Election battle shaping up over a Malay or Malaysian Malaysia

 

I had a chance meeting recently with a group of Malay friends who have been fairly successful in their careers and family lives. As with most meetings, the subject of discussion turned to politics and where the nation is heading.

There were contrasting views even among them on the dramatic push by PAS, Bersatu and Dr Mahathir Mohamad for a near-absolute Malay-Islam rule in Malaysia.

Honestly, some of the views, coming from those who have lived through the transformation of the country since the 1960s, appear to support the PAS theme that sharing political power according to the population ratio is a recipe for disaster.

This made me realise that some urban Malaysians, with sound education and successful careers, need not necessarily hold liberal thoughts about who should lead the nation. They seem to believe that a multiracial leadership in all areas controlled by the government is not healthy for the nation.

This is shocking as they seem to be taking this stand despite knowing the reality that Malay-Muslims are the majority in the Cabinet and most areas of government-controlled commercial entities and also government agencies and departments.

The heads of departments, agencies, government-controlled companies and the armed forces too are mostly Malay-Muslims. And this has been the case since the 1960s.

33% ratio in the Cabinet

Most non-Malays seemed to have accepted this reality as part of their lives, as seen in the current Cabinet line-up which was consciously limited to the lowest number of non-Malay ministers as possible, four, despite the Chinese-dominated DAP having won the greatest number of seats among Pakatan Harapan parties.

In Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government, nine of the 27 ministers are non-Malays, or about 33%. When Dr Mahathir Mohamad first became prime minister in 1981, his Cabinet comprised 24 ministers. Eight, or 33% of them, were non-Malays.

It is also worthy to note that while there was only one Malay deputy prime minister during Mahathir’s watch on both the occasions, we have two Malay deputies now. Yes, it was political expediency but it benefited the community.

For the record, 151 of the 222 MPs sitting in the Dewan Rakyat are Muslims. A total of 77 are from PH while 74 are from PAS and Bersatu. Obviously, there is no way any bill that could affect Islam and Muslims can be passed based on these numbers.

So, the constant racialist rhetoric from Mahathir and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang have no basis whatsoever.

Mahathir’s desperation

But they are dangerously pushing Malaysians of all backgrounds to the wall. The leaders should realise that forcing one into a desperate position in which one’s options are limited can be met with desperate actions.

The most idiotic claims have been spewed by none other than Mahathir who seems to have been desperately upping his ante every other day. One of these was the preposterous accusation that some non-Malays are planning to change the name of the country.

Seriously? Come on Dr Mahathir, even you know deep in your heart that this is not only absolutely impossible but also something that no Malaysian is thinking of.

Then the 98-year-old former prime minister came up with something that could have made our first prime minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, turn in his grave. The so-called statesman has claimed that promoting Malaysia as a multiracial country is against the Federal Constitution.

Let’s hope some of our constitutional experts and historians knock some sense into his head.

Pushing for supremacy

Hadi, on the other hand, constantly berates the non-Muslims for allegedly being the cause of most problems in the country, including corruption. He openly calls for a government which must be led by near-majority Muslims with secondary posts for others.

Do these leaders realise what they are doing to the psyche of non-Muslims in the country? They should try putting themselves in the position of the others, who incidentally contribute most of the personal income taxes that the government earns.

It’s really painful to be blamed for the woes that the nation is facing when we know the blame should fall on politicians who are venomous in their unguarded push for Malay supremacy when they really don’t have to.

If their racial and religious spins are taken as gospel truth by the Malay voters in the six state elections due soon, we will see the nation split into two groups, those for a Malay Malaysia and those who favour a Malaysian Malaysia.

What this will lead to at the next general election or GE16 is a scary thought as the parties will obviously want to outdo each other as to who is more Islamic. And whether for good or bad, we will end up as a fully Islamic nation. - FMT

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