TWO OF A KIND - Ibrahim Ali and Mahathir Mohamad

Ibrahim Ali, the President of the xenophobic NGO named Perkasa and Mahathir Mohamad, the former Prime Minster (1981–2013) and are actually in the same boat when it comes to racial and religious rhetoric in politics. The two of a kind have many a time offended the non-Malays and disillusioned the Malays in the country with their political arrogance and blunt rhetoric.

It was widely reported in the international media that “Ibrahim Ali had called on Muslims to seize and burn copies of Bibles which contain the term ‘Allah’ or other Arabic religious words."

Political observers opine that Ibrahim’s statement ‘is the most despicable statement, which is racist, highly inflammatory and seditious that a politician could ever make in a multi-racial society’.

In the local context, Ibrahim’s coming out in public to issue such a deliberately provocative, sensitive and seditious statement is enough to make the non-Malays despise UMNO more. Undeniably, Perkasa is seen as UMNO’s proxy.

To scare the non-Malays

But according to unpopular Mahathir – Perkasa’s patron – Ibrahim’s political bombast ‘did not represent’ UMNO’s stand. This statement by Mahathir is not convincing enough to all Malaysians as Ibrahim using Perkasa as its platform has many times before articulated provocative statements using racial tones to scare the non-Malays in support of UMNO.

With Mahathir coming to defend Ibrahim has markedly put both of them in the same boat – they have been known to stir racial and religious issues for their and UMNO’s political expediency. Says a political observer, “Ibrahim was ‘trying to instigate’ but the Malays are not falling for his act. The duo may say that it’s all a political game but their overall outspokenness on matters of race and religion has affronted the non-Malays and moderate Muslims badly.”

Najib Razak, the Prime Minister, did not at any time reproach Ibrahim’s past ‘extreme’ demeanours. The 1Malaysia Prime Minister who recently proclaimed that he is a Prime Minister for all Malaysians and not just one community has kept quiet for the reason best known to him.

But to the masses, it looks like he has no gut to censure this diseased religious bigot, including his NGO Perkasa’s patron, Mahathir. And this, of course, has further upset the non-Malays in the country. MCA, Gerakan and MIC – component parties – have not reacted to this either for fear that they will be rebuked by UMNO – the Big Brother in Barisan Nasional.

Hurt the feeling of non-Malays

The duo has been noted to speak with the same frequency as far as racial politics in the country is concerned. Both have many times before hurt the feeling of the present generation non-Malays and moderate Malays. The non-Malays used to be patented as ‘penumpang’ (squatters) in this country and that ‘they are demanding too much’ from the Malays and also that the ‘supremacy’ of the Malay race has now been weakened because of other races.

But the irony is that both these figures still want Barisan – with the support of non-Malays – to be returned to power with a two-thirds majority in the next general election.

But the broad-spectrum mood on the ground is that the people want a change to the present federal government. For this reason, Barisan for the first time may lose power. The prospect of Barisan losing power in the next general election securing less than 80 out of the 222 parliamentary seats is imminent judging from the present scenario.

The two-thirds majority could this time around belong to Pakatan Rakyat.

Thanks to Mahathir and Ibrahim – the duo – who have both played an important role in seeing this happens. Supporters of the Opposition should thank Ibrahim’s extreme inflaming divisive racial and religious statements, which are tacitly supported by UMNO and openly endorsed by Mahathir.

Components parties in a hot spot

UMNO erroneously sees Mahathir and Ibrahim as assets to the party. UMNO has failed to recognise that having Mahathir, Ibrahim and his comrades in Perkasa giving vocal support to UMNO using race and religion as tools to scare the non-Muslims has put Barisan components parties in a political hot spot.

Majority non-Malays and many moderate Malays are now distancing themselves from UMNO and Barisan. The non-Malay support for Barisan is fast diminishing. Malay support has shifted to PAS and PKR. The simple reason here is that PAS has never called for any ‘jihad’ against any minority groups in the country.

The arrogance in speech seems only to spark in groups like Perkasa that are linked to UMNO and supported by Mahathir.

The ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ (Malay Supremacy) idea often promulgated by the duo cannot be accepted by the present generation non-Malays. These are local born Malaysians who believe that they have an equally important stake in the country.

Barisan component parties are quiet on this issue fearing that they will lose their cosy seats in the government if they were to execrate this superficial slogan – created for UMNO’s own political convenience.

As for the Malays, the issue of ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ has only seen them being further divided. Many feel that the majority Malays in the country have not benefitted much from the affirmative NEP (National Economic Policy) policy that was implemented since early 70s’ despite the duo’s persistent rhetoric on Malay interests and supremacy.

The majority Malays are still poor and the rich among them are only the many UMNO cronies.

Malays who have fallen for PAS feel that there is no such thing called race supremacy in Islam. They claim that in Islam there is no single race that can claim to be more superior to others. Islam calls for a needs-based economy and the poor must be helped irrespective of their race or religion. It’s social justice that is guaranteed by Islam.

Corruption and dishonesty are not the kind of values that Malays who are religious could tolerate. Thus, many Malays who are disenchanted with UMNO have left the party for PAS.

Diluted the Malay race

The duo seldom looks into the weaknesses in UMNO which is plagued with corruption, cronyism and social injustice. This has further divided the Malays. Those who abhor injustice in society under UMNO have now embraced PAS.

By allowing more Muslims from neighbouring countries becoming citizens of this country – which began during Mahathir’s era as prime minister – UMNO has deliberately diluted the Malay race. Many foreigners with Malaysian ICs can now claim to be ‘instant bumiputera’ and this has shrunk whatever little opportunities there are for the local Malays and the Orang Asal. This has made the latter groups unhappy with UMNO.

Mahathir has been pounced on by the public for his alleged involvement in the issue of ICs to immigrants in Sabah as exposed at the on-going RCI. He is trying to addle and avert the attention from the current hot news of illegal granting of citizenships to foreigners to save him and UMNO from public odium.

The two of a kind are purposely ignoring the fact that the country is now being diluted with the presence of thousands of ‘instant citizens’ from outside. Instead, to divert the people’s anger over this matter, they are turning to the issue of Allah ‘being exploited by PAS” and the Bible using the word Allah in it.

This to them is a strategy to hide their treacherous acts and sins and unite the Malays against the non-Malays. The duo should realise that between PAS and UMNO, the majority non-Malays would now vote for PAS for the party’s moderate stand.

UMNO is desperate for votes

To the Malays issues such as the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims or the matter of hudud do not have much bearing on their sentiment to vote. Muslims are steadfast when it comes to their faith and as for hudud they know that it is only a ‘deterrent’ law against crime. They know that the duo and UMNO itself are desperate for votes and hence banking on trivial matters to reclaim Malay support.

They also feel that the duo does not have much thump to talk about Islam, the Bible or the hudud. The majority Malays cannot be deluded by them anymore. The peace loving Malay Muslims who hold dearly to the true teaching of Islam – together with the non-Muslims – will abhor any form of bigotry. They want a better government to represent them.

Malaysia Chronicle