Malaysian Indian Minority and Human Rights Violations Annual Report 2008
Dedicated to, the three British trained and one Malaysia trained, Indian Malaysian lawyers imprisoned without trial indefinitely at Malaysia’s own “Guantanamo Bay” under the Malaysian draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) for championing the Indian Minority and Human Rights cause.
Executive Summary
Introduction
Overseas Indians worldwide have been granted equal opportunities and leading prosperous life except in Malaysia. This is because the Malaysian government practices and implements very serious institutional Malay Muslim religious extremist and supremacist plans, policies and practices to the extend of reducing and segregating many Indians into literally becoming slaves. Even the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) President and immediate past Cabinet Minister of 29 years standing, Dato’ Seri S. Samy Vellu has conceded as late as March 2008 that the Indians in Seberang Kuari (Penang) are living in worst conditions than in Africa. The Indians in Malaysia are openly discriminated not by the Malay Muslim people of Malaysia but the UMNO (United Malay National Organization) controlled government of Malaysia in direct contravention of Article 8 of the Federal Constitution which prohibits discrimination and upholds equality. In short the Indians are excluded from the national mainstream development of Malaysia in almost every aspect of live on a day to day basis.
But Malaysia’s UMNO controlled government has successfully over the last 51 years since independence camouflaged this reality very well by projecting, highlighting and showcasing the cream of the Malaysian Indian as being successful and prosperous. But this cream only represents a mere 1% of the 2 million Indian populations in Malaysia. About 70% of the Malaysian Indians are left to rot in the hardcore poor and poor category. For raising these very serious Indian minority and human rights violations four Malaysian Indian Lawyers
(P. Uthayakumar, M. Manoharan, R. Kengatharan & V. Ganapathi Rao) have been arrested and are currently detained without trial for 2 years, from 13th Dec 2007 and continuing indefinitely thereafter at Malaysia’s very own “Guantanamo Bay” (the Kemunting Detention Centre)
Some of Malaysia’s atrocities against its own mere 8% minority Indians in 2008 are as follows:
1. Even as this paper is being finalized on the last day of the year 2008 the Malaysian Police in their Police lock up were alleged to have poured hot water on an Indian youth’s body. When he screamed in pain, a piece of cloth was stuffed into his mouth by the Police and was stepped on with their boots. On a rare occasion NT 7 (A local TV Station) splashed his gory burned marks because, a rare breed Member of Parliament for Kapar, Mr. S. Manickavasagam (present at this conference) dared to take on the UMNO State by exposing this police brutality. But in Malaysia, when the victim is an Indian, hardly anything happens. Not only for this atrocity but almost all and every atrocity as listed herein below, this continues to this day. The Indians suffer in silence. Even the Opposition Parties, NGOs and civil society almost always choose to remain silent because the victims are, “merely Indians”. The police and all the authorities have almost always never been punished even for worst atrocities than this.
2. Indian slavery, including sex and child slavery, in Malaysia is rampant even
after 51 years of independence.
3.150,000 Malaysians Indians (third, fourth and fifth generation Indians) are
made Stateless by denying them Birth Certificates.
4. Kampong Medan “Ethnic Cleansing” of Indians (2001) – 5 Indians killed and a hundred over suffered grevious bodily injuries.
5. One Hindu Temple is demolished in every week nation wide in Malaysia.
6. Six Indians were shot dead by the police in one single day.
7. One Indian lady (8 months pregnant) was shot dead in her home (1988)
8. 90% of Malaysian victims shot dead by the police are Indians.
9. 90% of the deaths in police and prison custody victims are Indians.
10. 80% of victims of police harassment, unlawful arrests, flimsy and malicious prosecutions, inmates of police lock ups and prisons are Indians, (Note: 90%
in Item No. 8, 90% in Item No. 9 and more than 80 % in Item No. 10 are
Indians despite being a mere 8 % of the total population).
11. Six Indians commit suicide in one day. The suicide rate among the Indians is
600 % higher than the Malay Muslim community largely because of denial of
equality and equal upward mobility opportunities.
12. RM 207.9 billion (USD 54 billion) budget for 2009 and RM 230 billion (USD
60 billion) budget in 2008 for the Mid Term Review of the Ninth Malaysia
Plan but zero allocation for the hard core poor and poor Indians.
13. Indians today earn as low as RM13.00 (USD 3.50) per day as plantation
Workers.
14. 60% of urban squatters and 41% of beggars are Indians.
15. 70% of the 2 million Indians are hardcore poor or poor.
