Malay or non-Malay prime minister? I could hardly care less

FMT:

Malay or non-Malay prime minister? I could hardly care less


I wouldn't be worried even if there was a non-Malay PM today. My only requirement would be: uphold the constitution and don't use the post to amass wealth to last seven generations

A Malaysian was much in the news recently. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, or what the Americans call a three-star general, by the Malaysian armed forces. Good for him, and may he serve the country long and honourably.

And oh…he’s a Malaysian Chinese. I was pleased, and also a bit surprised, to hear there are non-Malays of such a senior position in our armed forces.

Having a non-Malay in a senior military position wasn’t such a surprise decades ago. Our first chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy was a Malaysian Indian.

But things have changed, and not for the better. Opportunities to fight, and possibly die, for your country have become few and far in between, if you’re not Malay.

That’s a shame. I’m a registered Malaysian coward, and having somebody willing to fight and possibly die to protect me sounds like a blessing. I don’t really care about their ethnic background. All that matters is their loyalty to Malaysia.

I don’t even care if they’re not Malaysian. We’ve had Nepalese Gurkhas fighting our battles. The US, the UK, France and many other countries have non-citizens in their military. The only requirement is swearing loyalty to the country they serve.

So those who are willing to fight and possibly die to protect the country shouldn’t be discriminated against based on their ethnicity.


Usual racial rhetoric

Anyway, you know such news would bring the usual slimy creatures crawling out of the woodwork. Soon insinuations were made that at some point, perhaps by the time of our 50th prime minister, we may have a Chinese in that post.

We’re on our 10th prime minister in 68 years of independence. We are averaging 6.8 years per prime minister. Forty more prime ministers at around 6.8 years per prime minister would be…long after I’m dead and gone.

So no, I’m not worried about that. I would not be worried even if there was a non-Malay prime minister today. My only requirement would be he or she swears to uphold the Malaysian constitution and not use the post to amass enough illegal and immoral wealth to last for seven generations.

I think that’s a fair ask. But let me share with you why I’m not so stressed about having a non-Malay prime minister for Malaysia.

For one, this Malay (me!) has no plans to enter politics and become a prime minister. I don’t think any of my children have any such plans either.

So, I have no worries about any competition for this particular career achievement. Any of you can feel free to throw your hat or turban or whatever into the ring.


The Mamdani miracle

It may sound far-fetched now to have a non-Malay prime minister, but strange things can happen in politics. A young African-born Muslim of Indian descent has won the Democratic primary election to be their candidate for mayor of New York.

Many people there, Democrat or Republican, are apoplectic about having a brown Muslim immigrant as their possible next mayor. I know the same shock is felt by many in Malaysia about the thought of a non-Malay prime minister.

What made this strange story in New York is that many young people of all ethnicities are strongly supporting the candidate, Zohran Kwame Mamdani. If somebody that brown, with that much facial hair, and of that faith, and with that name could make it – who knows, maybe the world is still worth saving.

So young people of Malaysia – you’re our hope to get us out of these toxic politics of race. Perhaps not next year, but don’t take too long. We don’t have much time.


Breaking the final barrier

The main reason I’d be excited if that happens is it’ll mean, finally, the Malays have managed to get over their insecurity and realised that mindlessly voting based on shared ethnicity or religion is, well, mindless. And counter-productive.

It makes us so open to being corrupted by old-school politicians who know how to harp on only one topic – our differences because of race.

It shows we don’t think hard enough about what’s really important to our interests – such as our children having an education that’s more than just memorising religious texts; about having the resilience to handle the challenges of life; about giving back as much as we take from the country.

It’s about doing what’s best for our country so it can offer the best possible options and choices to us Malaysians, regardless of race or religion.

Ultimately it’s about ensuring we’re not easily swayed and bullied by politicians who appeal to our baser instincts, and especially to our fears, while offering nothing much in return.

When that happens, it is then and only then that we Malays can claim to have finally become independent after centuries of feudalism and insecurity, during which much of our wealth and our future was stolen by our politicians.

We’re not quite there yet. There are many forces arraigned against those of us who believe as I do. And they’re powerful forces indeed, wielded by those who have grown fat from having their snouts permanently in the trough of Malaysia’s wealth.


1 step forward, 2 steps back

I doubt I’d get to see a Mamdani-like scenario in Malaysia in my lifetime. I dare not even say that we’re creeping slowly towards such a situation. It often feels as if we make one step forward only to take two steps backwards.

I’m not sure if our youngsters are angry enough that they’d dare to make choices their parents are too terrified to make. Our education system over the last few decades has not only hindered us from achieving this level of unity, but in most instances has actively worked to make such a unity impossible.

But thanks to a lot of factors outside of our control, life is becoming harder for all of us, especially our children. Unlike my generation, the younger generations cannot easily assume to be able to have a better life than their parents, something which many of us old farts can certainly claim.

Perhaps the realisation that the vagaries of life can’t be handled by the old race politics will, like the case of the young Democrats in New York, force them to make changes unthinkable to their parents.

If that happens, I can guarantee you one thing that will not change – my belief that most politicians regardless of race are a hopeless but necessary evil to keep the country running, because the good people (us!) couldn’t be bothered to do it ourselves.

Therefore, our political choices must be based on strong rational thoughts rather than merely doing what being a Malay or a Chinese or an Indian is supposedly required to do.