A tale of two Malaysias

 

Some of us left Malaysia in the late 1970s and 1980s to study overseas. When we returned a decade later, Malaysia was a different country.

The changes were subtle, but they were there. It’s easier to notice them when one has been away for an appreciable amount of time.

Decades later, our warnings about the increasing tide of conservatism went unheeded.

Friends and family thought my imagination had run wild. A few thought I was being too dramatic when I said we may one day become like Iran or Saudi Arabia.

Afghanistan didn’t really figure in our thoughts at the time. The country was experiencing unimaginable violence in the civil and the Soviet-Afghan wars.

Much has happened since then but, today, the Taliban are back in control, and amongst other things, the education of women has stopped.

Meanwhile, there are a few things to celebrate. The Saudis are trying to cleanse their image and women have been given some liberties.

Over in Iran, the women are retaliating. The conservative Iranian government knows that it cannot allow the women to “triumph”. That would be too much for their ego and pride. It would amount to admitting defeat.

When they win, the women can and will break down the many barriers in place, thus enabling many reforms to begin. An Iranian friend said the way conservative clerics think is if they gave in to the women’s demands for change, then the clerics will never go to heaven.

So, it is no different from the conservatives in Malaysia then. In their warped interpretation of Islam, there is nothing about peace, goodwill, and being kind to your neighbour; but it is all about controlling others so that the conservatives can be fast-tracked to heaven.

Religion in practice

Today, Malaysia is at a crossroads with a tenuous connection among people of different cultures. A multiracial society is not just our only concern. Politics, religion, and the law are major issues.

How can one fully focus on the economy when we cannot even resolve how to live amicably together?

Many people enter politics to enrich themselves and not because they want to improve the lives of the rakyat.

Religious conservatism is on the rise and mullahs have convinced gullible Malays, or those who do not know their religion well enough, that the clerics know best.

A man of the cloth need only mutter some Arabic sounding words and, like magic, the gullible audience will nod in agreement, convinced that he probably has a hotline to God and what he said was the absolute truth.

Chatting with family and some Muslim friends about the law is extremely frustrating.

One said, “What rule of law? There is only Syariah law.”

Another said, “You are too Westernised. You’ve converted, haven’t you?”

A teenager said, “The others must obey us as this is our land. We Malays are fair.”

So, how fair is it to snatch children from their mothers? Women like M Indira Gandhi and Loh Siew Hong are still suffering.

The courts granted the mothers custody after their divorce. Their former husbands converted to Islam and were probably convinced they had the right to kidnap the children.

How fair is it to snatch bodies from a crematorium because someone thought the dead person had converted to Islam?

What right do Little Napoleons in the civil service have to turn people away just because their clothing was not their idea of “decency”?

How fair is it to demolish a temple just because the politician-cum-cleric thinks there is only one God? His! He neither respects the Federal Constitution nor Islam.

How fair is it to whip a woman, just because she became pregnant outside of marriage? The rapist will not admit to sexually abusing her because he does not want to be punished.

Why would the rapist allow four Muslim males to witness him commit this vile act? In the end, the woman is charged with committing adultery, and subsequently whipped. Is that justice?

All these Muslims do not fear God because, if they did, they would not destroy other people’s lives.

At the crossroads

Disappointingly, the voices of the guardians of religion in their respective states are largely muted. Why?

It’s not just religion that sits at the crossroads. Putrajaya likes to project itself as a visionary seat of governance, but some of the men and women in charge are as parochial as their peers in some states. Malay bondage and the Ketuanan Melayu mindset are very visible.

Perhaps, Anwar Ibrahim’s government will reverse the negative traits.

So, in the end, it is not just Malaysia which is at the crossroads, because the Malays must decide which kind of Islam they want for Malaysia.

Do they want the true Islam, or the warped interpretation of Islam peddled by some fanatical clerics?

It is not a decision for the non-Malays and non-Muslims.

The clock is ticking. What happened in GE15 was not a green wave or tsunami. It is a green monster, like the multi-headed Hydra.

With a tsunami, things are destroyed in the short term, but there will be regeneration.

However, the green monster will take over our lives, terrorise us, and feast on our minds, even if we are unwilling.

If you’re Malay, you decide. Don’t just tell us which path Malaysians should take. Do something about it. Start by being vocal. Don’t be afraid, because there is safety in numbers. - 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.