FMT:
What ails Malaysia, and how we can bridge the divide
5 hours ago
Yeoh Guan Jin
Author, former educator and speaker Asma Abdullah airs her views on national unity and other issues as Malaysians celebrate yet another year as a nation
Asma Abdullah believes more can be done, especially with the education system, to bring Malaysians together.
PETALING JAYA: A chat with Asma Abdullah will easily change one’s perspective on being Malaysian, unity, education and so many other issues about life.
In an hour-long tête-à-tête over the weekend with FMT, the author, former educator, speaker, and ex-corporate HR specialist, Asma did not hold back on issues that affect Malaysia and Malaysians.
From national unity (“let’s not even talk about unity”) to Malaysia Day (“it’s just another day for me”), she aired her views on what is wrong with the nation, but rather than just leave despair, she also brought hope that things could still be better, if only we were willing to work on it.
At age 77 now, Asma remains active, penning her views on everything that has an impact on Malaysia between holding coaching and training sessions on human resource matters, drawn from more than three decades in a US multinational firm and teaching at a graduate business school.
Recalling her childhood days in Baling in the 1960s, she said Malaysia has become a lot more conservative, and she attributed it to the ideals of many Malays, especially PAS members, based on their narrow brand of interpretation of Islam.
“We used to wear shorts and skirts to school, and it was not a problem. But now, being a Muslim, I am supposed to cover my hair,” she said. “That was before Islamisation.”
“So now, we cannot even re-live the days of icons such as P Ramlee and Saloma,” she added.
Asma also voiced her criticism of attempts to do away with some features of Malay culture, such as kuda kepang and wayang kulit.
She said that so long as it does not depict things non-Islamic it is not a bad thing.
“We can even use it as an educational tool,” she said. “For instance, the shadow play can be used to showcase Malay tradition and the values and traditions of its royalty.”
In an hour-long tête-à-tête over the weekend with FMT, the author, former educator, speaker, and ex-corporate HR specialist, Asma did not hold back on issues that affect Malaysia and Malaysians.
From national unity (“let’s not even talk about unity”) to Malaysia Day (“it’s just another day for me”), she aired her views on what is wrong with the nation, but rather than just leave despair, she also brought hope that things could still be better, if only we were willing to work on it.
At age 77 now, Asma remains active, penning her views on everything that has an impact on Malaysia between holding coaching and training sessions on human resource matters, drawn from more than three decades in a US multinational firm and teaching at a graduate business school.
Recalling her childhood days in Baling in the 1960s, she said Malaysia has become a lot more conservative, and she attributed it to the ideals of many Malays, especially PAS members, based on their narrow brand of interpretation of Islam.
“We used to wear shorts and skirts to school, and it was not a problem. But now, being a Muslim, I am supposed to cover my hair,” she said. “That was before Islamisation.”
“So now, we cannot even re-live the days of icons such as P Ramlee and Saloma,” she added.
Asma also voiced her criticism of attempts to do away with some features of Malay culture, such as kuda kepang and wayang kulit.
She said that so long as it does not depict things non-Islamic it is not a bad thing.
“We can even use it as an educational tool,” she said. “For instance, the shadow play can be used to showcase Malay tradition and the values and traditions of its royalty.”
Some of the books authored by Asma Abdullah.
PAS had previously called for a ban on wayang kulit, categorising it as un-Islamic.
Asma attributed the PAS worldwiew as more ethnocentric than ethnorelative. “If you are ethnocentric, you tend to evaluate other cultures according to preconceived standards and customs of your own culture, as opposed to being ethnorelative, which makes you see the intrinsic value of others,” she added.
Together as one country?
On national unity, Asma’s view is that we should not even discuss it.
“What is unity? The different races merely co-exist in this country,” she pointed out.
She said that at a recent forum on national unity she attended, she raised the point that for Malaysians to be united, there has to be a common enemy.
“But we don’t. We are not at war. There is no famine or other miserable stuff. In fact, our worst enemy is ourselves,” she said.
She said Malaysians have failed to come together after almost seven decades because they don’t know each other, and they do not understand each other. “But we always like to blame others,” she said.
“What put us in this place now is our ignorance and arrogance,” she added. “We don’t know or understand each other’s culture, and we think we are superior to others.”
Using art to foster unity
Malaysia, Asma said, is still a “work in progress”. “After so many years together as a nation, we are still working on (achieving national unity),” she added.
She pointed out that Malaysia is a very complex society given its history and diverse racial and cultural make-up. This, she said, seemed to have led people to make assumptions about other races and cultures.
“Sometimes these assumptions are wrong. So, I always tell my friends that when you are dealing with people from a different culture, be wary of making fast remarks because what you say may not even be accurate,” she said.
