Haris is always Malaysian first, no thought of selling out
Martin Vengadesan
To those who followed Malaysia’s political awakening that was triggered by Reformasi in 1998 and snowballed thereafter into Bersih and the 2008 tsunami, the name Haris Ibrahim needs no introduction.
In the fledgling days of online portals like Malaysiakini, political blogging and social media apps like Twitter, his was one of the voices that articulated the frustrations that many Malaysians had felt as they lived their lives in silent desperation under the yoke of a repressive, racist and corrupt system.
Now more than two decades on, Haris has a very different fight on his hands. Around the time he turned 63 on April 4, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.
Haris’ family and friends have carried out some fundraising to help with medical treatment costs, but there remains the sobering diagnosis that he might only have as little as three months to live.
When Malaysiakini caught up with Haris last week, he had just begun treatment and was optimistic about the challenges that lie ahead and exuberant over the battles of the past.
“There was nothing quite as euphoric as the late night of May 9. After years and years of people telling us we cannot bring down Umno and BN - they are too big, finally, a united people was about to do what was thought to be impossible.
“For me, that feeling was indescribable. It was a culmination of weeks of work and we were fatigued, but the euphoria was intense,” he recalled.
Haris, who was a lawyer by profession, was a founder of the ‘Asalkan Bukan Umno’ (Anything But Umno) movement and wrote on “The People’s Parliament” blog.
The year 2018 might be the most momentous year of all, but he was active in the 2008 political tsunami as well.
The watershed election of 2008
“In 2008, I think it was Umno’s Khairy Jamaluddin and Khir Toyo who said they were going to ‘zero-rise’ the opposition and that was the extent to which they underestimated social media.
“Social media was storming in but at the same time, there was a younger generation that was not gripped by the bogeyman of May 1969. The mood for change was already falling into place.
“Things were coming together without any real orchestrated effort. I remember just before the elections, civil society came up with two documents - the people’s declaration and the people’s voice and opposition parties took to it like a duck to water. A lot of things were coming together and looking back, it was a foreshadowing of the 2018 election,” he said.
Despite being associated more with opposition to Umno rule, he was never roped into party politics.
To those who followed Malaysia’s political awakening that was triggered by Reformasi in 1998 and snowballed thereafter into Bersih and the 2008 tsunami, the name Haris Ibrahim needs no introduction.
In the fledgling days of online portals like Malaysiakini, political blogging and social media apps like Twitter, his was one of the voices that articulated the frustrations that many Malaysians had felt as they lived their lives in silent desperation under the yoke of a repressive, racist and corrupt system.
Now more than two decades on, Haris has a very different fight on his hands. Around the time he turned 63 on April 4, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.
Haris’ family and friends have carried out some fundraising to help with medical treatment costs, but there remains the sobering diagnosis that he might only have as little as three months to live.
When Malaysiakini caught up with Haris last week, he had just begun treatment and was optimistic about the challenges that lie ahead and exuberant over the battles of the past.
“There was nothing quite as euphoric as the late night of May 9. After years and years of people telling us we cannot bring down Umno and BN - they are too big, finally, a united people was about to do what was thought to be impossible.
“For me, that feeling was indescribable. It was a culmination of weeks of work and we were fatigued, but the euphoria was intense,” he recalled.
Haris, who was a lawyer by profession, was a founder of the ‘Asalkan Bukan Umno’ (Anything But Umno) movement and wrote on “The People’s Parliament” blog.
The year 2018 might be the most momentous year of all, but he was active in the 2008 political tsunami as well.
The watershed election of 2008
“In 2008, I think it was Umno’s Khairy Jamaluddin and Khir Toyo who said they were going to ‘zero-rise’ the opposition and that was the extent to which they underestimated social media.
“Social media was storming in but at the same time, there was a younger generation that was not gripped by the bogeyman of May 1969. The mood for change was already falling into place.
“Things were coming together without any real orchestrated effort. I remember just before the elections, civil society came up with two documents - the people’s declaration and the people’s voice and opposition parties took to it like a duck to water. A lot of things were coming together and looking back, it was a foreshadowing of the 2018 election,” he said.
