He may not be the loudest politician out there but Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, 40, has made his mark on the Malaysian political scene as a rational liberal voice in a sea of bigotry and identity politics.
The PKR politician made waves when he contested and won the Seri Setia state seat in Selangor at the groundbreaking 2008 general election and successfully defended the seat in 2013, before being “upgraded” to MP status the last time around.
Nik Nazmi was PKR Youth chief in 2014 and is now one of the party’s four vice-presidents. He was also recently appointed to lead the party in Kelantan and Terengganu.
After years of writing about policy, history and people he highly respects, such as his father (‘In Public Service: The Life of My father Nik Ahmad, 2018’) his latest book, ‘Malaysian Son: A Progressive’s Political Journey In the Heart of Southeast Asia’, published by Penguin Random House SEA, is perhaps the closest to capturing the man behind the politician.
For future reference
‘Malaysian Son’ is described as a coming of age story of Nik Nazmi’s foray into politics, his interactions with many leaders whom he served or worked closely with, and also his views on the fall of Pakatan Harapan’s short-lived government.
His other works include ‘Coming of Age: A Decade of Essays, 2001-2011’, ‘9 May 2018: Notes From The Frontline’, and edited ‘Spirit of Merdeka: A Collection of Essays by Young Keadilan Leaders’.
“First of all, I was a writer as a student, writing newsletters, writing a blog. Way before I was a party member, I was a contributor to Malaysiakini. It is something that comes naturally to me. Funnily enough, more naturally than politics,” said Nik Nazmi.
However, the Setiawangsa MP said, he is doing more than just putting pen to paper.
“We have many books written by politicians and on politics in Malaysia, but I think we lack documentation.
“There was one point when I did a coffee table book on Reformasi when (PKR president) Anwar Ibrahim was imprisoned for the second time in 2015. I remember trying to look for information on the party’s formation in 1999 and also 1998, which was the beginning of the Reformasi years. It wasn’t that easy. PKR is a relatively new party, and yet resources are quite difficult to come by.
“One of the things I think that is important is to document things for the sake of future Malaysians,” explained Nik Nazmi.
The result was the book ‘Reformasi: The Struggle Continues (1998-2015)’ which he co-authored with Yee Siew Meng.
His latest book, ‘Malaysian Son’, is perhaps his most personal to date.
“When I was telling a few people that I was writing this book, they asked ‘Isn’t it too early?’. I certainly have no plans of retiring soon. One of the things about writing a memoir is that you need to be able to recall facts as best you can. I have been in politics directly and indirectly since I was 19.
“I can recall a lot of things from the day I started until now. So, I might as well put it on paper. I don’t keep a diary. This is my way to keep it fresh. If, God willing, I have quite a few more years to go, there will be a second part to this memoir. If not, at least I got the first part covered,” Nik Nazmi said.
However, writing a memoir is tricky as it is based on the author’s recollection of events. There have been several memoirs that were published in recent times that have come under so much fire for inaccuracies.
“A reviewer mentioned that it is not very gossipy. Whether that is good or bad, I don’t know. But I do know from Malaysian, British, and American memoirs that the gossipy ones tend to attract more attention and sell better. But for me, there is something bigger than that. The bigger narrative for me was I come from a middle-class family, my father comes from a family of religious scholars, and he is a senior civil servant.
“I got an all-Malay scholarship to study. I am not a person you would expect to join a multi-racial party that pushes for reform. I was trying to confront that assumption or presumption. Despite benefitting from the ‘status quo’, I challenged the system.
“I was trying to be as respectful as possible to the personalities mentioned in the book. It is a mid-career memoir. I still have a career to think about,” laughed Nik Nazmi.
“I did mention things about Dr Mahathir Mohamad, about the late (former Selangor menteri besar) Khalid Ibrahim and even (former PKR deputy president) Azmin Ali. They are not things that will surprise people.
