Will IGP crack down on those who incite racial issues?

Malaysiakini:

Will IGP crack down on those who incite racial issues?

by S Thayaparan

“The spectacle of what is called religion, or at any rate organised religion, in India and elsewhere, has filled me with horror and I have frequently condemned it and wished to make a clean sweep of it. Almost always it seemed to stand for blind belief and reaction, dogma and bigotry, superstition, exploitation and the preservation of vested interests.”

- Jawaharlal Nehru

COMMENT | Last year, Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador issued a stark – is there any other kind? – warning to racial and religious provocateurs that the state security apparatus would come down hard on anyone who incites racial issues.

In this country where race and religion are not mutually exclusive, especially for the majority, this “no warning” warning was supposed to deescalate the heated online rhetoric that was spilling into the real world.

Hamid (above) was specific in his rejoinder, saying: "I will not hesitate to arrest them (those inciting racial issues). I have instructed my men to investigate cases classified as involving religious and ethnic sensitivities.

"Don't wait, investigate and arrest. I repeat, no more warnings."

Warning the public not to be fooled by “the political games of certain parties”, he claimed that the state security apparatus would come down hard on parties posting provocative – in his example videos – content that would stir up racial and religious animosity. 

The recent statement by Jeram assemblyperson Mohd Shaid Rosli (photo) that Puncak Alam was “Malay territory” certainly counts as inciting racial issues. I have no idea what “Malay territory” means and what I want to know is, does the state security apparatus designate certain areas as “Malay” territories and is there a different set of procedures when executing their functions in these territories?

Indeed if a non-Malay argued that certain territories were "non-Malay" territories, I would argue that statements such as this one were bordering on seditious. In fact, I would argue that the Malays would take great offence, and would consider it a "provocation" if a non-Malay political operative made such a Facebook posting.

Also the remarks by the Kedah MB that the MIC and DAP political personalities “should not appear drunk on two to three bottles after only consuming one", is a direct racial slur relying on stereotypes to deflect from issues that affect minority communities.

After all, in Hamid's warning of the state security apparatus not tolerating those who incite racial sentiment, he had this to say about political leaders: “Many irresponsible statements are made. They (political leaders) should be held accountable after we had successfully upheld the democratic process (in the last general election).”

Of course, since the upholding of the “democratic process,” there has been the Sheraton Move. I wonder if since the democratic process has been subverted, does this mean that in this new post-Sheraton Move terrain, that the warning by the IGP has been nullified as well?

Keep in mind that whenever political operatives use race or religion they understand what they are doing. Take for instance the “Pejuang” operative who chose this moment to burnish his racial and religious bone fides.

Remember what political operative Mukhriz Mahathir (photo) regretted and admitted to stirring up racial and religious issues and demonising the DAP.

He also touched on the issue of Bersatu’s religious credibility and the tensions that arise when a monolithic state religion determines racial and religious attitudes of the majority, saying: "We are talking about the fight against corruption, alleviating poverty – how is that not Islamic? Are you telling me this is not what the Malays want?”

But the fact remains that the race-based parties have an abysmal track record in fighting corruption and advocating for good governance and Pejuang especially is now discovering that it really has no Malay/Muslim base. So what do they do, they revert to the old Umno playbook that Mukhriz regrets - or he says – playing from.

Jaya Grocer was understandably spooked by the “protest” of this state assemblyperson but what makes it more insidious, is that Shaid claimed that any objection was the sale of alcoholic beverages and not about “non-halal” products.

When something is deemed “haram” on religious grounds, any discussion of such an item becomes moot. Ab initio a discussion cannot take place because the item is already considered “haram” by certain folks. Hence, any objective discussion is supplanted by religious discourse and those objecting to religious interference.

So, any distinction between what is acceptable “non-halal” products are based on the whims of religious and political operatives and the power they exert over the economic and social fabric of the communities they represent.

Shaid makes this distinction because he knows that there are non-Malay/Muslims who would stupidly agree most often working under religious imperatives of their own, that the sale of alcoholic beverages should be reduced or banned outright. In this way, non-Malays/Muslims become complicit in the shrinking of our public and personal spaces.

Keep this in mind, what this Jeram assemblyperson managed to do, was what the vigilantes (above) of Gugusan Manjoi in Ipoh failed to carry out, that is to restrict the sale of alcohol in what they considered Malay areas.

The Kedah MB knew exactly what he was doing when he implied that the political operatives were drunk on the toddy of popularity. What this plays into is the stereotype that Chinese businesspeople enable the alcohol excess of Indians by selling them alcohol.

It is an old trope but one that is particularly attractive especially to non-Malay converts to the religion of the state, but more importantly a dog whistle that non-Malays are ganging up on a Malay menteri besar.

Of course, I doubt the IGP will take any action against these people. I suppose like me he is wondering why the subject of alcohol seems so intoxicating to these political operatives.


S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. A retired barrister-at-law, he hopes young people will assume the mantle of leadership – if there is to be any hope for this country.