Despite being associated more with opposition to Umno rule, he was never roped into party politics.
Seremban MP Anthony Loke
“Just this week (Seremban MP) Anthony Loke dropped by and we were joking because, in 2008, Lim Guan Eng called me from Penang, his voice hoarse from so many ceramah and told me we need one more candidate for one more state seat. Join us and if we win the state, I guarantee you will be in the exco.
“I told him, hold on. My team was there, I consulted and they all told me to tell him no.
“I told him Haris is always going to be the people’s watchdog. I’m not going to contest because somebody has to be out there to kick ass when it needs to be done,” said Haris with a laugh.
Having said that, he admitted to being frustrated with the way things were going that he almost contested in GE14 as an independent. Only a previous conviction under the Sedition Act stopped him.
“I was previously sentenced to eight months in jail. The eight months was set aside but I had to pay a fine of RM4,000, which barred me from being a candidate,” he said.
Not seduced by money
Haris was born on April 4, 1959, in Batu Gajah, Perak, to a pair of teachers. He had seven siblings and two children.
“My full name is Haris Fadillah Sam Sathiasingam bin Mohd Ibrahim. My mother was a Sri Lankan Tamil, and she never wanted us to forget our roots. All of us have got Tamil names too.
“I dissociate with any notion that my citizenship has greater value than any others on account of my Malay ancestry.
“Let me state unequivocally that I am firstly Malaysian. My Malay heritage in this regard bears no relevance whatsoever.
“As one who firmly believes in the Holy Quran as the inerrant Word of God, I cannot pretend that there is no injustice in a policy that seeks to improve the impoverished lot of only one class of people based on racial considerations. Such a policy plainly offends a cardinal foundation of Islam, as I understand it, that all men are equal,” he said.
He was one of a wave of early bloggers that included Raja Petra Kamarrudin, while Azhar (Art) Harun also came along a little later. While these men are seen as having strayed from their initial progressive views, Haris said that was never an option for him.
“I left a lucrative legal practice. I left it to become an activist because I saw things were not right. Nothing has changed. The status quo has not changed.
“There’s no reason to go back. I am certainly not seduced by the money. I have enough to eat. I have a family that cares for me, people that care for me, and I never once thought of compromising,” he said.
Haris said one of his most cherished initiatives is ‘Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia’, which basically drove the campaign of one people, one nation, all equal.
“That hasn’t changed. We still have this bumiputera, non-bumiputera divide. Divide between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah/Sarawak and a very devious attempt to divide us between Muslims and non-Muslims.
“My friends and I are working on a secret tool to take into GE15 to counter this, and I am looking forward to unleashing it,” he said.
“Just this week (Seremban MP) Anthony Loke dropped by and we were joking because, in 2008, Lim Guan Eng called me from Penang, his voice hoarse from so many ceramah and told me we need one more candidate for one more state seat. Join us and if we win the state, I guarantee you will be in the exco.
“I told him, hold on. My team was there, I consulted and they all told me to tell him no.
“I told him Haris is always going to be the people’s watchdog. I’m not going to contest because somebody has to be out there to kick ass when it needs to be done,” said Haris with a laugh.
Having said that, he admitted to being frustrated with the way things were going that he almost contested in GE14 as an independent. Only a previous conviction under the Sedition Act stopped him.
“I was previously sentenced to eight months in jail. The eight months was set aside but I had to pay a fine of RM4,000, which barred me from being a candidate,” he said.
Not seduced by money
Haris was born on April 4, 1959, in Batu Gajah, Perak, to a pair of teachers. He had seven siblings and two children.
“My full name is Haris Fadillah Sam Sathiasingam bin Mohd Ibrahim. My mother was a Sri Lankan Tamil, and she never wanted us to forget our roots. All of us have got Tamil names too.
“I dissociate with any notion that my citizenship has greater value than any others on account of my Malay ancestry.
