The Malay population is well catered for. Their needs are addressed, and when they bark, Putrajaya jumps.
Successive governments have bent over backwards to appease the Malays. With increased handouts and affirmative action policies, promises to uphold Malay interests and the "special position of the Malays", why would any Malay desire change? Why stop the privileged situation of a lifetime of being pampered and spoilt?
We were warned that we must be sensitive to the needs of the Malays; but why should we swaddle the Malays in extra layers of cotton wool and make the non-Malays walk on eggshells?
The end result is an overbearing, arrogant, and unthinking Malay, whose sense of entitlement is so strong, that he feels as if he can do no wrong. Throw in the twin evils of race and religion, and you get a person who believes that the world owes him, and he need not give anything in return.
No one envies prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and his inner circle, the fact that they have a minefield to navigate. If they successfully traverse this danger zone and reach the other side, they must watch out for the knives that are being sharpened.
Anwar has at least got one thing right, and that is to use his enemies. When enlisting the help of an enemy, he (the enemy) can be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove.
Today, the mess that we call Malaysia, and the victorious "green wave", which the experts 'missed' at GE-15, is not an overnight phenomenon. Over many years, some of us warned about this religious green tide, but we were told that we were overreacting and that we were mistaken.
‘Complacent and too comfortable’
Actually, they were wrong. They were complacent and too comfortable. Our warnings fell on deaf ears.
When I and my friends left Malaysia, to study at various overseas universities in the West, the Malays among us were warned by family members. "Whatever you do, be careful with whom you socialise."
"Who?" we asked, thinking they were referring to the local Westerners.
"The dakwah movement," they replied. They mentioned contract marriages (mut'ah marriage) and many other things. "They will offer friendship and help. You are in a new environment and they know you are vulnerable. Careful!
"As you are desperately homesick, you will readily accept their friendship. Before long, you will be sucked into their circle. There will be no turning back."
Returning from our studies in the late '80s, the Malaysia we once knew was almost gone. When visiting relatives in the villages, we found a divided Malay community. Friday sermons were held twice. One for a pro-PAS congregation, and another for Umno supporters. It was alleged that when Tok Guru Nik Aziz, the spiritual leader of PAS, found out, he admonished the troublemakers, and further tension was avoided.
Nevertheless, institutionalised racism and religious extremism became deeply embedded in our everyday lives. The old carefree multiracial spirit was disappearing.
Malay leaders found it easy to manipulate the Malay mind, with racial and religious rhetoric. Meanwhile, in the suraus and madrasahs, Saudi-petrodollar-sponsored Wahabhism was taking hold.
Like the flick of a switch, relatives who attended these classes went from being relatively open-minded to many spewing anti-Christian, anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Chinese sentiments.
Anyone who criticised this dangerous trend was then accused of being anti-royal, probably because the royals are the guardians of Islam in the state.
The whole nation became one toxic soup. The main ingredients which went into this broth were race, religion and royalty. These were seasoned with poverty, the increasing wealth gap, a dash of injustice and large doses of hypocrisy.
Still, the politicians refused to act on the extremists, and today, we suffer their reluctance to halt the rot.
The politicians are to blame. They only think short-term and their only aim is to increase their share of votes at election time. They ignored the long-term consequences. They unleashed a monster, which by the 21st century had become a multi-headed hydra.
Why should anyone be surprised when the media said, last week, that a green wave had been unleashed? One does not need hundreds of millions of ringgits in bribes for the religiously brainwashed.
The preacher hands over RM50 to voters for transport costs to the polling centre, before giving the all-important advice: "If you do not vote for our religious party, you will burn in hell." This warning about the afterlife will suffice. A green tsunami is guaranteed!
When my friends and I, together with like-thinking Malaysians, forewarned about the fanatical brand of Islam spreading quietly in our midst, we were labelled heretics and liberal.
Do they even know what the word 'liberal' means? For most of them, the word liberal conjures up the hippy flower-power movement of the '60s. For them, a liberal is someone who practices free sex, abhors religion, lacks morals and promotes the counter-culture of drugs, psychedelic music and art.
These people hijacked the word "liberal" in the same way the word "gay" has been hijacked. Gay used to mean being cheerful. Today, it means homosexual.
There is no such thing as a moderate Malay Muslim. One is either a normal Muslim, or a Muslim who is extremist or misguided.
Sadly, many Malay/Muslim leaders and their supporters exploit the divisive and dangerous politics of race and religion.
They took advantage of the affirmative action policies and the New Economic Policy (NEP). They became eye-watering and wealthy. The nouveau riche formed a new elite club. Why would they speak out and stop the nonsense that is destroying Malaysia? They would prefer to go into hibernation. The rich get richer, the poor Malays are trapped in poverty, whilst the poor "other races" are not their concern.
Today, the green wave may have jolted some of these comfortable Malay/Muslims. Casting their minds back to the 1979 Iranian/Islamic Revolution, they know that Ayatollah Khomeini abolished the monarchy, installed a tyrannical theocratic state, and oppressed their women. Alarmed by the recent events in Iran, they probably wonder if Malaysia is headed that way. Will they now speak out?
If I had one wish from Anwar, it would be to reverse the slide, using the three Es. These are education, economic measures, and environmental awareness. Re-educate our young, deal with bread-and-butter issues and take good care of the place we call home. - Mkini
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.
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