For instance, she said, being a Malay meant that she should get to know about Qing Ming, the Chinese festival honouring their ancestors.
“For now, our understanding of each other is just on the surface,” she said.
Asma said this underscored the importance of learning the cultures of other communities. “If you don’t know other people’s culture, you may make the wrong decisions,” she added.
And, she said, turning to art could help one learn about other cultures. “We need to promote cultural literacy,” she said.
She singled out the movie “Abah Saya, Uncle Mike”, based on the story of a Chinese man who had raised three Malay boys, and the efforts he made to help them keep their Malay culture and Islamic faith.
She said Uncle Mike even went to the extent of checking whether his Muslim staff went for their Friday prayers, especially when he had to travel, underscoring the dedication he showed in respecting others’ cultures and traditions.
“To me it shows the importance of seeing things beyond the symbols. We tend to think of our culture as superior compared with others,” she added.
Asma said the national unity ministry should take the lead in encouraging those in the entertainment industry to produce more of such films.
Ensuring fairness
Touching on the New Economic Policy (NEP), Asma said affirmative action should be needs-based rather than race-based.
Recalling her university days in Melbourne where she did her first degree, she said the Chinese students from Malaysia did not have the benefit of scholarships like their bumiputera counterparts.
“I remember seeing the Chinese boys working in pizza parlours just to cover fees and board. Yet, they did better than many of the Malay students who did not have to work to support themselves abroad,” she said.
She blamed it on the lack of effort to meet cultural diversity needs in the formulation of government policies. She said government policies were as much to blame for racial differences as lack of understanding among the various communities.
Asma proposed that the NEP be rebranded to make it more equitable. “All of us want to benefit from government policies to feel that the country is fair to us. It can be wealth distribution, scholarships, or simply how we are being treated,” she said.
The fault of the people’s representatives
Asma also took a swipe at politicians, describing debates in the Dewan Rakyat as “juvenile” and “sickening”.
“I think all politicians should go back to school to learn how not to make a mockery of themselves,” she said. “You may have great oratory skills, be active in school debates but that does not make you a leader.”
She pointed out that Malays place great importance on adab or manners. “Adab is about good behaviour based on our tradition and customs, and respecting protocol.
“It is a reflection of your upbringing,” she said. “It makes me sad to see these Malay MPs shouting at each other.”
Asma said the politicians should realise that whatever they said must also be substantive.
She pointed out that with social media, politicians could also be role models for the young, making it imperative for them to behave properly.
For instance, she said, boys should be taught how to behave like gentlemen, and how to treat women.
“Educate your son to respect, not dominate,” she added.
Hope for the future
Asma said there is still time for Malaysians to learn about each other. In her own small way, she had developed an activity game to help people learn more about their friends and neighbours of different races.
“I call it the ‘delights, puzzles, and irritations’ game. It centres around getting people to cross the cultural divide to better understand what delights others, what is puzzling to them, and what irritates them.
“For instance, some may take a liking for food of another culture, making it a delight, while some do not understand why certain things are done by those outside their respective communities. These are the puzzles.
“There also are some things others do that irritates us but is a norm for them. What we need to do is make people understand what each of these things or actions mean,” she added.
Asma also pointed out that for all its shortcomings, Malaysia remains a favourite place to settle down for many foreigners.
She pointed to a series of interviews conducted by a European woman with many expatriates who have settled down in Malaysia and were full of praise for the country.
“There is one of a man who even converted to Islam after coming to Malaysia and is now planning to settle down here,” she said.
Asma said that while Malaysia Day may not mean more than just another public holiday for the young, or just another day for retirees like her, it should not stop Malaysians from learning from and about each other.
“We must understand that Malaysia is Malay, Chinese, Indian and others,” she said.
She cautioned against falling into the trap of an intra-cultural landscape advocated by the conservatives, such as PAS.
“We need to learn about each other, to develop an inter-cultural environment, and given the advance of globalisation, learning about people of other countries to make us cross-cultural,” she said.
“This is what our education system must cover,” Asma added.
PAS had previously called for a ban on wayang kulit, categorising it as un-Islamic.
Asma attributed the PAS worldwiew as more ethnocentric than ethnorelative. “If you are ethnocentric, you tend to evaluate other cultures according to preconceived standards and customs of your own culture, as opposed to being ethnorelative, which makes you see the intrinsic value of others,” she added.
Together as one country?
On national unity, Asma’s view is that we should not even discuss it.
“What is unity? The different races merely co-exist in this country,” she pointed out.
She said that at a recent forum on national unity she attended, she raised the point that for Malaysians to be united, there has to be a common enemy.
“But we don’t. We are not at war. There is no famine or other miserable stuff. In fact, our worst enemy is ourselves,” she said.