16. Penang Indian squatter families cannot afford to buy milk for their babies and stopped children from attending schools because of poverty.
17. One Indian young mother could not be cremated until after 3 days because of poverty.
18. RM80 billion (USD 21 billion) government guaranteed PNB (Permodalan
Nasional Berhad) shares benefitting almost 9 million poor Malay Muslim
share holders but the almost 2 million poor Indians are excluded.
19. 99% of deserving Indian students is denied the 847,485 public university places. Indians excluded completely from the 120,000 university (UITM)
Places which have a campus in every state.
20. Only one overseas government PSD (Public Service Department)
Scholarship awarded to do medicine for the deserving 2 million Indians.
21. Remawathy, the sixth best student in Malaysia who scored 13 A1s in SPM
(O Level) was denied a government PSD scholarship.
22. Only one medical seat is made available at the University of Malaya against a 2 million Indian population in Malaysia (2004)
23. Foreign medical college Degrees from Ukraine, Russia, Romania, India and Indonesia with almost all Malaysian Indian private students suddenly were derecognized by the Malaysian government.
24. Government PTPTN study loans and scholarships denied to Indians studying medicine, law, engineering etc in overseas.
25. Even in the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) sponsored AIMST University
and TAFE College, government PTPTN loans and scholarships are denied to the Indians.
26. Government PTPTN loans and scholarships denied to almost all the Indian
students studying at the scores of private universities and institutions of
higher education.
27. A very negligent number of Indian students offered full residential schools,
such as the MRSM junior science colleges and scores of other elite schools.
28. 371 Tamil primary schools with about 100, 000 Indian children denied full government financial assistance.
29. Almost all the above Tamil schools are all in cowshed like pre war structures.
30. Indians are even largely excluded from the KEMAS and PERMATA, government run kindergardens.
31. 99.9% of deserving Indians denied agricultural land schemes for the
hardcore poor and poor in the semi government run FELDA, FELCRA,
RISDA, FAMA, ]Agropolitan in the 13 State Government Land Schemes.
32. Indians in the civil service today have been reduced to 1% from about 50%
in 1960s.
33. 99% of the deserving Indians denied licenses, permits, government contracts
and project business loans and opportunities.
34. 99.9% of the hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs created and to be
created by the Entrepreneur Ministry, Rural Development Ministry,
Agriculture and Agro Based Industry Ministry, MARA, SME Bank, Agro Bank,
etc. with hundreds of billions of government funds denied to the Indians.
35. RM 2.5 Billion AIM loans were given to 190, 900 poor households earning below RM2000 per month. But the Malaysian Indian Business Association
President, Mr. P. Sivakumar was reported to have said that the
government’s AIM did not provide micro credit loans to all the 200 Indians it
had recommended.
36. “Scrap metal businesses destroyed by ex Chief Minister the Selangor State, Khir Toyo (of UMNO)”, says Indian Scrap Metals Association Secretary, Mr. Param, a total number of 1118 (almost all Indians) scrap metal business licenses were cancelled in the last three years.
37. Hundreds of thousands of poor Indian squatter colonies demolished with no
or very little alternative homes.
38. Thousands of police reports have been lodged on the foresaid UMNO
controlled Malaysian Government’s atrocities but almost zero action has
been taken.
39. All our scores of Public Interest, Litigations and Suits concerning the most
serious of the foresaid issues have been dismissed by the Malaysian High
Courts or have not seen justices being done. The most senior of the 48
Malaysian High Court Judges who resigned with effect from 1/12/08 were
sent to “Booth Camps” with selected Judges and Judicial Officers to
indoctrinate those attending to hold the view that the UMNO Government’s
interest was “ more important than all else when we are considering our
Judgments”.
40. Hindraf’s 18 Point Demands dated 12/08/07 to the Prime Minister for equality
and equal upward mobility, be included and not excluded and segregated
from the national main stream development of Malaysia had been
completely ignored and rejected.
41. There is a 2 Million Indian population in Malaysia but zero Indian majority Parliament and State seats. The current Indian majority seats have been
jerry mandered.
42. 100,000 unprecedented Hindraf People Power Peaceful Assembly that was
held on 25/11/07 was cruelly crushed, 241 arrested and maliciously
prosecuted including for attempted murder of a policeman, a charge which is
an impossible charge in law where bail was denied.
43. All the above atrocities are just the tip of the iceberg.
Conclusion
Malaysia has not only very successfully projected to the world its world tallest Twin Towers but also has very successfully suppressed the aforesaid atrocities against the Indians over the last 51 years. These atrocities are backed by researched news reports and publications as per my (full) paper which is also presented and distributed herein at this conference.
