'If at all I am pro-something and anti-another, it is that I am pro-truth and human rationality, and anti-lies and hypocrisy.'
- AB Sulaiman
- AB Sulaiman
BOOK REVIEW Critics of AB Sulaiman's resonant book, ‘Sensitive Truths in Malaysia: A Critical Appraisal of the Malay Problem' will find much to disagree with. They will lay bare the partisan nature of his writing and hone in on the fact that he disputes the notion of ‘Ketuanan Melayu' as anything other than an ideological creation meant to unify a disparate community at odds with a changing world and country.
Admirers of this book will find much to agree with. No doubt, they will find comfort in his simpatico thinking normally exhibited by ‘reasonable' Malays. The term ‘soul searching' is often described in connection with writings such as these. However, I find another phrase more useful. What AB Sulaiman has done with this book is lay bare his Malay soul.
To be clear, the writer takes great pains to frame his ideas in a universal context, mindful of the fact that ethnicity and culture, is what divides us as Malaysians, so his ‘Malay' soul is a reference of mine.
At the heart of this book rests the examination of ‘Malay thinking'. Sulaiman approaches this subject as a ‘rationalist'. To quibble over the provocative nature of the term would be pedantic. Suffice to say what he attempts to do is examine the two main foundational elements of Malay identity, which are Islam and ethnicity.
Unlike many other writers who start dissecting this issue from an ‘outsider' perspective, the writer resolutely deals with the problem, and delves into the numerous problematic issues as an ‘insider'.
Approaching any issue from an insider perspective throws up various intellectual problems. For instance, one could be too sympathetic to the subject and objectivity could be constrained. Alternatively, the observer could mitigate or worse dismiss issues that an outsider perspective would consider germane to the subject in discussion.
Readers can be assured that Sulaiman's examination suffers from none of this. The writer may approach the intellectual and philosophical foundations in which he bases his discourse on as a ‘layman' but he is meticulous in defining the terms of his arguments and the thinking behind them.
Best lottery draw
Beginning in the preface where Sulaiman writes, "...the Malay also claim that his society is unique, the only one where all its members are also Muslims. Apparently, not even Arabs who founded Islam can claim this singularity based on an understanding that many Arabs are Christians. Being Malay and Muslim (thereby a Malay-Muslim) is there for the best lottery draw any member of the human race could ever wish for" - the writer begins his and our journey deep into the meaning of what it means to be ‘Malay' from a personal and constitutional viewpoint.
And in examining the consequence of winning the best lottery draw, the writer turns his curious mind on the arduous task of defining philosophical (Western) and spiritual (Islamic) components in the cultural dissonance within the Malay community.
Sulaiman uses history as a context to explore the evolving cultural mindset of his majority community. Readers are cautioned that those expecting knee-jerk liberal platitudes would be sorely disappointed.
In a nuance tone, Sulaiman explores the issue of identity and culture, which shaped the Malay community throughout the decades. His conclusion that the reactionary forces within the Malay community hold sway for political and social reasons is arrived at with painstaking research and a empathic understanding of the variables at play.
A fascinating aspect of this book and perhaps unusual in a book concerning itself with religion specifically Islam, is that the author references popular culture as a means to humanise and transmit his rather philosophical questions.
An example of this would be when in the chapter on religion, in which the writer attempts to define the commonality of various religions as a means of transmitting the idea of "universality", Sulaiman reference the noted atheist polemist Richard Dawkins.
This example underscored two points. The first, is that the author is curious enough not to discard arguments which would seem anathema to his own religious viewpoint but more importantly, the second point, that the author is an example of how a Muslim is not so easily swayed from their professed religion.
Depending on your partisan bent, certain readers would be appalled by the ‘progressive' leanings of this author. However by no means is this book a definite tome on the inner workings of the Malay mind and should not be read as such.
Reigniting a dormant discourse
This book is one in a long line of subaltern narratives that seeks to transmit the idea of a polychromatic Malay discourse that has been deliberately hidden by establishment forces seeking conformity at any cost.
What we need to understand that the real aim of this book is reignite a long dormant discourse that if allowed to flourish will only enrich the Malay community. There are many ideas contained in this book that could, nay, should be challenged.
What this book should evoke is not hostility but the same curiosity that the author has and willingness to articulate ideas that could lead many other Malays to join in the discourse offering different perspectives of their own.
This book is a personal journey into what it means to be Malay in the changing face of Malaysia. It is a courageous exploration of a community at odds with itself and Islam but ultimately a hopeful sensitive narrative of coming to terms with the quixotic dream of a Malaysian identity.
The profound beauty of this book is that the author stares into the mirror as a Malay and discovers a multiracial face looking back at him.
