The Malays now are more united than before -- the speak in unison with their brothers and sisters of other Malaysians -- in their fight against racism, degenerative monopoly capitalism, and all forms of state-sponsored militarism. The May 13 boogeyman is dead!
A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE
Dr Azly Rahman
Isn't the May 13, 1969 boogeyman long dead and gone and its bad spirit never again be invoked?
For those invoking the ghost of May 13 1969 and insist that another racial riots is going to happen is living in a delusionary lost world of "new politics". The past decades have seen the rise of new consciousness; of the gradual embracing of the idea of "cosmopolitanism" rather than "cummunitarianism" borne out of the "old school" idea of communal politics emblematic in the emergence of the neo-feudalistic neo-colonialist Alliance Party of 1952 and its rebranded coalition party National Front whose idea is no longer in synchrony with what Malaysians of all walks of live have been educated with.
The invocation of the May 13 1969 racial riots is merely a desperate attempt by leaders who themselves do not believe in the root cause of the event itself and fear the loss of power in toto and consequently to attend to their fear of persecution when a new regime comes into power; a new regime that will no longer buy into the idea of the continuation of the night of the living dead of the boogeymen and boogeywomen of May 13 1969.
Think Malaysian. Because this land does not belong to one race alone. It belongs to those who labored on it since independence and those who have surrendered their Natural rights to the will of the "State".
And onwards to the march of the revolution of meaningful pluralism and multiculturalism. "Democracy" nurtured wisely will not lead to anarchy though dialogues leading to an evolutionary ideas and practice of a civil society is never easy but rewarding and challenging. The advanced industrialized nations may lead the way to understanding the pattern, anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the evolution of liberal democracy that can accommodate differing cultural philosophies without going down the road to anarchism. All talks that democracy leads to anarchism is delusional, as delusional as talks that the loss of "Malay power" will lead to chaos.
The Malays now are more united than before -- the speak in unison with their brothers and sisters of other Malaysians -- in their fight against racism, degenerative monopoly capitalism, and all forms of state-sponsored militarism. The May 13 boogeyman is dead!
For those invoking the ghost of May 13 1969 and insist that another racial riots is going to happen is living in a delusionary lost world of "new politics". The past decades have seen the rise of new consciousness; of the gradual embracing of the idea of "cosmopolitanism" rather than "cummunitarianism" borne out of the "old school" idea of communal politics emblematic in the emergence of the neo-feudalistic neo-colonialist Alliance Party of 1952 and its rebranded coalition party National Front whose idea is no longer in synchrony with what Malaysians of all walks of live have been educated with.
The invocation of the May 13 1969 racial riots is merely a desperate attempt by leaders who themselves do not believe in the root cause of the event itself and fear the loss of power in toto and consequently to attend to their fear of persecution when a new regime comes into power; a new regime that will no longer buy into the idea of the continuation of the night of the living dead of the boogeymen and boogeywomen of May 13 1969.
Think Malaysian. Because this land does not belong to one race alone. It belongs to those who labored on it since independence and those who have surrendered their Natural rights to the will of the "State".
And onwards to the march of the revolution of meaningful pluralism and multiculturalism. "Democracy" nurtured wisely will not lead to anarchy though dialogues leading to an evolutionary ideas and practice of a civil society is never easy but rewarding and challenging. The advanced industrialized nations may lead the way to understanding the pattern, anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the evolution of liberal democracy that can accommodate differing cultural philosophies without going down the road to anarchism. All talks that democracy leads to anarchism is delusional, as delusional as talks that the loss of "Malay power" will lead to chaos.
The Malays now are more united than before -- the speak in unison with their brothers and sisters of other Malaysians -- in their fight against racism, degenerative monopoly capitalism, and all forms of state-sponsored militarism. The May 13 boogeyman is dead!
**********************************
DR AZLY RAHMAN, who was born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York) doctorate in International Education Development and Master's degrees in the fields of Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and has written more than 300 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience spans Malaysia and the United States, over a wide range of subjects from elementary to graduate education. He currently resides in the United States.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.