Thank you
P.Wathaymoorthy
Chairman
HINDRAF
Showing posts with label Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Show all posts
Monday, January 26, 2009
Friday, March 28, 2008
The ulama and Malaysian apartheid
In American history there is this case of 187 Americans including the famous Davy Crockett who withdrew to a fortress called the Alamo to resist the advance of 4000 Mexican forces. The Mexicans laid siege to the fortress and then executed an intensive assault lasting 12 long days. Needless say, all but six of the outnumbered American defenders were killed in the fighting. The six survivors were ordered killed by the Mexican commander Santa Anna.
This brief event in history can be used to analogize the modern day experience of the Ketuanan Melayu mentality. Ever since Independence in 1957 the Malay mindset has been developing a siege mentality. It perceives that the Malay race is about to be wiped out; that the Islamic religion it practices is surrounded by ‘musuh-musuh Islam’, or enemies of Islam; that the purity of the Malay language is being eroded by foreign influences; that its culture, morality and etiquette similarly are being polluted by corrupt western values.
It was only a perception created by an insecure mind for Malays like everyone else are as capable as the next man. But it has been repeated over and over again in the days, weeks, months, and years on end so much so that it has become a concrete truth to some segments of the Malay community. It is true that when a lie is repeated often enough it becomes a truth.
This mentality then has withdrawn into its fortress Alamo, and began to protect this ‘truth’. It used the emotive ‘untuk agama bangsa dan negara’ (for religion, race and country) to legitimize as well as to provide the necessary energy for it.
It appears that there are two segments or categories of this Ketuanan Melayu mentality. The first is the secular segment, i.e. one that runs the country, namely the political leaders, the civil servants, the incumbents in the public services like the police, military, customs, and immigration. They look into the secular and physical aspects of this mental framework. They ensure employment in the government sector is the preserve of the Malays, and being so non-Malays are restricted.
Non-Malays who somehow got into the government services are quickly categorised either as pro- or anti-Malay. Either way, promotion and career prospects for them are in any case dim and limited. Ask any former non-Malay military, police, customs and immigration officials, and they’d eagerly confirm the truth to this matter. The pro-Malay government then goes all out to ensure a generous Malay bias towards the issuance of licenses, the formation and application of public policies, economic policies, even education policies. The secular leaders create the first level Malaysian apartheid.
Tough decree to follow
Then there is the second segment, namely the ulamas, i.e. those religious leaders who make it their duty to assume the role of religion and morality policemen. They are the architects of second category Malaysian apartheid.
They nurture the elitist image that Islam is an exclusive religion thus separating the Malays from the non-Malays. They enunciate the principle that all Malays are Muslim by birth, and must remain Muslim all their lives. Malays are in other words never allowed to apostate, or to denounce their Muslim faith. Nor are new converted non-Malays allowed to revert to their original religion. On both counts, they claim that Islam is not a religion to denounce at the whims and fancies of individuals.
They insist for Malays and non-Malay Muslims as well as all Malaysian citizens to subscribe to Islamic values. This is a tough decree to follow, because religion is a personal matter and relates to the relationship between an individual and his God: Yahweh the Jewish God, Jesus the Christian God, and of course Allah the God of all Muslims. There are of course other gods like Brahma of the Hindu, and Brahma’s many thousands of manifestations, as well as the other god or gods of other religions and cultures around the world. The ulamas somehow have the view that there is only one God, and He is Allah. All other gods are to them false.
All these restrictions and prohibitions are made despite the Quran’s overt declaration that there is no compulsion in religion. Surah 2.256 of the Quran, the primary source of authority in Islam, expressly states that there is no compulsion in religion.
Together the two segments of Malay mentality work in concert, in perfect teamwork, much like the left hand working with the right. To the Malays these two segments work to help ensure the survival of the Malay religion, or Islam as perceived and understood by the Malay, Malay culture and the progress and prosperity of the Malay motherland of Malaysia.
Perhaps it is more accurate to state that the ulamas have been playing the secular leaders with the simple minded Malay individuals. The ulamas would team up with the individuals (who got the voting numbers) to contain the leaders. In Malaysian democracy number is all important, so leaders ‘kowtow’ or listen to the ulamas as they have the power to influence Malay voters.
Likewise, the ulamas would team up with the leaders to contain the individuals. This can be done by way of controlling the mindset of the Malays. How they do this is explained below. Either way, the ulamas are securing their positions.
