For the first time since Independence in August 31, 1957, the National Day celebration this year saw something very different from the previous governments. The Anwar-led Unity Government, with the theme “Malaysia Madani: Jiwa Merdeka”, has unleashed a special performance that reflects a long overdue unique multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious of the country.
To symbolize community unity and diversity, the grand parade at Dataran Putrajaya had shown not only a procession of Bajau horse warriors, but also Chingay, dragon and lion dances, peacock dance and other multicultural performances from different races and sub-ethnic groups, such as Malay, Chinese, Indian, Punjabi, Orang Asli, Baba Nyonya, as well as ethnic groups from Borneo Sabah and Sarawak.
Heck, there were also traditional Malay Zapin dance from Johor, Indian dance, Sarawak’s Bekikis Bulu Betis, and even a Chinese pop song. Unlike in the past 66 celebrations of National Day, where participants were dominated by government agencies and contingents of certain ethnic for obvious reason, Prime Minister Anwar wanted to show that he was different.
With a stroke of genius, Mr Anwar appears to have appeased the angry Chinese community over his lack of attention to the minority group who had contributed 95% of votes for him in the Nov 2022 General Election. It was the ethnic Chinese and Indian who enabled him to become the 10th Prime Minister, yet he instantly becomes a changed man after he was given power.
From keeping silence when notorious UMNO Youth leader Akmal Salleh terrorized Chinese businesses to laughing at the Indian community for being “jealous” about assistance to ethnic Malay or Bumiputeras, the PM has done an excellent job projecting his racism and arrogance. But when his party- PKR or People’s Justice Party – lost spectacularly in the Sungai Bakap by-election, Anwar was both shocked and humiliated.
If visitors – numbering more than 100,000 – are any indicator, ordinary Malaysians regardless of race and religion were united and shared the same patriotism and love for the country. The problem is despicable politicians, especially opposition Perikatan Nasional (comprising Bersatu and Islamist party PAS) who stubbornly promote racist hatred, xenophobia, and all forms of bigotry.
Still, is the Chinese community so easily hoodwinked by 11 lions and 3 dragons? More importantly, whose idea was it to allow the new culture performance of the minority ethnic? If there is one performance which PM Anwar absolutely loves and obsessed, it has to be “Cuci Rasuah” (certainly not the lion or dragon dances) to symbolise the eradication of corruption – orchestrated to please him.
Besides, after nearly two years of distancing himself from the Chinese and Indians for fear of being accused of not Malay or Muslim enough, does it make sense that suddenly Anwar has grown a spine to defend the Chinese culture at such a grand scale? He would be dead meat if Malay extremists and racists politicise the lion dance and accuse Anwar of kowtowing to the Chinese and Communist.
Like it or not, part of the reason racial and religious tensions in the country have gone from bad to worse is due to Anwar’s policy of trying to be more Malay and Muslim than the racist Bersatu and extremist PAS. Heck, he has even gone global to prove that he was a Muslim hero by burning RM100 million for Palestinians and defending Hamas terrorist, especially his brother Haniyeh.
In comparison, vernacular schools were allocated only between RM50 to RM100 million, pathetic crumbs compared to Anwar’s free cash for his brothers in the Middle East. The prime minister had even given a 50% discount on crooked Najib Razak’s 12-year jail sentence, not to mention 75% reduction on the ex-PM’s fines of RM210 million.
His inconsistency, hypocrisy and double standard has cast doubt that he has the balls to face repercussions from religious bigot Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS – Parti Islam Se-Malaysia). Furthermore, the 16th General Election is still more than 2 years away, therefore, it will be too early for Anwar Ibrahim to start his political drama of pacifying Chinese and Indian voters.
The simple fact that none of the Bersatu or PAS top leaders (including UMNO chief instigator Akmal) dares to politicize or racialize the August 31 parade to score some brownie points suggests that someone more powerful than Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim could be behind the lions and dragons dancing at Dataran Putrajaya. That man is none other than the newly installed Agong (King).
It was not a coincidence that for the first time in 67 years, the Chingay procession was granted a stunning display of balancing a giant flag on a pole this year. The Chingay Festival, where five deities of the five main dialect clans – Hokkien, Cantonese, Hainan, Hakka and Teochew – would be brought on a “tour” to bless the people, is celebrated almost every year in Penang and Johor.
It’s not rocket science that Islamist radicals could easily weaponise the Chingay procession – accusing Anwar government of insulting Islam and undermining ethnic Malay in favour of “kafir” religions. ExtremistPAS could evenspin and twist that the premier has betrayed Malay-Muslims and abandoned Islam by prioritizing a Chinese procession which originated from China.
However, this year’s National Day celebration was graced by the presence of Johor Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia and Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia – marking the Monarch’s first appearance at the Merdeka celebrations since Sultan Ibrahim was sworn in and crowned as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) on Jan 31 and July 20, respectively.
Sultan Ibrahim, arguably the most liberal Malay Ruler out of nine royal families in the country, happens to be the sultan who launched the Chingay Festival on a grand scale not seen in other 13 states in 2023, when a whopping 300,000 people attended the procession. After becoming the King, his Crown Prince – Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sultan Ibrahim – officiated the launch of the 2024 Chingay Festival.
To condemn Chingay, dragon and lion dances is a declaration of war with the newly crowned powerful Sultanate of Johor. That probably explains the reluctant silence from Bersatu and PAS leaders over the Chinese culture demonstration. They cannot afford to start a crisis with the monarch, who had expressed his delight with the 2024 National Day parade.
The Opposition might have failed their Maths, but they understood that the King will still be around to call the shot and appoint who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs to become the next prime minister after the 16th General Election in 2027. Worse, the Johor Sultan despises PAS’ dangerous flavour of Islamic extremism.
It’s worth noting that when PM Anwar was hiding – too coward to confront UMNO extremist Akmal – during the KK Mart “sock crisis”, it was King Sultan Ibrahim who gave an earful to the troublemaker not to engage in extreme rhetoric. Last year, before he was sworn in as the new King, the sultan reminded the people of Johor to reject any form of extremism and religious bigotry.
When the backdoor government of Perikatan Nasional was in power, they had opposed the Japanese festival of Bon Odori, even though Sultan Sharafuddin of Selangor decreed that the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) not obstruct anyone from attending the event. Muslims were prohibited anyway by the radical government to avoid the festival, accusing it of containing elements of other religions.
If PAS dared go against the Selangor Sultan and rejected Bon Odori based on the religious beliefs of ancestor worshipping, what more Chingay procession held to celebrate the birthdays of Chinese deities. But unlike Sultan Sharafuddin, Sultan Ibrahim isn’t a Malay Ruler who can be ridiculed or insulted, let alone intimidated or bullied by some fake holy men.
Crucially, lion dance master Siow Ho Phiew, who is also the founder of Wan Seng Hang Dragon and Lion Arts Centre, reveals that the Malaysian Chinese community had applied for many years to the National Day Parade Committee to be part of the parade, but was never approved until this year – the same year Sultan Ibrahim becomes the King. - financetwitter
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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