3R ‘ban’ will compel discussion on real issues

From Ibrahim M Ahmad

Veteran Malay “warrior” Dr Mahathir Mohamad seems distressed by what he terms a government “ban” imposed on “3R” conversation topics.

“If it is to be made a crime, it needs to be debated and approved by the Dewan Rakyat and the Senate, and signed off by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or approved after two months,” Mahathir wrote in a social media post on Tuesday.

Last I checked, it was properly passed into law, Sir. In 1948! We called it the Sedition Act.

That piece of legislation has been put to good use by the authorities recently, with the attorney-general charging Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor for allegedly speaking ill of the Malay rulers. Separately, police say they are still investigating both PAS’ Abdul Hadi Awang and DAP’s Lim Guan Eng for statements touching on religion.

Prior to that, calls were also made by politicians for Mahathir himself to be investigated over some of his more contentious recent statements.

To ordinary citizens, it does seem that the actions of the police and the attorney-general are timely.

Our politicians have a habit of drifting towards topics surrounding race, religion and royalty far too easily.

The need to champion the superiority of Islam and protect the special rights of the Malays as though either is under any threat is a convenient default position that politicians jostling for the crucial Malay vote tend to take.

With state elections scheduled for Aug 12, Perikatan Nasional is looking to consolidate its grip on power in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, while the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional tag team defends its fortresses in Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

For PN and PAS in particular, the most effective way to win the Malay vote is by pushing a right-wing Islamic ideology as the ultimate medicine to cure the woes of the Malays and the country.

In their corner these days is the soon-to-be-centenarian politician, who, armed with his Malay Proclamation, is intent on spooking the Malays with claims that they are quickly losing their special rights and privileges under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s watch.

On the opposite side, religion is being used to scare the electorate in a different way. Non-Muslims are being told that a PN-led government, heavily influenced by clerics from PAS, will quickly impose a more regressive form of Islam which will trample on their rights.

It is convenient for PN and Mahathir to point their collective finger at Anwar. The fact that DAP has a strong presence in PH and the unity government is another Achilles heel they can take advantage of.

Outside the courtroom on Tuesday, Sanusi defied a gag order to accuse Anwar’s government of using the courts to suppress free speech. He was clearly reading from the same script PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin used in his own complaint after being charged for abuse of power.

Yet, Anwar is not known even within the corridors of power to sanction the use of state machinery in such an oppressive way, especially given the fact that he was for a long time its principal victim.

That power to prosecute is entirely the domain of Attorney-General Idrus Harun, ironically a Muhyiddin appointee.

Even then, Idrus did not lead the prosecution on Tuesday. That task fell to long-serving judicial officer and current Solicitor-General, Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh.

Neither can be classified as an Anwar lackey.

Politicking aside, the on-going investigations and prosecutions do appear to have a proper purpose, which is to keep the political discourse and temperature under control ahead of what is likely to be another critical election.

Some observers suggest that these state elections will be seen as a referendum on Anwar and his Pakatan Harapan-led administration. That may well be true in Selangor, and probably also in Negeri Sembilan.

Heated arguments about race, religion and royalty in the lead up to the polls are bound to distort their outcome.

While the non-Malay vote is likely to be almost entirely in favour of PH, fevered debates on “3R” topics will surely impact how the Malays will choose their next state governments.

In Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and pockets of Penang, there are fears that excessive discussion of these sensitive topics, especially among the non-Malays, may drive the Malays not to vote or to lodge a protest vote in favour of PN.

That may not have too significant an impact on Penang, but can bring seismic change to the make-up of the next administration in both Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, but for all the wrong reasons.

Despite what Mahathir and Sanusi say, race, religion and royalty are not topics of grave importance in the current climate. They only serve to distract our politicians from the topics that really matter to the rakyat.

In post-pandemic Malaysia, the immediate matters of concern involve the economy, jobs and the ever-increasing cost of living.

Perhaps, the so-called “ban” on 3R topics will force our politicians to talk at their campaigns about the real issues affecting not just the Malays, but all Malaysians.

That will allow the electorate to vote into power those capable of bringing real change to their lives – whoever they are, and whichever side they may be on. - FMT

Ibrahim M Ahmad is a FMT Reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.