In the end, what non-Malay readers should take away from this book is the idea that sensitive truths does not reside in the ‘other' but in each of our own communities. AB Sulaiman has taken the first tentative step in reminding us of this fact.
Admirers of this book will find much to agree with. No doubt, they will find comfort in his simpatico thinking normally exhibited by ‘reasonable' Malays. The term ‘soul searching' is often described in connection with writings such as these. However, I find another phrase more useful. What AB Sulaiman has done with this book is lay bare his Malay soul.To be clear, the writer takes great pains to frame his ideas in a universal context, mindful of the fact that ethnicity and culture, is what divides us as Malaysians, so his ‘Malay' soul is a reference of mine.
At the heart of this book rests the examination of ‘Malay thinking'. Sulaiman approaches this subject as a ‘rationalist'. To quibble over the provocative nature of the term would be pedantic. Suffice to say what he attempts to do is examine the two main foundational elements of Malay identity, which are Islam and ethnicity.
Unlike many other writers who start dissecting this issue from an ‘outsider' perspective, the writer resolutely deals with the problem, and delves into the numerous problematic issues as an ‘insider'.
Approaching any issue from an insider perspective throws up various intellectual problems. For instance, one could be too sympathetic to the subject and objectivity could be constrained. Alternatively, the observer could mitigate or worse dismiss issues that an outsider perspective would consider germane to the subject in discussion.
Readers can be assured that Sulaiman's examination suffers from none of this. The writer may approach the intellectual and philosophical foundations in which he bases his discourse on as a ‘layman' but he is meticulous in defining the terms of his arguments and the thinking behind them.
Best lottery draw
Beginning in the preface where Sulaiman writes, "...the Malay also claim that his society is unique, the only one where all its members are also Muslims. Apparently, not even Arabs who founded Islam can claim this singularity based on an understanding that many Arabs are Christians. Being Malay and Muslim (thereby a Malay-Muslim) is there for the best lottery draw any member of the human race could ever wish for" - the writer begins his and our journey deep into the meaning of what it means to be ‘Malay' from a personal and constitutional viewpoint.
And in examining the consequence of winning the best lottery draw, the writer turns his curious mind on the arduous task of defining philosophical (Western) and spiritual (Islamic) components in the cultural dissonance within the Malay community.
Sulaiman uses history as a context to explore the evolving cultural mindset of his majority community. Readers are cautioned that those expecting knee-jerk liberal platitudes would be sorely disappointed.
In a nuance tone, Sulaiman explores the issue of identity and culture, which shaped the Malay community throughout the decades. His conclusion that the reactionary forces within the Malay community hold sway for political and social reasons is arrived at with painstaking research and a empathic understanding of the variables at play.
A fascinating aspect of this book and perhaps unusual in a book concerning itself with religion specifically Islam, is that the author references popular culture as a means to humanise and transmit his rather philosophical questions.
An example of this would be when in the chapter on religion, in which the writer attempts to define the commonality of various religions as a means of transmitting the idea of "universality", Sulaiman reference the noted atheist polemist Richard Dawkins.
This example underscored two points. The first, is that the author is curious enough not to discard arguments which would seem anathema to his own religious viewpoint but more importantly, the second point, that the author is an example of how a Muslim is not so easily swayed from their professed religion.
Depending on your partisan bent, certain readers would be appalled by the ‘progressive' leanings of this author. However by no means is this book a definite tome on the inner workings of the Malay mind and should not be read as such.
Reigniting a dormant discourse
This book is one in a long line of subaltern narratives that seeks to transmit the idea of a polychromatic Malay discourse that has been deliberately hidden by establishment forces seeking conformity at any cost.
What we need to understand that the real aim of this book is reignite a long dormant discourse that if allowed to flourish will only enrich the Malay community. There are many ideas contained in this book that could, nay, should be challenged.
What this book should evoke is not hostility but the same curiosity that the author has and willingness to articulate ideas that could lead many other Malays to join in the discourse offering different perspectives of their own.
This book is a personal journey into what it means to be Malay in the changing face of Malaysia. It is a courageous exploration of a community at odds with itself and Islam but ultimately a hopeful sensitive narrative of coming to terms with the quixotic dream of a Malaysian identity.
The profound beauty of this book is that the author stares into the mirror as a Malay and discovers a multiracial face looking back at him.
In the end, what non-Malay readers should take away from this book is the idea that sensitive truths does not reside in the ‘other' but in each of our own communities. AB Sulaiman has taken the first tentative step in reminding us of this fact.
S THAYAPARAN is commander (rtd) in the Royal Malaysian Navy. ‘Sensitive Truths in Malaysia: A Critical Appraisal of the Malay Problem' is available at all major bookstores.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.