Icerd debate degenerating into politics of 'melatah'

The expression "making a molehill out of a mountain" describes the politics of 'melatah' (sudden exclamations) that has hit the country. 

Melatah is usually accompanied by a jumpy swivel of the body, or, even a sudden hop of the person in shock. It is, in other words, an exaggeration. 

In more ways than one, it also reveals what Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed termed the "Malay dilemma" – a violent reaction to being thrown into a competitive world, breaking the facade of gentility. 

When Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi took to the rostrum to rally up support against the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd), he issued a rejoinder that it could cause the people could run amok.

Within days, questionable Malay NGOs popped up, seemingly from nowhere, to repeat the same: that they too shall rain thunder and fury on Pakatan Harapan if the United Nations instrument is ratified.

Whether melatah or mengamuk, it is interesting to see elder statespeople in Umno and PAS threaten to throng the streets, even after Mahathir had explained that ratification would not proceed.

Lawyers and activists too – knowingly or not – fell into the trap of the politics of melatah, and repeat ad nauseum their explanations of something that has already been stopped dead in the tracks. 

Seriously, can Malaysia be worse than a country like, say, Israel that signed and ratified Icerd, when the ethnic groups in this country have not clashed for decades?

The reactions of the treaty's opposers and defenders mirror the very Malaysian tendency to overreact. 

This would be the equivalent of Brazilian footballer Neymar wriggling and writhing on the ground in apparent pain after a minor foul. 

In the case of Umno and PAS, they would not even make belated confessions of overreaction like Neymar did, and will proceed to rally their thinning herd of followers on Dec 8 to prance around on the streets of Kuala Lumpur pretending that some great hurt had been inflicted on them.

What is ironic is there is an electoral backdrop to the whole politics of melatah.

Not only did Umno and PAS lose out in becoming kings and kingmakers after May 9, they have also been defeated in the four by-elections held since, including the one enabling Anwar Ibrahim's return to Parliament. 

Another by-election, this time in Rantau, is coming up. For the first time in the country's history, Umno and PAS could be five-nil down by the end of the year. 

Little wonder then that they have resorted to exaggerating the importance of Icerd in order to drown out the din of their increasing irrelevance. 

Let's move on and move up. Industry 4.0 awaits for no one. Either you create jobs, train the people, govern well, or, you lose your breakfast, lunch and dinner, all in one. 

Protesting against Icerd when Mahathir has wisely advised all not to proceed with ratification is a diabolical attempt to construct an enemy out of thin air, and worse, to vilify the other minority races in the country.

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RAIS HUSSIN is a supreme council member of Bersatu. He also heads its policy and strategy bureau. - Mkini