S Thayaparan
Published: Jan 19, 2025 11:04 AM
“I need young people to understand this. Have the courage to say no to corruption and religious bigotry.”
COMMENT | Whenever Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim talks about young people, I recall the way he lectured that young girl on the bumiputera quota system in education.
The key is when Anwar talked about “fairness” to this young girl, he implied that by virtue of her ethnicity and her question, she was victimising the Malay community.
It was such a sight that even Bersatu got into the action of throwing shade at the prime minister.
Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif, the deputy chairperson of Bersatu’s legal and constitutional bureau, reportedly said, “He must apologise and make amends so that it is clear to all that every Malaysian child or student is important and every one of them must be cherished and treated with respect.”
I remember when Anwar presided over the conversion of a Hindu youth. By doing so, he was in fact representing the religious reality that non-Muslims face in this country. He was not merely welcoming a new convert into the religion, he was reinforcing religious narratives.
Published: Jan 19, 2025 11:04 AM
“I need young people to understand this. Have the courage to say no to corruption and religious bigotry.”
- Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
COMMENT | Whenever Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim talks about young people, I recall the way he lectured that young girl on the bumiputera quota system in education.
The key is when Anwar talked about “fairness” to this young girl, he implied that by virtue of her ethnicity and her question, she was victimising the Malay community.
It was such a sight that even Bersatu got into the action of throwing shade at the prime minister.
Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif, the deputy chairperson of Bersatu’s legal and constitutional bureau, reportedly said, “He must apologise and make amends so that it is clear to all that every Malaysian child or student is important and every one of them must be cherished and treated with respect.”
I remember when Anwar presided over the conversion of a Hindu youth. By doing so, he was in fact representing the religious reality that non-Muslims face in this country. He was not merely welcoming a new convert into the religion, he was reinforcing religious narratives.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (left) at a conversion ceremony, Aug 21, 2023.
The prime minister lectures the West on democratic values and principles. He sees fit to remind young Malaysians to stand up against religious bigotry and corruption. What message did it send young Malaysians when he justified the DNAAs and dropped corruption charges against those in his cabinet?
Political and social life for young Malaysians is defined by constitutional provisions that are manipulated by Malay power structures to maintain racial and religious hegemony at the expense of minorities.
This is why Anwar referenced the Constitution which guarantees the rights of the majority. If people really thought about it, they would be asking what rights do the majority have that the minorities do not? But of course, nobody brings this up in polite company.
Safeguarding bumi interests
Let us revisit Anwar’s “don’t spook the Malays” statement when he first made it. He said: “It gives a very negative perception. The Malays are worried, the government has only been formed so if we demand that they surrender, it is too soon.
“What is important now, for me, is to instil a strong confidence that we will defend the rights of all people without sacrificing bumiputera interests as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.”
Racial supremacy has been normalised in Malaysia’s political and social domains, and claiming to be anti-racist and democratic puts you in the crosshairs of the state security apparatus because you hurt the sensitivities of a certain community or are going against the Constitution of this country.
The prime minister lectures the West on democratic values and principles. He sees fit to remind young Malaysians to stand up against religious bigotry and corruption. What message did it send young Malaysians when he justified the DNAAs and dropped corruption charges against those in his cabinet?
Political and social life for young Malaysians is defined by constitutional provisions that are manipulated by Malay power structures to maintain racial and religious hegemony at the expense of minorities.
This is why Anwar referenced the Constitution which guarantees the rights of the majority. If people really thought about it, they would be asking what rights do the majority have that the minorities do not? But of course, nobody brings this up in polite company.
Safeguarding bumi interests
Let us revisit Anwar’s “don’t spook the Malays” statement when he first made it. He said: “It gives a very negative perception. The Malays are worried, the government has only been formed so if we demand that they surrender, it is too soon.
“What is important now, for me, is to instil a strong confidence that we will defend the rights of all people without sacrificing bumiputera interests as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.”
Racial supremacy has been normalised in Malaysia’s political and social domains, and claiming to be anti-racist and democratic puts you in the crosshairs of the state security apparatus because you hurt the sensitivities of a certain community or are going against the Constitution of this country.
