Islamic, secular or just common sense

Fifty-seven years after gaining Independence, our leaders are still squabbling over whether we are an Islamic or secular state. What about the more pressing issues of our nation’s prosperity and racial harmony?

COMMENT

By Jasmine Wong

Malaysia is going through an identity crisis of sorts with many a political figure seeing it fit to label us Islamic one minute, secular the next.

Rattling out a string of legal clauses and articles in support of his position that Malaysia is a non-secular state (doesn’t this mean he’s saying we’re Islamic?), Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom echoes the sentiments of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who labelled Malaysia an Islamic country in 2001.

Both have engaged in legal meanderings to rationalise their stand, with Dr M taking the somewhat sly route of being ambiguous by saying that Malaysia was neither secular nor Islamic, just ‘ordinary’.

Eh? That’s a new intriguing term legal minds will have to dissect meticulously to get to the core of what Dr M is trying to imply.

Obviously his remarks only serve the hopeless purpose of making the air even thicker with confusion and distrust.

Pit that against the simple and straightforward words of our founding father Tunku Abdul Rahman when he told Parliament in 1958, “I would like to make clear that this country is not an Islamic State as it is generally understood, we merely provided that Islam shall be the official religion of the State”.

There! That puts things right, does it not? So why are we still wrestling in the mud over our Islamic, secular or just plain ‘ordinary’ nation status?

Here’s a thought – why not ditch these futile arguments and focus instead on making this nation prosper? Cleanse the stink of corruption and reinstate the noble principle of meritocracy in all we do whether at work, at school, in sports or in government.

The Ibrahim Alis, Ridhuan Tees, Jamil Khir Baharoms (Dr M included) should all be shown the door as their shallow arguments disguised as intellectual discourse fracture rather than unite the people.

So to our Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin who said the seminar held at a public university attacking Christianity was merely “intellectual brainstorming” and an “academic discussion” which should be viewed positively.

No one has stood up as the voice of reason. And that goes for our Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak too.

He has shown us in no uncertain terms that without strong leadership, a country can unravel at a frightening rate only to stop short when it has hit rock bottom in a thunderous crash.

Failing to step up as a leader every time the nation is thrown into disarray, he has let shallow-minded politicians who cannot see further than what’s on the menu for tomorrow’s breakfast, make wild claims and accusations that instil anger and fear in everyone.

Does he have no authority as the leader of our nation to stop Mais, Jais, Isma and Perkasa in their tracks?

Has he not the temerity to put his foot down so needlessly confiscated Bibles are returned?

As a nation without a firm leader, and with our DPM setting tongues wagging with rumours of his retirement, just how more screwed can a nation get?

Here we are wasting precious time over whether we’re an Islamic or secular state because to be honest, the making and breaking of a religion and its followers has become a favourite pastime of Malaysians and far easier than tackling the harder and nobler ideals of work ethics… integrity… honesty and pride in being Malaysian.