The fact still remains that this mental environment leading to this siege mentality, is only an assumption, a perception, even a cultural trait. It is never the truth. It does not help to think that it is akin to the now dead era of apartheid of South Africa. Where is the truth that government servants must be Malays, that all government policies must be geared and applied to suit Malay interests? Similarly where is the truth that all Malays are born Muslim? There are some Malays in this country who are closet non-Muslims. There are ‘Malays’ in Thailand and the Southern Philippines and Indonesia who are Buddhists or Christians.
Where too is the truth that a Malay person cannot apostate?
Another overdrive
Obviously the Malay mindset is working in an environment of contradiction and emotion. The painful truth is that the Malay mind works on the basis of an assumption, even on a lie. It is perfectly understandable therefore that they have retreated into the stressful siege mentality and environment.
They also work in an atmosphere of absolute power, having cast aside the check and balance system of governance in a healthy of democracy, curtailment of basic human rights, setting aside the rule of law, and fusing together the elements of state and religion.
With these in place, the Ketuanan Melayu leadership incumbents went on another overdrive, this time not so much to protect race and religion, but more to take advantage of the awesome power that lies for grabs when these basic principles of democracy are demolished. Herewith is a list of the some of the abuses perpetrated by the Ketuanan Melayu which by now every knowledgeable Malaysian are very familiar with: massive corruption, rampant abuse of power, cronyism and nepotism, arrogant leaders, blatant disregard for human rights, suppression of the rights of the individual
The theological segment of this mentality, the ulamas, in the meantime has been intimidating the Malay, new non-Malay converts, and non-Muslims with their brand of intimidation and coercion. In this the ulamas operate in many ways.
One, stealthily they work in the background to ‘advise’ the secular leaders on matters of religion. In this way they help ensure that the secular but Muslim Malay leaders are not too far adrift from the leaders’ heritage and commitments to Islam. The leaders are constantly counseled that Islam and democracy are identical; that being so Islam and the state are not contradictory; and that Islam is to be made as the ‘official’ religion. The ulamas have done so with remarkable success.
Two, the ulamas again by way of constant repetition and use of the fear factor (fear of death, fear of committing sins and having to answer for them in Hell) have been brainwashing the Malay mindset reminding the individual Malays of their elitist Malay heritage and commitment to Islam. In this way the Malays are to adhere to the postulates of the Islamic state above.
Three, the ulamas create for themselves the role as bureaucratic intermediary between a Malay individual and God. They do so despite the basic principle and tenet of Islam being Al-Deen (pronounced as ‘Addeen’) stating there is nothing between God and man, and God and other man.
For example, they do so by way of insisting Malays who’d wish to marry to first of all get a certificate (of readiness, fitness, health); by insisting on the ‘halal’ certification to all meats to be eaten by Muslims; and by banning of books, periodicals, magazines, films, deemed to be detrimental to the nation’s well being and to public order.
They do so by insisting that all Malays who wish to denounce Islam must get their permission first of all. But when these individuals do come forward, they are advised to repent, and not given the permission and authority to apostate.
They also do so by way of the horrendous body snatching – the claiming for Muslim burial of non-Muslims suspected to having converted to Islam at some point before their death.
Poor self confidence
The ulamas have been able to shape the psychology, philosophy and world view of both the Malay leaders and individuals by their clever manipulation of several factors. Up front they make the claim that as ulamas they are the inheritors and benefactors of some special religious principles directly from the Prophet Mohammad. In reality they are just myth creators, and of similar league with the priestly class of religious adherents found in other religions. In this country, they are in fact the civil servants and government functionaries running the religion departments and the specialized Islamic agencies like IKIM and JAKIM.
Secondly, the ulamas capitalize on the poor sense of self-confidence of the Malays in seeing the world. As it is the world is changing at a frenetic speed. So do the Malays, from their agrarian and rural background, to the modern technical and urban background; from their feudal past to the democratic present.
The Malays have no historical and cultural continuity to begin understanding what is going on. They are not even aware that they are undergoing change in the first place.
Neither do the ulamas have any such inkling. But being smart, they create the pretension and myth that they are in the know. They have to be smart, for the alternative is for them to lose out in the modern technical era of knowledge and competition. In other words, they’d lose their jobs. And as they do not have any technical knowledge besides Islamic theology, they’d find the real world very cruel and unforgiving. Their economic productivity would be zero.
So they play on the sense of uncertainty and fear of the Malays, telling them that should the Malays renege from their religious commitments, they would surely go to the deepest levels of Hell. The Malays grab this wonderful lesson and wisdom for at least this gives them a sense of solace and security they sorely need.