Anwar asked young Malaysians to stand up against religious bigotry. How would the prime minister defend this country against charges of religious bigotry by young people when in this country non-Muslims are banned from using certain words?
In this country, there are cases of non-Muslim children being unilaterally converted and kidnapped. In this country, non-Muslims are warned not to disturb Muslim rights when advocating their democratic rights and social justice.
In this country, non-Muslim economic endeavours are curtailed because of Muslim piety. In this country in some states, non-Muslim places of worship are subject to restrictions on who can enter.
In this country, non-Muslim religions are mocked by celebrity preachers. In this country, non-Muslims are often demonised and used as scapegoats by political operatives and political elites. In this country, non-Muslims are told that we are not citizens but rather pendatang.
Anwar’s response
The prime minister said - “I will be tough on this. They can criticise me for my policies, but they cannot use (the) race and religious cards”.
Who exactly is he talking about? When has Madani ever come down hard on religious provocateurs in this country? Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh continues to stir up racial and religious sentiment claiming he does this because he defends race and religion.
Umno Youth chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh
Anwar always makes it a point to denounce secularism and progressive democratic principles. The PAS-led Perikatan Nasional are carrying out unconstitutional, or at least could be legally challenged, syariah activities in the states they control and the federal government remains silent.
Actually what the federal government has been doing is giving legitimacy to those possibly unconstitutional activities by mooting the Federal Territories Mufti bill and cracking down on freedom of speech.
Indeed, there has never been religious provocation from within or outside his government that the prime minister has gotten involved in except to chide someone like Teresa Kok for responding to public comments from his own religious czar.
Touching on the 3R
What happens if young people in this country dare stand up against religious bigotry? Think about it. The Constitution guarantees free speech and freedom of worship but the reality is those freedoms have been chipped away for decades.
While on the surface we have those rights, slowly but surely, the supremacy of the religion of the state - not as some sort of state religion but as a means of control - has sublimated the intent of the Constitution.
Well, it means that for non-Muslim young people, standing up for their rights would be going against the 3R. It means that if you object to a policy based on religious grounds, you are going against the 3Rs. Non-Muslim dissent against religious extremism or interference has been weaponised.
And as far as treating undocumented workers and refugees humanely, has Anwar forgotten the daily scandals involving the inhumane treatment of migrants and refugees or the horrors of Wang Kelian which have still not been exposed?
At this point, these kinds of speeches by the prime minister are merely rubbing salt in the wounds of rational Malaysians.
The reality is that young Malaysians are either leaving this country, or they are seriously thinking about leaving, or voting for the green wave which is chickens coming home to roost.
Anwar always makes it a point to denounce secularism and progressive democratic principles. The PAS-led Perikatan Nasional are carrying out unconstitutional, or at least could be legally challenged, syariah activities in the states they control and the federal government remains silent.
Actually what the federal government has been doing is giving legitimacy to those possibly unconstitutional activities by mooting the Federal Territories Mufti bill and cracking down on freedom of speech.
Indeed, there has never been religious provocation from within or outside his government that the prime minister has gotten involved in except to chide someone like Teresa Kok for responding to public comments from his own religious czar.
Touching on the 3R
What happens if young people in this country dare stand up against religious bigotry? Think about it. The Constitution guarantees free speech and freedom of worship but the reality is those freedoms have been chipped away for decades.
While on the surface we have those rights, slowly but surely, the supremacy of the religion of the state - not as some sort of state religion but as a means of control - has sublimated the intent of the Constitution.
Well, it means that for non-Muslim young people, standing up for their rights would be going against the 3R. It means that if you object to a policy based on religious grounds, you are going against the 3Rs. Non-Muslim dissent against religious extremism or interference has been weaponised.
And as far as treating undocumented workers and refugees humanely, has Anwar forgotten the daily scandals involving the inhumane treatment of migrants and refugees or the horrors of Wang Kelian which have still not been exposed?
At this point, these kinds of speeches by the prime minister are merely rubbing salt in the wounds of rational Malaysians.
The reality is that young Malaysians are either leaving this country, or they are seriously thinking about leaving, or voting for the green wave which is chickens coming home to roost.
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
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