She said Malaysians have failed to come together after almost seven decades because they don’t know each other, and they do not understand each other. “But we always like to blame others,” she said.
“What put us in this place now is our ignorance and arrogance,” she added. “We don’t know or understand each other’s culture, and we think we are superior to others.”
Using art to foster unity
Malaysia, Asma said, is still a “work in progress”. “After so many years together as a nation, we are still working on (achieving national unity),” she added.
She pointed out that Malaysia is a very complex society given its history and diverse racial and cultural make-up. This, she said, seemed to have led people to make assumptions about other races and cultures.
“Sometimes these assumptions are wrong. So, I always tell my friends that when you are dealing with people from a different culture, be wary of making fast remarks because what you say may not even be accurate,” she said.
For instance, she said, being a Malay meant that she should get to know about Qing Ming, the Chinese festival honouring their ancestors.
“For now, our understanding of each other is just on the surface,” she said.
Asma said this underscored the importance of learning the cultures of other communities. “If you don’t know other people’s culture, you may make the wrong decisions,” she added.
And, she said, turning to art could help one learn about other cultures. “We need to promote cultural literacy,” she said.
She singled out the movie “Abah Saya, Uncle Mike”, based on the story of a Chinese man who had raised three Malay boys, and the efforts he made to help them keep their Malay culture and Islamic faith.
She said Uncle Mike even went to the extent of checking whether his Muslim staff went for their Friday prayers, especially when he had to travel, underscoring the dedication he showed in respecting others’ cultures and traditions.
“To me it shows the importance of seeing things beyond the symbols. We tend to think of our culture as superior compared with others,” she added.
Asma said the national unity ministry should take the lead in encouraging those in the entertainment industry to produce more of such films.
Ensuring fairness
Touching on the New Economic Policy (NEP), Asma said affirmative action should be needs-based rather than race-based.
Recalling her university days in Melbourne where she did her first degree, she said the Chinese students from Malaysia did not have the benefit of scholarships like their bumiputera counterparts.
“I remember seeing the Chinese boys working in pizza parlours just to cover fees and board. Yet, they did better than many of the Malay students who did not have to work to support themselves abroad,” she said.
She blamed it on the lack of effort to meet cultural diversity needs in the formulation of government policies. She said government policies were as much to blame for racial differences as lack of understanding among the various communities.
Asma proposed that the NEP be rebranded to make it more equitable. “All of us want to benefit from government policies to feel that the country is fair to us. It can be wealth distribution, scholarships, or simply how we are being treated,” she said.
The fault of the people’s representatives
Asma also took a swipe at politicians, describing debates in the Dewan Rakyat as “juvenile” and “sickening”.
“I think all politicians should go back to school to learn how not to make a mockery of themselves,” she said. “You may have great oratory skills, be active in school debates but that does not make you a leader.”
She pointed out that Malays place great importance on adab or manners. “Adab is about good behaviour based on our tradition and customs, and respecting protocol.
“It is a reflection of your upbringing,” she said. “It makes me sad to see these Malay MPs shouting at each other.”
Asma said the politicians should realise that whatever they said must also be substantive.
She pointed out that with social media, politicians could also be role models for the young, making it imperative for them to behave properly.
For instance, she said, boys should be taught how to behave like gentlemen, and how to treat women.
“Educate your son to respect, not dominate,” she added.
Hope for the future
Asma said there is still time for Malaysians to learn about each other. In her own small way, she had developed an activity game to help people learn more about their friends and neighbours of different races.
“I call it the ‘delights, puzzles, and irritations’ game. It centres around getting people to cross the cultural divide to better understand what delights others, what is puzzling to them, and what irritates them.
“For instance, some may take a liking for food of another culture, making it a delight, while some do not understand why certain things are done by those outside their respective communities. These are the puzzles.
“There also are some things others do that irritates us but is a norm for them. What we need to do is make people understand what each of these things or actions mean,” she added.
Asma also pointed out that for all its shortcomings, Malaysia remains a favourite place to settle down for many foreigners.
She pointed to a series of interviews conducted by a European woman with many expatriates who have settled down in Malaysia and were full of praise for the country.
“There is one of a man who even converted to Islam after coming to Malaysia and is now planning to settle down here,” she said.
Asma said that while Malaysia Day may not mean more than just another public holiday for the young, or just another day for retirees like her, it should not stop Malaysians from learning from and about each other.
“We must understand that Malaysia is Malay, Chinese, Indian and others,” she said.
She cautioned against falling into the trap of an intra-cultural landscape advocated by the conservatives, such as PAS.
“We need to learn about each other, to develop an inter-cultural environment, and given the advance of globalisation, learning about people of other countries to make us cross-cultural,” she said.
“This is what our education system must cover,” Asma added.
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