the role of external critic from within, giving them the room and space to think aloud and to interrogate our settled assumptions. The French revolution, the American revolution, the workers movement in Europe and the anti-colonial movement in the South were all pioneered by the young; while the old kept to their beds and complained about the noise outside!

IF Malaysia still wants to entertain this pipe-dream of becoming a world leader in information technology, research, media, advertising, entertainment and all such money-making projects, it is precisely the energy, dynamism and creativity of the young that is needed. But for the young to be the creative and imaginative people they are, they also require an outlet to express themselves and a society that is tolerant of their boisterous experimentation. It was precisely that climate of openness and tolerance for diversity and pluralism that was destroyed when Jawi walked into the Kuala Lumpur club that fateful night.

I can already anticipate the reaction that I am likely to get by writing these words. No doubt, the extreme right-wingers will jump and shout at me: "So you approve of the wild goings-on in these 'wayward youth' parties then"??

Some questions for parents

Allow me to reiterate the fact that I am an old fogey with a receding hairline and arthritis in my toes. I do, however, feel that before the older generation of Malaysian go on yet another of their ill-conceived 'morality campaigns' against the young, they should look at themselves first. There are some questions that every Malaysian citizen above the age of 45 should ask himself or herself, honestly:

If you are above the age of 45 today, then you would have come to political maturity during the decades of the 1980s and 90s. What did YOU do when the Malaysian state became more and more authoritarian, and laws like the ISA, OSA and others were used to trample of the democratic culture of Malaysia?

If you are above the age of 45 today, then you would have seen the gradual privatisation and de-nationalisation of key commodities and assets in the Malaysian economy, and Malaysia's reckless entry into the global market; which has now rendered us vulnerable to the vicissitudes of a global financial system that is unregulated. What was your contribution to stopping that process?

If you are above the age of 45 today, then you would have grown up in a Malaysia where religion was deliberately politicised and used as a political weapon by the dominant political parties in the country, which eventually distorted the face of Malaysian politics and the conduct of governmentality as well. What did you do to halt the process of the politicisation of religion in the country?

If Malaysia today is more complex, and the nation is more divided than ever before thanks to the culture of divisive sectarian race and religion-based politics, it was not the kids in the clubs who are responsible for that. They, if anything, are the victims of the neglect, apathy and political quietitude of their parents (Yes, that you old folks!). The policing of the young and the calls for more enforcement of public space is just another step towards the advance of authoritarianism in Malaysia, as we have argued again and again.

Malaysia's older generation should take into account their own mistakes and complicity in this process, rather than look for scapegoats to blame for their failures in life. Remember: Your children never asked to be born into this difficult and harsh world. The least that you can do as their parents is to show them some respect and to guide them with love, not condescension.