Ismail Sabri's crab mentality

 

If you want to see the crab mentality in action, just visit Putrajaya.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s announcement about the importance of using only Bahasa Malaysia in the civil service, and in all international meetings, and foreign government correspondence, illustrates the selfish, harmful and destructive trait of some Malay politicians.

The Malays, with this crab mentality, have a jealous streak. They will never be satisfied if other Malaysians achieve their personal goals, be it languages, their studies, success in business, a stress-free lifestyle, sporting prowess, or their ability to overcome their inhibitions. The damage it caused has forced many Malaysians to abandon their ambitions, or leave Malaysia.

The crab mentality is a phenomenon which is best illustrated by the phrase, “If I can’t have it, neither can you.” It describes the pattern of behaviour found in crabs which are placed in a bucket. The crabs fail to escape because they stop any crab which manages to get to the top of the bucket to escape.

Personal development, not material goods

Some senior politicians in Umno-Baru, PAS, and other variants of Umno-Baru, like Bersatu, have embarrassed us with their poor English at international events. They were ridiculed on social media and became the butt of many jokes.

Both Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister, and UK’s King George VI received speech therapy coaching. Our politicians waste taxpayers’ money on their luxurious lifestyles. Why not divert this money for personal development instead of material goods?

Our teachers say that “practice makes perfect” but our politicians avoid all opportunities to speak English with as many different people as possible. Are they too lazy to try, too shy, or simply cannot be bothered?

As a result of the Putrajaya crab mentality, the nation is forced down to their level. Jaguh Kampungs are not just happy with regression, they are also jealous of others who want to discard the tempurung and aim for excellence.

For many Malaysians, observing this back-door PM announce his policies is like watching a car crash in slow motion.

He is making yet another big mistake of his life, and we are convinced that the nation will not benefit from it. In the end, he is just another Malay politician who thinks short term. Ignoring English will have long-term consequences and these politicians appear to ignore the mistakes of the past. History does not appeal to them.

Priorities

Similar daft policies of former PMs, like the race-based affirmative action plans and the NEP, weakened Malaysia. They said it was to unite the country when in reality, they were merely fishing for Malay votes.

Ismail Sabri could have tackled urgent issues like the cost of living crisis, the rising cost of food, energy and petrol, the plight of the B40 group, poor educational standards, environmental destruction, and endemic corruption, but instead, he chose to focus on the Malay language. When will he learn to prioritise our needs?

Ismail Sabri’s confusion shows. If language was supposed to unite us, he cannot even decide if he’s promoting Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Malaysia. He keeps swapping the terms.

Calling it Bahasa Melayu as opposed to Bahasa Malaysia will isolate the non-Malays. Some of them may think that the language is the special preserve of only the Malays, and may find difficulty identifying themselves as Malaysian.

If Ismail Sabri is honest with himself and keen on promoting Malay, he should ditch using Umno to refer to his party, which is the English acronym of the United Malays National Organisation. He is probably aware that using the Malay acronym of Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu (PKMB) does sound rather clumsy.

Closing one door, opening another

Malaysians should be aware of the dangers of the Malay politicians’ crab mentality, in particular, downgrading the use of English in Malaysia.

Restricting English usage will isolate Malaysians. Those who are content to be jaguh kampung may be envious of those who want to compete on the world stage. English will be the ticket for those who aspire to do more.

The Putrajaya crab mentality may prevent Malaysians from working together. Jaguh kampungs may feel insecure or threatened because of their lack of proficiency in English. On the other hand, those who are comfortable speaking English may feel that their progress is hindered.

With a good working knowledge of English, curious and adventurous Malaysians who relish a challenge can enter various fields such as economics, academia, research, science, diplomacy and trade. When the kampung door closes behind them, the door to the rest of the world is opened.

The Putrajaya crab mentality will lead to a divided and unpleasant social environment. It also evokes negative emotions such as greed, jealousy and insecurity.

Those with a crab mentality waste other people’s time because they prioritise the things that have no real importance. Observe the child-like mentality of some politicians who make a big fuss of how Malay letters were sent to foreign world leaders and their delight that their correspondence was "appreciated". Why would the foreigners risk a diplomatic blunder by being direct?

We were also told that on trips overseas, translators would accompany the civil servant, even if he was fluent in English. The Putrajaya crab mentality is good at job creation. It is also a drain on vital resources.

By all means, promote Malay as the national language but do not ignore English.

Perhaps, the emphasis on Malay is a clever distraction from the more important issues plaguing Malaysia. - Mkini

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MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.