Santa Anna came to assault and virtually demolished the Ketuanan Melayu Alamo in the form of the 12th general elections held last March 8. There is no strength in lies, and in any case truth no matter how long suppressed has a way of coming out. The elections have amply demonstrated this wisdom. By all accounts it was a complete and comprehensive rout, not seen in this country since 1969.
Blame for the rout has been apportioned all around, starting from the former Prime Minister for creating the atmosphere of totalitarianism and authoritarianism during his 22 long years in office. The present Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is receiving the greatest heat for sleeping during his 4 short years in office, for unfulfilling on his election promises, and for allowing his lieutenants and relatives having a merry time raiding the nation’s treasury.
Other lesser top tier individuals are not spared; for example Najib, for his arrogant assumption that the premiership is his birthright, and for his perceived corrupt act of securing hefty commissions in the country’s defense purchases; Hishamuddin for his keris threatening antics.
Even Umno as an institution is also not spared, for being arrogant and completely out of depth with the changing times.
The good news is that plans are already mooted to address all of the pre-Alamo shortcomings, at least if Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is to be believed. Will he lead the country to seal the demise of Malaysian apartheid (for this is what the post-election latest developments in this country amounts to), or will he continue as though nothing has happened? For this only time will tell although he has not got much of it.
The bad news is that almost in all of the analyses the concern and criticism has almost all the time been focused onto the secular segment of the Ketuanan Melayu mentality. This being so, perhaps only its secular weaknesses might get to be addressed in the weeks and months ahead. In the event there is a glaring omission.
The important omission is this: that the ulamas have so far at least been left fairly untouched and unscathed while they have been instrumental in nurturing and maintaining the conservative, orthodox and conforming Malay status quo all along and as mentioned above.
Should this be so, then the Malay mind might have to experience another Alamo at some point in the future, this time expressly to be rid of the theological apartheid the ulamas have been championing all these while. So much better if this urgent point is addressed now, so the country can proceed with catching up on lost time immediately.
So, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has two main jobs to do in the coming period: he has to radically alter the secular segment and particularly the theological segment, of the Ketuanan Melayu mindset. Should he succeed he would go into history as the person who effective killed apartheid, Malaysian style.
AB Sulaiman - Malaysiakini
This brief event in history can be used to analogize the modern day experience of the Ketuanan Melayu mentality. Ever since Independence in 1957 the Malay mindset has been developing a siege mentality. It perceives that the Malay race is about to be wiped out; that the Islamic religion it practices is surrounded by ‘musuh-musuh Islam’, or enemies of Islam; that the purity of the Malay language is being eroded by foreign influences; that its culture, morality and etiquette similarly are being polluted by corrupt western values.
It was only a perception created by an insecure mind for Malays like everyone else are as capable as the next man. But it has been repeated over and over again in the days, weeks, months, and years on end so much so that it has become a concrete truth to some segments of the Malay community. It is true that when a lie is repeated often enough it becomes a truth.
This mentality then has withdrawn into its fortress Alamo, and began to protect this ‘truth’. It used the emotive ‘untuk agama bangsa dan negara’ (for religion, race and country) to legitimize as well as to provide the necessary energy for it.
It appears that there are two segments or categories of this Ketuanan Melayu mentality. The first is the secular segment, i.e. one that runs the country, namely the political leaders, the civil servants, the incumbents in the public services like the police, military, customs, and immigration. They look into the secular and physical aspects of this mental framework. They ensure employment in the government sector is the preserve of the Malays, and being so non-Malays are restricted.
Non-Malays who somehow got into the government services are quickly categorised either as pro- or anti-Malay. Either way, promotion and career prospects for them are in any case dim and limited. Ask any former non-Malay military, police, customs and immigration officials, and they’d eagerly confirm the truth to this matter. The pro-Malay government then goes all out to ensure a generous Malay bias towards the issuance of licenses, the formation and application of public policies, economic policies, even education policies. The secular leaders create the first level Malaysian apartheid.
Tough decree to follow
Then there is the second segment, namely the ulamas, i.e. those religious leaders who make it their duty to assume the role of religion and morality policemen. They are the architects of second category Malaysian apartheid.
They nurture the elitist image that Islam is an exclusive religion thus separating the Malays from the non-Malays. They enunciate the principle that all Malays are Muslim by birth, and must remain Muslim all their lives. Malays are in other words never allowed to apostate, or to denounce their Muslim faith. Nor are new converted non-Malays allowed to revert to their original religion. On both counts, they claim that Islam is not a religion to denounce at the whims and fancies of individuals.