“I have expressed my opinion about them before. The main thing is that it does not distract from the main message I want to convey in the book, which is that this battle for a multi-racial, progressive society is not a battle that should be fought only by the non-Malays. It can also be fought by Malays who are a part of the establishment. I was trying to confront that presumption.”
Starting out young
Nik Nazmi also sees the increased number of younger politicians as a positive development.
“Even when I started in 2008, I did not have any inkling that I would be running, let alone winning that election. It was by accident that we did not have enough candidates. It happened at a time when the ground swell was such that people voted for change.”
Nik Nazmi recalled that a friend of his was surprised to see him contesting in the election and offered him a job, thinking that the budding politician would probably lose.
He also said the 2008 general election was a time when others like him were making a name for themselves, such as Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, Tanjung Malim MP Chang Lih Kang, and Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari. All three, along with Nik Nazmi, are now PKR vice-presidents.
“The fact that we now have people like Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman (also Muda president) and Batu MP P Prabakaran (also PKR division chief) being able to win and hold senior positions is something positive. We need a balance. We can’t be too biased on the other side as well.”
He recalled a time in the politics of the United Kingdom, when then prime minister David Cameron and opposition leader Ed Miliband were both in their early 40s. Even the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg was in his early 40s.
“People said it was refreshing, but then it became very cookie cutter as they were reflecting on only one generation and one viewpoint,” said Nik Nazmi.
Meanwhile, he pointed to the US where much older politicians such as President Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are still very much active, while in the UK former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is making a comeback.
“You can’t just say because you are young you should be in, and because you are old you should be out. There should be a balance. The young tend to be career politicians because we have been doing this since we left university. We also need the perspective of those who have been working on the outside, like in the corporate world, civil service, activists and trade unions to contribute their experience to politics and government,” Nik Nazmi said.
In his book, Nik Nazmi also describes politics as the road less travelled among his peers and what he might have done had he not ventured into politics.
No regrets joining politics
“I graduated in 2005 in London. Back then, everyone wanted to be an investment banker in London. It was the trend. You made tonnes of money and earned 12 or 13 months’ worth of bonuses every year. I would be lying if I said I did not want to do that at that point in my life and ended up being part of Malaysia’s brain drain.
“At the end of the day, I have always been interested in politics. People remember their first World Cup, the first movie they saw with their father, or the first cassette they bought. I remember all those things, but it was the 1990 election that I remember most.
“My family members were pro-BN and I didn’t know what it was at the time, maybe it was the Kelantanese genes that made me want to support the underdogs, and so I supported PAS 46 at that time. That was the kind of passion I had for politics.
“Reformasi happened. When the opportunity came to be involved in politics, I rushed in and left my studies and paid back my scholarship. I don’t have any regrets. Had I been a corporate guy or an investment guy, I would have wondered what it would have been like if I joined politics. I think I am living the life. I don’t have any regrets.”
On what he hopes people will take away from reading ‘Malaysian Son’, Nik Nazmi said, “I hope people can appreciate the diversity of Malaysia better. We can’t just stereotype. Everyone blames each other for stereotyping.”
He said liberal-leaning people stereotype conservatives and those in rural areas, and vice-versa.
“I think we should celebrate the different journeys that we take. At the end of the day, it is that acceptance that will enable us to succeed. I always believe that there is that sense that multiracialism is only celebrated by minorities, the non-Malays. That is natural because of the Malay supremacy worldview.
“My argument has always been, and I think this has been Tan Chee Khoon’s argument when he formed Gerakan and Pekemas (Parti Keadilan Masyarakat Malaysia), is that if Malays can accept multi-racialism, then multi-racialism will succeed. This is because the Malays are still the majority and are a growing population. It has been bandied about by the establishment that if the Malay accepts multiculturalism, they will lose out, which is not true at all.
“Malay supremacy is only propping up the elites and doesn’t help the ordinary Malays. The moment we can break that narrative, multiracialism can succeed in Malaysia. Multi-racialism cannot be a mere minority concern. It should be accepted by everyone, including the Malays in Malaysia,” Nik Nazmi declared. - Mkini
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