Just like the ulama , the Ketuanan Melayu leadership would pursue the racist principles enshrined within the Malay agenda. They’d go not for issues and principles, but for the best interest of the Malay culture and the religion of Islam, or for the interest of individuals within them. So when they discuss issues, they’d discuss them with reference to the unilateral interest of the Malay and Islam. Discussions on issues are not at all based on principles and merit.

They’d shy away from resorting to dichotomous rational, objective, and alternative second opinions from different parties. This is most unfortunate for they block themselves from fresh and new ideas these different parties might have to offer. They are doomed to be caught in a mindset comprising of stale ideas, and more often irrelevant to modern demands, environments and circumstances.

There is no appeal either, for any appeals are to be heard only by the Syariah court i e people having the same mindset. The net effect is that for the country’s public policies and implementations, the Malay mindset is the judge, jury and executioner. Unilateralism is the key word in the Malay scheme of things.

umno 2007 opening night 061107 stage It is a case where might is right. Might could be right, but the Malay mindset might be cautioned this is so only because of the political backing it receives. Otherwise it is illusory, and it can be right only in the short term. In human history, in the longer term it is truth, universal truth that prevails. Truth when supported by might cannot last for very long.

Thus the Malaysian polity is saddled with a leadership long in unilateralism, short on human rationality. When human rationality is caught in a brick wall, confrontation may not be a good option in the short term. It can only resort to philosophy to seek solace and understanding, as in this case.

The philosophy of it is that the myopic Malay mind is of the conservative and conformist type. It is comfortable with the status quo and very uncomfortable with change. Botox in its own way is a symbolic form of change, of something new, so the Malay mind is highly suspicious of it. As for Gan’s very unfortunate case, the Malay mind is seeing the advent of secular modern life, at the expense of the traditional life centring on conservatism and religion. The old religious values must be protected somehow, and the unfortunate Gan got into the Malay-Muslim mental radar screen.

In the event, the inflexible Malay mind is truly having a field day, not that it is right, but that its views are taken as the truth, and therefore valid, by the ulama and gladly supported by the governing authorities.

In the longer term, the Malay mindset must undergo a complete change. It has to be aware it is harbouring a life of delusion, and contradiction, and be out of it.

The tragedy of it all is that some Ketuanan Melayu leaders are aware of this situation. I’d paraphrase their views by stating that they are aware the Malay mindset is way behind modern times where truth is supported by scientific universality, and not by might.

But the greater tragedy is that they are not doing much about it. I’d hazard a guess, and this is because they are the direct benefactors of the present status quo. So, when the going is good, why change?

50 more years

lingam tape inquiry day 4 170108 mahathir It is therefore inconceivable at the present day that the Malay leadership will elect for change. At most they would tell the world that the Malays need about 30 to 50 years into the future to psychologically feel comfortable and be at par with everyone else in this country. Dr Mahathir Mohamad for example had effectively said so after the Malays did not manage to be successful 20 years after the implementation of the NEP in 1970. So he announced Vision 2020 to hide the failure. He then followed it up with many laughable ‘Malaysia Boleh’ programmes in the hope of giving the Malay another jump-start. Upon retirement, he acknowledged failure.

More recently Najib Abdul Razak wanted the next 50 years (to 2050?) for the contentious NEP to be pursued, a wish more recently echoed by Muhammad Muhammad Taib (who suggested for the evolution of a ’Melayu Baru’ class) and other Ketuanan Melayu cohorts. Even Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi clamours for more time to enable him to do a good job of his premiership.

Following this latest projection it might be in the year 2050 and beyond before the Malay community can hope to realise its mindset has been stuck on a low and flat conceptual and intellectual plateau all this while. The time frame bandied about (i e 1970 – 2050) comes to 80 years. On the assumption that one generation is about 30 years, we see the Malay mindset projecting it is in a state of readiness in near enough three generations into the future.

Many of us might not be around 50 years from today. But many of our ‘Melayu Baru’ children and grandchildren would. They would inevitably assess the situation we are in today. A good number will be enlightened enough to lament at the way the present Malay generation and leadership had unscrupulously pawned the ‘mertabat’ (dignity) of the Malays.

Curses and condemnation would abound, many directed to our current Malay leaders going about with a closed Malay mindset; for not having the mental courage to jump out of the ethnocentric cocoon; to the ulama for propagating the Malay dependence to their counsel; for the bad theology they preach; for their hypocrisy in not matching preaching with practise; to their to the Ketuanan Melayu leadership for taking full advantage of the entire situation

At any rate 50 or 80 years as a time span stretches too far into the future. I am wondering whether the competitive world out there can be accommodating and wait for us as a nation. My guess is that it won’t, though this is another issue I’d rather not touch in greater detail in this writing.