They insist for Malays and non-Malay Muslims as well as all Malaysian citizens to subscribe to Islamic values. This is a tough decree to follow, because religion is a personal matter and relates to the relationship between an individual and his God: Yahweh the Jewish God, Jesus the Christian God, and of course Allah the God of all Muslims. There are of course other gods like Brahma of the Hindu, and Brahma’s many thousands of manifestations, as well as the other god or gods of other religions and cultures around the world. The ulamas somehow have the view that there is only one God, and He is Allah. All other gods are to them false.
All these restrictions and prohibitions are made despite the Quran’s overt declaration that there is no compulsion in religion. Surah 2.256 of the Quran, the primary source of authority in Islam, expressly states that there is no compulsion in religion.
Together the two segments of Malay mentality work in concert, in perfect teamwork, much like the left hand working with the right. To the Malays these two segments work to help ensure the survival of the Malay religion, or Islam as perceived and understood by the Malay, Malay culture and the progress and prosperity of the Malay motherland of Malaysia.
Perhaps it is more accurate to state that the ulamas have been playing the secular leaders with the simple minded Malay individuals. The ulamas would team up with the individuals (who got the voting numbers) to contain the leaders. In Malaysian democracy number is all important, so leaders ‘kowtow’ or listen to the ulamas as they have the power to influence Malay voters.
Likewise, the ulamas would team up with the leaders to contain the individuals. This can be done by way of controlling the mindset of the Malays. How they do this is explained below. Either way, the ulamas are securing their positions.
The fact still remains that this mental environment leading to this siege mentality, is only an assumption, a perception, even a cultural trait. It is never the truth. It does not help to think that it is akin to the now dead era of apartheid of South Africa. Where is the truth that government servants must be Malays, that all government policies must be geared and applied to suit Malay interests? Similarly where is the truth that all Malays are born Muslim? There are some Malays in this country who are closet non-Muslims. There are ‘Malays’ in Thailand and the Southern Philippines and Indonesia who are Buddhists or Christians.
Where too is the truth that a Malay person cannot apostate?
Another overdrive
Obviously the Malay mindset is working in an environment of contradiction and emotion. The painful truth is that the Malay mind works on the basis of an assumption, even on a lie. It is perfectly understandable therefore that they have retreated into the stressful siege mentality and environment.
They also work in an atmosphere of absolute power, having cast aside the check and balance system of governance in a healthy of democracy, curtailment of basic human rights, setting aside the rule of law, and fusing together the elements of state and religion.
With these in place, the Ketuanan Melayu leadership incumbents went on another overdrive, this time not so much to protect race and religion, but more to take advantage of the awesome power that lies for grabs when these basic principles of democracy are demolished. Herewith is a list of the some of the abuses perpetrated by the Ketuanan Melayu which by now every knowledgeable Malaysian are very familiar with: massive corruption, rampant abuse of power, cronyism and nepotism, arrogant leaders, blatant disregard for human rights, suppression of the rights of the individual
The theological segment of this mentality, the ulamas, in the meantime has been intimidating the Malay, new non-Malay converts, and non-Muslims with their brand of intimidation and coercion. In this the ulamas operate in many ways.
One, stealthily they work in the background to ‘advise’ the secular leaders on matters of religion. In this way they help ensure that the secular but Muslim Malay leaders are not too far adrift from the leaders’ heritage and commitments to Islam. The leaders are constantly counseled that Islam and democracy are identical; that being so Islam and the state are not contradictory; and that Islam is to be made as the ‘official’ religion. The ulamas have done so with remarkable success.
Two, the ulamas again by way of constant repetition and use of the fear factor (fear of death, fear of committing sins and having to answer for them in Hell) have been brainwashing the Malay mindset reminding the individual Malays of their elitist Malay heritage and commitment to Islam. In this way the Malays are to adhere to the postulates of the Islamic state above.
Three, the ulamas create for themselves the role as bureaucratic intermediary between a Malay individual and God. They do so despite the basic principle and tenet of Islam being Al-Deen (pronounced as ‘Addeen’) stating there is nothing between God and man, and God and other man.
For example, they do so by way of insisting Malays who’d wish to marry to first of all get a certificate (of readiness, fitness, health); by insisting on the ‘halal’ certification to all meats to be eaten by Muslims; and by banning of books, periodicals, magazines, films, deemed to be detrimental to the nation’s well being and to public order.
They do so by insisting that all Malays who wish to denounce Islam must get their permission first of all. But when these individuals do come forward, they are advised to repent, and not given the permission and authority to apostate.
