Is the non-Malay fear of 'khat' legitimate?

“Keep your language. Love its sounds, its modulation, its rhythm. But try to march together with men of different languages, remote from your own, who wish like you for a more just and human world.” 

― Helder Camara, Spiral Of Violence

I get worked up whenever non-Malays talk about the beauty of multiculturalism and how Malaysia is a melting pot of cultures and how we are all 'Bangsa Malaysia'. A prime example of how all this is so much horse manure is the khatcontroversy that has some non-Malays concerned about the influence of Malay/Muslim culture in our education system.

UKM’s Institute of Ethnic Studies Teo Kok Seong said, “This kind of attitude shows that we have actually failed in the process of establishing a nation of one heart and one soul.”

Well, of course we have failed in establishing a nation of one heart and one soul. Why? Because we have a constitution that defines us along racial lines, a political system divided by race, a bureaucracy dominated by a majority and political operatives who claim that the state-sanctioned religion gives them the mandate to rule over non-Muslims who should be “pak turut”.

National laureate Lim Swee Tin claims that khat or Jawi writing will not jeopardise one's faith. Well, of course, it won’t. When Malay/Muslim parents send their children to Chinese vernacular schools, have there been reports that their children’s faith had been jeopardised? Have there been police reports that their children's faith had been leached out of them because they mixed with Chinese children?

Similarly, learning this khat writing - or whatever it is - is not going to jeopardise the faith or lack thereof (as may be the case) of non-Malay children. But this is not really the point, is it? What some people fear is the intrusion of culture/religion in our supposedly secular spaces.

The question is, is this fear legitimate? Teo said that in order for us to move forward as a nation, “the people must be open to learning the arts and cultures of others in order to understand their uniqueness and strength.”

Here is the thing though. Learning about culture is a one-way street in Malaysia. The non-Malays have no choice but to learn about Malay culture while the Malays get to retreat to a mainstream political system that claims that their culture, their economic survival and their political system is under threat because of the non-Malays – which generally means the Chinese community.

DAP leader Liew Chin Tong

DAP’s Liew Chin Tong said that the new Malaysia project means, “We must do it with new assumptions, new concepts and new ideas. This applies to institutional reforms, the economy, defence and security and culture and identity.”

Okay, what new assumptions, concepts and ideas have Pakatan Harapan introduced when it comes to this new Malaysia project? In the short time of Harapan rule, we have been reminded to “not spook the Malays”, reminded that the "deep state" is out to stifle reforms, Mujahid Yusof Rawa has introduced us to “compassionate Islam” and needs-based affirmative action has not been accepted as the new normal.

Liew also bemoaned that we see the 'other' as a threat. He wrote, “Some Chinese fear that the Malay officialdom would attempt to eliminate their cultural identity. Some Malays think that the Chinese are scheming to dominate the Malays.”

Okay, Liew, which of those two propositions could be backed up with evidence and actual governmental policy? Which of those two propositions has merit and was the basis of a people's struggle under the long Umno watch? Which of those two propositions are a direct result of actions by state actors in the name of race and religion which, by the way, the DAP opposed for decades?

So is opposing khat anti-Malay? People who are concerned about the introduction of khat in our education system are merely reacting to decades of the Islamisation process that turned an education system that was one of the better elements of our colonial legacy into the broken, religious and racially addled system it is today.

The real question is, why even introduce something like this at this moment? Surely there are more important issues in our education system that need to be addressed? Even in this was not a cultural issue, is good handwriting a priority when it comes to educating our young people? What possible benefit could the introduction of khat into our education system have beyond the pabulums espoused by certain non-Muslim intellectuals?

Instead, this has become a minor skirmish in a culture war that the Harapan government should not engage in. It also demonstrates that when it comes to anything to do with the Malay/Muslim culture, the normally boisterous political operatives in DAP have suddenly become mute (the grassroots-level of political operatives of the party exempted, of course). If this was something that the BN regime had done, you could imagine the controversy it would have generated.

These days supporters of Bersatu are quick to condemn non-Malays when they speak up on the very issues which were political currency for Malay political operatives before the historic May 9 win.

This idea that speaking up on “non-Malay” issues would rock the Harapan boat is prevalent in social media.

When it comes to the culture war, the non-Malays lost a long time ago. The reality is that people who speak up on issues like these are like soldiers who skulk around in jungles not realising the war is over.

Don't look to non-Malay political operatives in Harapan to oppose such measures. They are now part of the problem.

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S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. A retired barrister-at-law, he is one of the founding members of the National Patriots Association. - Mkini