Hannah Yeoh's Selendang choice deflection

Hannah Yeoh's Selendang choice deflection

S Thayaparan
Published: Mar 10, 2024 10:42 AM


“The expression of my faith discomforts some Muslims while the expression of my tolerance frightens some non-Muslims.” 

- Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh

COMMENT | I really like this quote by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh that opens this piece. Why? Because it makes it seem her expressions of tolerance exist in a vacuum and the non-Muslims who are frightened by her expressions are the ones with the problem.

It is a neat deflection on a hot-button issue, which makes her critics seem unreasonable.

In this country, “tolerance” is a one-way street. It is a street only used by the non-Malay population.

Mind you, the word “tolerance” is in itself a loathsome word. It is a word lacking empathy, simpatico, goodwill, or camaraderie. The word implies, “enduring” instead of “accepting” and “understanding” - all those sentiments that denote a sense of belonging. But okay, I will play the “tolerance” game.

We are tolerant that race determines privileges.

We are tolerant that a religion is codified in our laws and Constitution.

We are tolerant that the security apparatus in our country determines which laws to follow, especially when it comes to unilateral conversion.



We are tolerant when our religions are mocked and we are branded traitors because we defend our rights which are supposedly enshrined in our constitution.

We are tolerant when religious personalities imply that oppositional political parties are the enemies of Islam and thus open to war-like retribution.

We are tolerant when our public spaces are invaded by a state-sanctioned religion.

We are tolerant when we are warned not to interfere in the state-sponsored religion even though it has been objectively proven that the same religion interferes with our rights.

We are tolerant when our children are indoctrinated in our public schools.

We are tolerant when our politicians play the race and religion card at every opportunity.

We are tolerant when men convert to the state’s religion to vindictively attack their wives and children.

We are tolerant when public spaces are raided by religious officials and our fellow countrymen and women are dragged out and humiliated.

We are tolerant when the propaganda organs of the state lie and disseminate fake news vilifying Malaysians as “racist”, “chauvinist”, and “anti-Islam”.


The lopsided reality

The reality is that the only people who find themselves disturbed by another religion are the non-Muslims. If there is a disparity in treatment, a lack of fairness, outright persecution, or double standards, it is faced by non-Muslim communities.

Yeoh wants you to respect her choice. I have a question for her. Does she respect the choice of Muslim women who do not want to wear any kind of head covering? Has she made any public support for women or women’s groups who want Muslim women to have the choice of not wearing any head covering?

When Pakatan Harapan was in power, its then religious czar, Mujahid Yusof Rawa, contacted the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) and a probe was launched on Maryam Lee about her book “Unveiling Choice” at a forum entitled “Malay Women and De-Hijabbing” because Mujahid was apparently “seriously concerned” about the choice some women made in not wearing the tudung.

Did Yeoh have a response to this? Because as a woman and a politician who advocates for progressive values, I assume that she respects the choice of women not to wear a head covering, right? I mean this is about people respecting women’s choices right?

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh


Yeoh hopes for the day when her choice of a selendang is no longer a contentious issue, which again implies that the non-Muslims who have a problem with her choice are the ones causing disunity or at least not being tolerant. Are we really?

Here’s a question for the youth and sports minister. How does a non-Muslim wearing a selendang in an international political event or even in the homeland promote unity?

Does not drinking alcohol promote unity?

How about not eating pork bak kut teh?

How about not using certain words?

How about a syariah-compliant dress code for the private sector that the then Harapan government was working on? Does this promote unity? By being “tolerant” to the sensitivities of our Muslim brethren are we promoting unity?

Enabling bad actors

How dare Yeoh say that her expressions of tolerance frighten some non-Muslims when we live in a country where non-Muslims, especially non-Muslim women, are harassed because of the way they are dressed.

Keep in mind that this is what PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said: “(Some of our rivals) oppose (our) instructions to cover the aurat, which is mandatory among Muslims.

“(This was despite) some non-Muslim communities who are required (by their religion) to dress decently based on humane values with dignity and self-respect. They are respected by (adherents) of all religions and civilisations.

“Don’t be like liberals who are without shame, similar to animals who cannot think and have no dignity. This (problem) is plaguing the West now.”

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang


What I find truly objectionable is that Yeoh has enabled the regressive forces in this country by implying that non-Muslims who have an issue with her pandering, are the ones with the problem. That we are the ones causing disunity when more often than not we are the ones who are advocating that people’s choices (even if they offend the sensitivities of some) should be respected.

Yeoh is a much-loved political operative amongst the urban crowd in this country. She is a non-Muslim woman in a political climate that is slowly slipping into a theocratic stupor.

When she visits another country as part of a delegation of a supposed reformist government and prime minister, one would think she would use this as an opportunity to demonstrate that the Madani government is supportive of the choices of women, Muslim and non-Muslim.

I would assume she would know which flag to fly for all Malaysians.



S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”