This time last year, we were gripped by a culture of fear. Badmouthing the prime minister would attract the police. Publishing anything which annoyed Putrajaya would encourage the MCMC to block your website. Criticising the royals would invite mass protests and charges of sedition. We lived in a surreal world where corruption triumphed over common sense.
Fast forward to January 2019 and “Malaysia Baru” is a comparatively freer society. We can express ourselves without the fear of the police and the dakwah squad breathing down our necks. But one thing is clear - the moderate Malay Muslims are still in hiding.
Now, let me pop another bubble.
The Malays who demand syariah law, who want Malay women to be seen and not heard, who want women to be covered and assume a backseat role in society are not the rural folk.
The villagers are too busy trying to survive. Instead, the ones who demand a more Islamic society in a multicultural Malaysia are the tudung-clad Muslim women or Muslim men who are comfortable in Western attire, who converse in English, are Western educated, are well-travelled and professionals and articulate.
The voices of "moderate" Malay Muslims are needed to help oppose the growing demand for extremist practices, like the hudud bill or the death penalty for those who quit Islam. Again, the moderates have gone into hibernation.
They are probably afraid to be seen opposing other Muslims and risk being called heretics. We want their voices to lend support to oppose the beating and whipping of LGBTs and the violent deaths of transgenders, to criticise polygamy, child marriages and khalwat squads, and to denounce the forced conversions of the Orang Asli.
The "moderates" keep quiet, even if they disagree. Their silence is tantamount to approval of these extremist practices. In truth, there are no "moderate" Malays. They do not exist.
This is my unscientific breakdown of the Malay population:
About three percent of them are vocal. They make a lot of noise for their demands to be met.
Another three percent are enlightened. They attempt to spread awareness.
The rest are the "moderates" who are conspicuous by their silence. They should be renamed "Comfortable & Complacent" (CC) Malays.
These not-so-wealthy “CC Malays” outnumber the wealthy CC Malays but all of them are reticent about speaking out for fear of losing their perks, jobs and positions in society.
They have been conditioned since childhood, through a mixture of family upbringing, agama classes, peer pressure, Friday sermons and community groups, to believe that they cannot criticise their own brethren. A few have a tendency to bottle things up, and then run amok when they are unable to cope. Many disagree that everything is about the afterlife, but will not say this out loud.
Control of the mind
Children of the wealthy CC Malays enjoy the best education on offer. Where applicable, they attend primary international schools then gravitate to overseas colleges and universities. They snap up scholarships, even though others are more deserving. They are comfortable speaking English. The chance to broaden their intellect and experience is vast.
CC graduates have the first bite of the employment cherry, because of Mama or Papa's well-established connections, the old boys' network, family ties and more importantly, political and government cables.
Why should the CC Malays fight for reforms or a more just society? Why take the risk and lose their easily attainable perks? In a meritocratic society, their greatest fear is that they may not qualify for the benefits they currently enjoy. The bangsa and agama on their identity cards gave them an advantage over the other races. The CC Malays live in a bubble where everything is in their favour.
Conversely, the vocal Malay is like the worn water-pump that screeches. It gets immediate attention. The vocal Malays are the supporters of Umno-Baru and PAS and the bigots who threaten the peace. They want respect and their needs to be attended to, but they ignore the rights of the non-Malays.
The enlightened Malays, meanwhile, must be masochists. Remember, at one time, we did not think that Umno-Baru could be kicked out of office. Perhaps, the enlightened Malays will make others see sense one day.
The reaction of the ban on the depiction of dogs, pigs and crosses is a litmus test for distinguishing the various types of Malay. The CC Malays keep quiet. Vocal Malays claim that Islam says it is haram and so the ban must be upheld.
Enlightened Malays, forever inviting controversy, will say that these issues have nothing to do with religion. It is about control of the Malay mind to enable the politician to stay in power, or in Umno Baru's case, to regain power.
Malays who live overseas do not find photos of dogs, pigs and crosses offensive. Their minds are not bombarded with propaganda every day. They have a choice.
In Malaysia, politicians control the Malay mind and stupefy the Malays by removing their ability to think. They can then divide the nation and remain in power.
If you are Malay, do not allow yourself to be manipulated by people with a political agenda. If you are non-Malay, don't use the cop-out, "I do not wish to interfere in another religion."
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