“Let me state unequivocally that I am firstly Malaysian. My Malay heritage in this regard bears no relevance whatsoever.
“As one who firmly believes in the Holy Quran as the inerrant Word of God, I cannot pretend that there is no injustice in a policy that seeks to improve the impoverished lot of only one class of people based on racial considerations. Such a policy plainly offends a cardinal foundation of Islam, as I understand it, that all men are equal,” he said.
He was one of a wave of early bloggers that included Raja Petra Kamarrudin, while Azhar (Art) Harun also came along a little later. While these men are seen as having strayed from their initial progressive views, Haris said that was never an option for him.
“I left a lucrative legal practice. I left it to become an activist because I saw things were not right. Nothing has changed. The status quo has not changed.
“There’s no reason to go back. I am certainly not seduced by the money. I have enough to eat. I have a family that cares for me, people that care for me, and I never once thought of compromising,” he said.
Haris said one of his most cherished initiatives is ‘Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia’, which basically drove the campaign of one people, one nation, all equal.
“That hasn’t changed. We still have this bumiputera, non-bumiputera divide. Divide between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah/Sarawak and a very devious attempt to divide us between Muslims and non-Muslims.
“My friends and I are working on a secret tool to take into GE15 to counter this, and I am looking forward to unleashing it,” he said.
Touched by the support of others
Haris said he was very moved by the outpouring of support he received when news broke that he was ill.
“I have always been overwhelmed. When we were running the ABU campaign, we collected close to RM3 million, but I tell you, the one that touched my heart the most was those who donated RM10 and RM20.
“These are wage earners. And I am facing the same thing here. People are giving what they can, and I am so touched,” he said.
He said the cost of his treatment brought home just what an imbalanced society Malaysia had become.
“I’ve been for two sessions of radiotherapy. From 2014 to 2015, I’m part of B40 in terms of income. Without assistance from my brother and the public, I wouldn’t be able to afford the treatment.
“As I went through the treatment, what came to my mind was – how about the B40? How can they afford this?
“We are a rich, oil and gas producing country - we can’t go on like this. We need a government with a conscience. So many people desperately need help,” he said.
“You only need to look at the recent pandemic to see that the rich got richer. Big pharma got richer. My medical treatment costs RM20,000 for 15 sessions - why is it so expensive when the R&D has been done?
“Is it possible in the next elections to find 222 people who really care for the people? Who doesn’t see the MP seat as a chance to enrich themselves?” he asked.
Religious faith is important to him
While his gregarious style might lead one to believe otherwise, Haris said that his personal faith is important to him.
“I’m a universalist. People say that God is all-seeing, all-knowing. Well, how on earth can you live with so much corruption and still partake of your prayers. Many who walk this earth are only believers on the lips - I don’t know how else to say it.
“In January 2009 when I passed the crystal mosque in Terengganu and then I saw the squatter houses, right there I thought to myself - no God asked for this. He has blessed us with wealth to look after each other and we should be equal,” he said.
He said he has always looked up to the likes of Prophet Muhammad, Buddha, Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
“Locally, my heroes were Karpal Singh and Lim Kit Siang. P Patto too. These were people who very clearly have very little self-interest - fighting to build a Malaysia for all Malaysians.
“Only later did I come to understand the role of the left-wing leaders of the Socialist Front and PSRM. We need a new generation to take the baton and lead our country in a selfless manner. To understand that you don’t walk away for a better income. It’s the dignity that we walk with as a man,” he said.
Haris was not always about being an activist and lawyer. He said he also had a range of passions.
“I’ve been a Tottenham Hotspur fan since 1972 until now. I love good music like Bruce Springsteen and Dire Straits. And if you recommend a good movie, I will watch it. I’m also an avid reader and full-time student of comparative religion,” he said.
As for his current situation, Haris is not one to shy away from its challenges.
“I prefer to know when death is around the corner. That way, I can get my affairs in order and make peace with all and sundry. And make time for loved ones.”
We can’t build a nation on lies, says Haris
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