The Islamisation of Malaysia - this is what is happening to our multi-cultural nation. The recent directive that all policewomen must wear the tudung at official parades further attests to this.

How else can one rationalise the order from Inspector-General of Police Mohd Bakri Omar, ostensibly to "ensure uniformity of dress at official parades"?

Bakri's directive is a clear violation of human rights and goes against the spirit of muhibbah so long professed by Malaysians.

The ruling has confirmed that the spirit and soul of muhibbah is no longer alive among Malaysians. Compulsion is certainly no way to imbue respect and love for religion or culture.

Perhaps even Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has little faith in the fellowship of muhibbah for he had no qualms in endorsing the decision.

If uniformity at official parades has not been a problem all these years, why is it a cause for concern now? What really is the agenda behind the directive?

The government has shown little shame in trampling on the rights of, and respect for, religious belief.

It is for reasons like this that racism will never end. The country's first serious survey of race relations in more than 50 years has hinted that, behind the government-built facade of unity and peace, lies deep-rooted racism among the people.

Why blame the people if they find comfort and security in their respective ethnicity and not in the 'Malaysian' identity, keeping in mind how discriminatory the government's actions have been, if the New Economic Policy is taken as one example.

Emotional outburst

With the tudung issue, one wonders if Malaysia is on its way towards becoming a country for Malays.

If not, how does one view the emotional outburst of Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, when he labelled parliamentarian Teresa Kok an "Islam hater" because she questioned the tudung directive.

When Kok protested and asked for the remark to be withdrawn, Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Dr Yusof Yacob merely told Nazri that the remark was unnecessary.

By rebuking Kok, it is evident that Nazri is sending out the signal that non-Malays have no authority to question issues related to Malays and Islam. Any threat that the likes of Nazri feel is enhanced by their own sense of insecurity.

Surely non-Malays have the right to voice their concern, more so if any situation encroaches into their basic rights. And since the Barisan Nasional women representatives have been as silent as a corpse, opposition parliamentarians have stepped in to create some noise.

Looking at recent cases, it is evident that the three-in-one Malaysia as envisioned by her founders is no longer alive. Malaysia today is about each race being consumed with self-interest, with no regard and respect for the other. For this sad state of affairs, the villain is none other than the government which has slowly been appropriating the civil liberties of non-Malays.

Culture of disinterest?

With the odds very much in favour of Malays, how does the government intend to attract non-Malays into the civil service, if they are required to wear the tudung or songkok for the sake of 'uniformity'?

Nazri recently announced in Parliament that the quota system will not be imposed for the civil service, so as to ensure that it is multi-racial. He said applications from non-Malays for government posts were too few, indicating their lack of interest.

Of the 899, 250 civil servants as at last year, Malays comprised 77.04 percent followed by Chinese at 9.37 percent and Indians at 5.12 percent.

The government last year received 409, 711 applications to join the civil service of which 81.45 percent were from Malays, 1.61 percent from Chinese, 2.4 percent from Indians and 14.54 percent from other races.

Nazri's conclusion was that there was a "culture" that indicates that non-Malays are not interested in working for the government.

"We always make efforts to turn the civil service into a Malaysian civil service...we advertise and we call them for interviews," Nazri was quoted as saying.

His claim begs correction. The reality is that efforts are made to turn the civil service into a 'Malay' civil service, and that civil servants have no choice but to adhere to the regulations imposed on them.

Civil service woes

It seems too that democracy is a mere act of rhetoric in Malaysia. The weak get bullied by the strong, as seen from the way the opposition speakers are told off by their Barisan Nasional peers in Parliament.

When Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor) asked Nazri whether the civil service employee statistics reflect the failure of the New Economic Policy to restructure the civil service into a multiracial one, Nazri retorted that attempts are always being made to get more non-Malays to join.

"If you just want to mengamuk (go wild) in this House, don't waste my time," was Nazri's lame reply.

A query of immense concern to Lim ( photo , left ) was sadly torn to shreds by the not-so-clever Nazri ( right ).

There is no need to engage Harvard university experts to improve the nation's civil service when the roots of the problem requires fellow Malaysians to address these.

Abdullah's jubilant expectations that the experts will draft strategies and conduct courses to improve efficiency and cut down red tape seem misplaced, for there is no denying that this responsibility can just as well be supervised by local experts.

As always, the post-colonial mentality serves as a drawback for Malaysians wanting to do their bit to right the wrongs in their country.

Instead of happily adding to out-going revenue, Abdullah should have looked within our boundaries for experts to help improve the civil service.

Yet again, gullibility has gotten the better of our so-called leaders.

JJ RAY started her career with a mainstream publication. A non-conformist, she soon saw the barriers that went up whenever, through her writing, she tried to make the world a home for one and all.