New Year greeting

This brings me to the third item in the news that has left me agape. In this third event, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has wittingly or otherwise conveyed a very thoughtful message on how we as a nation can be resuscitated to good health again.

abdullah ahmad badawi pak lah pc 060607 smiles Abdullah made it in his Chinese New Year greetings exhorting all Malaysians to be united. "I urge all Malaysians to promote understanding, tolerance and unity because all these are the key to peace and prosperity," he said to mark Chinese New Year. "Malaysia does not belong to any one individual or race, but belongs to all Malaysians," he added. It was a message oozing with wisdom.

Despite its obvious wisdom and truth, I was startled by his message, for two reasons.

First, because of the obviousness of this truth; does he not know this; do we all not know this?

Secondly, and more poignantly, he seemed to dedicate his address to the general Malaysian population.

I find this second point both bemusing and disconcerting, as I had thought and contended at length above that the lack of "understanding, tolerance and unity" now prevalent have been largely due to the ethnocentric Malay mindset going about promoting the Malay agenda.

Consequently, the country’s political system, public policies, and legal framework are littered with the racial divide. Any call for the promotion of understanding should be focussed on the erasure of this divide.

Nonetheless, very well said, Mr Prime Minister, and we share your concern. Malaysia indeed belongs to all Malaysians. Why don’t you then begin by doing something about it? After all, you are in the best place to initiate something tangible and concrete. May I suggest that you start with the collective ulama and the Ketuanan Melayu leadership, make them change their ethnocentric Malay mentality.

For a start, tell them that in today’s world the buzzword is change. Any meaningful leadership will have to contend with change. It will have to contend with the management of change, of meeting with the future. As it is the Ketuanan Melayu somehow is more focussed and concerned with the protection of the past and perceived purity and perfection of the present. It is lost in how to meet with the future. Abdullah must somehow educate and make this leadership aware that it is one of the prime causes of the disaster facing the country right now. To quote Raja Petra Kamarudin, ‘the Malay is the enemy of Islam.’

Secondly in today’s world going ahead needs the support and co-operation of the generic world community of nations in order to be close with them. To do so, we cannot do it alone and depend upon our own archaic sets of values and judgments to be heads and shoulders with them. The closer we identify with them the easier can we join them; this is after all the declared target of the numerous affirmative action programmes (e g NEP, Vision 2020) in any case.

Cease and desist

It follows that the ethnocentric untuk agama, bangsa dan negara philosophy is one of the principle roots of divisiveness and fractiousness in the country; one of the erosive agents for world competitiveness. Expunge this philosophy from the Malay mindset. Make them learn newer and more pragmatic philosophies like an individual’s freedom of speech and expression, his right to seek his own happiness, which includes the right to practise a religion of his choosing. Expunge present policies and rules and regulations that limit these basic human rights.

Educate them on the merits, value and virtue of participatory democracy, the rule of law, and again, make it easy for these values to be implemented. Make them see that dictatorial and totalitarian philosophies are history. Make them see the beauty of the separation of religion and state.

You also urged us to "continue to cultivate and adopt the values of consultation, tolerance, unity and mutual appreciation with one another." Again, I salute you wholeheartedly for expressing this wisdom. And again, I would like you to begin with the same ulamas and Ketuanan Melayu class of Malaysians.

In this case, ask them not to be literal and judgmental with their thinking. Ask them to conceptualise and intellectualise more on the things that they do. For example, tell them to re-examine the wisdom of banning botox and other such mundane essentially inconsequential items of post-modern life. There are many other issues that should merit their consideration and evaluation, like for example the mind-boggling corruption amounts and levels. Can the ulamas not use their considerable influence to stem this cancer out of the Malays?

More particularly tell them to cease from this practise of body snatching immediately. This practise is in direct conflict to your own exhortation for "tolerance, unity, and mutual appreciation" among us citizens. Ask the ulamas and Ketuanan Melayu leadership to make decisions based on cold and reasoned rationality, not on ‘their whims and fancies’ to paraphrase the august judge, Ahmad Fairuz, when passing judgment to Lina Joy.

If they are unable to learn to conceptualise and intellectualise, and be rational in their decision making processes, then banish them from your team. At the end of the day they are the ones selling Malay dignity in the course of feeding their greed.

When all these are done, you can tell Najib, Muhammad Muhammad Taib and the rest that we resilient Malaysians do not need any fifty-year time span more for Malaysia to go back on the proper track to unity and prosperity. We’d just roar back to life.

Botox and body snatching (Part 1)

AB SULAIMAN is an observer of human traits and foibles, especially within the context of religion and culture. As a liberal, he marvels at the way orthodoxy fights to maintain its credibility in a devilishly fast-changing world. In his free time, he loves to read, travel and play golf (although his game could be better).