They also do so by way of the horrendous body snatching – the claiming for Muslim burial of non-Muslims suspected to having converted to Islam at some point before their death.
Poor self confidence
The ulamas have been able to shape the psychology, philosophy and world view of both the Malay leaders and individuals by their clever manipulation of several factors. Up front they make the claim that as ulamas they are the inheritors and benefactors of some special religious principles directly from the Prophet Mohammad. In reality they are just myth creators, and of similar league with the priestly class of religious adherents found in other religions. In this country, they are in fact the civil servants and government functionaries running the religion departments and the specialized Islamic agencies like IKIM and JAKIM.
Secondly, the ulamas capitalize on the poor sense of self-confidence of the Malays in seeing the world. As it is the world is changing at a frenetic speed. So do the Malays, from their agrarian and rural background, to the modern technical and urban background; from their feudal past to the democratic present.
The Malays have no historical and cultural continuity to begin understanding what is going on. They are not even aware that they are undergoing change in the first place.
Neither do the ulamas have any such inkling. But being smart, they create the pretension and myth that they are in the know. They have to be smart, for the alternative is for them to lose out in the modern technical era of knowledge and competition. In other words, they’d lose their jobs. And as they do not have any technical knowledge besides Islamic theology, they’d find the real world very cruel and unforgiving. Their economic productivity would be zero.
So they play on the sense of uncertainty and fear of the Malays, telling them that should the Malays renege from their religious commitments, they would surely go to the deepest levels of Hell. The Malays grab this wonderful lesson and wisdom for at least this gives them a sense of solace and security they sorely need.
Santa Anna came to assault and virtually demolished the Ketuanan Melayu Alamo in the form of the 12th general elections held last March 8. There is no strength in lies, and in any case truth no matter how long suppressed has a way of coming out. The elections have amply demonstrated this wisdom. By all accounts it was a complete and comprehensive rout, not seen in this country since 1969.
Blame for the rout has been apportioned all around, starting from the former Prime Minister for creating the atmosphere of totalitarianism and authoritarianism during his 22 long years in office. The present Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is receiving the greatest heat for sleeping during his 4 short years in office, for unfulfilling on his election promises, and for allowing his lieutenants and relatives having a merry time raiding the nation’s treasury.
Other lesser top tier individuals are not spared; for example Najib, for his arrogant assumption that the premiership is his birthright, and for his perceived corrupt act of securing hefty commissions in the country’s defense purchases; Hishamuddin for his keris threatening antics.
Even Umno as an institution is also not spared, for being arrogant and completely out of depth with the changing times.
The good news is that plans are already mooted to address all of the pre-Alamo shortcomings, at least if Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is to be believed. Will he lead the country to seal the demise of Malaysian apartheid (for this is what the post-election latest developments in this country amounts to), or will he continue as though nothing has happened? For this only time will tell although he has not got much of it.
The bad news is that almost in all of the analyses the concern and criticism has almost all the time been focused onto the secular segment of the Ketuanan Melayu mentality. This being so, perhaps only its secular weaknesses might get to be addressed in the weeks and months ahead. In the event there is a glaring omission.
The important omission is this: that the ulamas have so far at least been left fairly untouched and unscathed while they have been instrumental in nurturing and maintaining the conservative, orthodox and conforming Malay status quo all along and as mentioned above.
Should this be so, then the Malay mind might have to experience another Alamo at some point in the future, this time expressly to be rid of the theological apartheid the ulamas have been championing all these while. So much better if this urgent point is addressed now, so the country can proceed with catching up on lost time immediately.
So, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has two main jobs to do in the coming period: he has to radically alter the secular segment and particularly the theological segment, of the Ketuanan Melayu mindset. Should he succeed he would go into history as the person who effective killed apartheid, Malaysian style.
AB Sulaiman - Malaysiakini
Monday, March 24, 2008
Malaysia’s Badawi Faces a Precarious Future
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is besieged by a brewing leadership crisis in his own political party in the wake of disaster at the polls in March. Not only is there a challenge from veteran politician Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, but at least two of the country’s normally apolitical sultans are in the mix. Meanwhile, the rank-and-file are demoralized by the magnitude of the loss, the biggest in the ruling coalition’s history.
With a razor-thin majority in the popular vote but with a majority in the national parliament of 140 out of 222 seats, Badawi’s biggest worry is strife within the United Malays National Organisation. But he also has to worry about the possibility of defections by MPs to the opposition coalition of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, or People’s Justice Party, the Democratic Action Party and the fundamentalist Parti Islam se-Malaysia.
