Taking a broad look at the sizzling hot Icerd issue

Upon contemplating writing on the sizzling hot International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd) issue, we felt trapped in a Catch 22 impasse – damned if we do and damned if we don’t

One of us had to actually derive inspiration from proximity to the mosque of the Prophet in Masjid Nabawi, in Madinah (Medina).

To the liberals, human rights activists and civil societies, allow us to reiterate that the ratification of the Icerd is a no-brainer.

But, to the many “Ketuanan Melayu” protagonists out there, the Icerd is a blatant declaration of open war. No amount of evidence-based law is going to convince them otherwise. Let alone rationale or common sense because the Icerd is to them a whole load of nonsense, a total disrespect and repudiation of their “inalienable bumiputra rights”.

And for the liberals et al – to expect a swift transformation of this “supremacist Malay mindset” indoctrinated over 61 years of toxic racial and religious BN politics – is naivety at best.

It is only kurang ajar in the sense that the lack of adab (decorum) is a learned behaviour from an ambience of racial and religious bigotry, which now requires radical behaviour modification (for want of a better psychiatric terminology).

This kurang ajarness needs to be unlearned and good behaviour needs to be relearned, a time-consuming process of educational reform which is doable but not within six months post-GE14! There is no magical quick fix, the moral compass is screwed and it is not going to point True North over one general election (GE), nay one generation.

At worst, you liberals et al have handed GE15 to the Malay opposition on a platter. Your impatience for change has proven to be your folly. You probably need reminding that at best, Pakatan Harapan only commands 20 percent of the Malay vote.

The Umno-PAS like-minded racist Malay NGO coalitions are out on a rampage to parade Icerd as a blatant affront to the Federal Constitution, a conspiracy to deny the rights of the Malays, rebuff the supremacy of Islam and restrict the rights of the Malay rulers. Do they really care that their basic premise is a whole load of legal bullshit?

The Malay bigots are running amok, preying on the basal instincts of the rural and urban Malays, declaring that the new government is against the Malay Agenda and is being manipulated by the Chinese DAP in Harapan.

All the good work pushed to the background

You guys in your utter impatience and excitability for a Malaysia Baru have caused a backlash in the Malay fraternity, which Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his Harapan team will now have a tough time mending.

All the good work Mahathir and his team have done to expose the rampant corruption of the previous government, the trials of the ex-PM and his ministers, the trillion ringgit national debt, etc, have now been pushed to the quiet background.

Kindly give the prime minister and his team some credit and allow them the space to create the right atmosphere, among others enlightening the recalcitrant Malays, before mainstreaming the Icerd polemics.

Icerd has its merits, but its ratification cannot be a ‘one size fits all’. Each country has its unique historical heritage and special circumstances that must be factored, or else it will create disharmony.

Even Western countries ratify subject to interpretations and exclusions by their respective parliaments. It is therefore disingenuous to think that we are obliged to swallow it lot, stock and barrel. It is not an either/or case scenario. Similarly, our august House can only ratify Icerd within the confines allowed by our Federal Constitution.

The PAS and Umno goons too know this too well, but they are bent on exploiting the democratic space afforded by the present socio-political governance to stir up trouble and create instability in their efforts to topple the Harapan government.

We all know too well the sandiwara of Umno-BN politicians, but we are less cognisant of the hypocrisy of the “religious” PAS leadership, that is even more nauseous and dangerous.

Current PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, in an Utusan Melayu report dated Sept 15, 1985, then in his capacity as the PAS Terengganu state commissioner, “pledged to abolish Malay rights if PAS came into power”.

More specifically, Hadi added that these include “the removal of Malay Reserve Land, National Economic Policy or other policies which only served the Malay interest. PAS promises that all races would be equitably treated”. Need we say more?

In this politically explosive and divisive issue, we would appeal to the higher intellectual and emotional wisdom of the majority of peace-loving Malaysians to avoid being dragged left, right and centre along parochial racial sentiments.

Trust the vast experience and wisdom of Mahathir, Lim Kit Siang, Anwar Ibrahim and the strategic geniuses of Dzulkefly Ahmad and Liew Chin Tong et al to navigate us through this acute conundrum and contextualise the why, when and how of the Icerd to the nation at its appropriate hour.

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MUSA MOHD NORDIN is a Board Member of Muslim Professionals Forum Bhd and AWALUDDIN MOHAMED SHAHAROUN is with University Technology Malaysia. - Mkini