According to local media, Anwar Ibrahim, the de facto leader of Keadilan, has said lawmakers from the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak have already been in contact about switching sides.
Certainly UMNO has lost both confidence and credibility after five years under Badawi. The party is effectively split into two factions ‑ Badawi on one side and his erstwhile mentor, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad, on the other. Mahathir’s incessant criticism of his successor’s lackluster performance was partly responsible for Badawi's deteriorating popularity.
Malaysia’s hereditary sultans usually steer away from politics. They have now got involved. At least two are at loggerheads with the prime minister on the choice of menteri besar, or state chief ministers. The Sultan of Perlis has ignored Badawi’s choice and appointed his own. As the sultan has already sworn in his choice, that leaves Badawi appearing politically impotent. The Sultan of Terengganu, through his advisory council, also has rejected Badawi's choice of chief minister in favor of another candidate. The sultan is now the Agong, or king, the titular supreme ruler under the constitutional rotating monarchy, which changes hands every five years.
In the latest development, Ahmad Said, who was appointed chief minister by the Sultan of Terengganu, has been sacked from UMNO for accepting the job. Badawi has issued instructions to all UMNO assemblymen not to attend the swearing in, warning them of disciplinary action if they do, setting up a showdown with the Terengannu royal house and the constitutional monarchy. The 21 Terengganu assemblymen, headed by Datuk Rosol Wahid, have agreed not to boycott the swearing in ceremony, meaning more trouble for the besieged prime minister.
In addition, Mahathir is relentlessly pursuing his "remove Badawi" campaign, as he has since the day Badawi cancelled the so-called crooked bridge, a Mahathir project then near implementation that was to replace the causeway from Johor to Singapore in the hope that ships would bypass Singapore's ports and use the Malaysian port in the Johore Strait. For obvious reasons, the Singapore government was not keen on the project. Mahathir, who had a long-term ambivalent relationship with the island state, saw Badawi's action as kowtowing to Singapore.
Badawi has sought to answer Mahathir’s challenge by sacking old guard leaders associated with the former prime minister. Other Mahathir stalwarts lost their seats in the electoral rout.
With a razor-thin majority in the popular vote but with a majority in the national parliament of 140 out of 222 seats, Badawi’s biggest worry is strife within the United Malays National Organisation. But he also has to worry about the possibility of defections by MPs to the opposition coalition of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, or People’s Justice Party, the Democratic Action Party and the fundamentalist Parti Islam se-Malaysia.
According to local media, Anwar Ibrahim, the de facto leader of Keadilan, has said lawmakers from the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak have already been in contact about switching sides.
Certainly UMNO has lost both confidence and credibility after five years under Badawi. The party is effectively split into two factions ‑ Badawi on one side and his erstwhile mentor, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad, on the other. Mahathir’s incessant criticism of his successor’s lackluster performance was partly responsible for Badawi's deteriorating popularity.
Malaysia’s hereditary sultans usually steer away from politics. They have now got involved. At least two are at loggerheads with the prime minister on the choice of menteri besar, or state chief ministers. The Sultan of Perlis has ignored Badawi’s choice and appointed his own. As the sultan has already sworn in his choice, that leaves Badawi appearing politically impotent. The Sultan of Terengganu, through his advisory council, also has rejected Badawi's choice of chief minister in favor of another candidate. The sultan is now the Agong, or king, the titular supreme ruler under the constitutional rotating monarchy, which changes hands every five years.
In the latest development, Ahmad Said, who was appointed chief minister by the Sultan of Terengganu, has been sacked from UMNO for accepting the job. Badawi has issued instructions to all UMNO assemblymen not to attend the swearing in, warning them of disciplinary action if they do, setting up a showdown with the Terengannu royal house and the constitutional monarchy. The 21 Terengganu assemblymen, headed by Datuk Rosol Wahid, have agreed not to boycott the swearing in ceremony, meaning more trouble for the besieged prime minister.
In addition, Mahathir is relentlessly pursuing his "remove Badawi" campaign, as he has since the day Badawi cancelled the so-called crooked bridge, a Mahathir project then near implementation that was to replace the causeway from Johor to Singapore in the hope that ships would bypass Singapore's ports and use the Malaysian port in the Johore Strait. For obvious reasons, the Singapore government was not keen on the project. Mahathir, who had a long-term ambivalent relationship with the island state, saw Badawi's action as kowtowing to Singapore.
Badawi has sought to answer Mahathir’s challenge by sacking old guard leaders associated with the former prime minister. Other Mahathir stalwarts lost their seats in the electoral rout.
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