By Penyair Purba | The Malaysian Insider
JULY 19 — The recent development in our highly politically-minded nation (since Tsunami March 8, 2008) would be the brouhaha over the unity of the Malays through the merger between Umno and PAS. Based on the official source, both parties have a substantial number of members in the country, with the PAS membership believed to be more than a million, second only to none other than Umno.
It is undoubtedly clear to all and sundry that this marriage proposal came as a result of the previous general election which saw the ruling coalition (BN) lose five states, not to mention Kuala Lumpur, the federal capital. BN later regained Perak after the infamous coup which brought down the government led by ousted Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Nizar Jamaluddin. BN’s loss can be attributed to the non-Malay support for the DAP and PKR, with substantial number of them also voting for PAS candidates, as can be seen by the victory of PAS’s Dr Mariah in the Kota Raja constituency in which Malay voters make up only about 52 per cent of the electorate. How true is the saying that history repeats itself. In 1969, BN also suffer the shock loss of a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Official sources blamed the loss for the subsequent May 13 tragedy. Little did people know that the racial riot was actually caused by none other than members of the ruling coalition in what later turned out to be a coup d’état to oust the first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, from power. The man who replaced Tunku, Tun Razak, then initiated a larger coalition which successfully reined in PAS and Gerakan in BN. And now, the same tale is about to emerge, this time to benefit his heir, Najib Razak.
The funny and strange thing about the so-called Malay unity is the proposal was only extended to PAS. What about PKR? Why not bring Anwar Ibrahim back to the Umno fold, considering that he still has influence within Umno. Furthermore, Anwar is more senior than Najib and but for his “so-do-me” trial that put him behind bars for six years, he would probably be our fifth prime minister. He is also widely accepted by people of other races. Umno is quick to accuse PKR of selling out to the non-Malays but one thing that Umno always feign ignorance is the fact that many members of PKR were formerly of Umno and are they not Malays? Wouldn’t it be easier for Umno to court PKR, albeit the Malay members only, instead of PAS?
My writing would be highly critical of this indecent proposal and I strongly argue that this indecent proposal should be rejected outright. To see a formerly popular mufti from Perak turning his rhetoric for the sake of Malay is really hurtful and bordering on losing his stature as an Islamic scholar. Where does Almighty God ordain us to serve the interest of only one race? Is it not that Asobiyah or racial spirit forbidden in Islam? In any event, not all Malays are Muslims and to equal Malay to Islam is totally misconceived. The Prophet is not Malay and his Quraish clans did not all embrace Islam. Islam can never be equated with any race, even the Arabs.
Another funny thing about racial polarisation in Malaysia is the fact that the Malays, Chinese, Indians and the rest are from the same Mongoloid category, the remaining two being Negroid and Caucasian. For white people in the US and Waka Waka Country (South Africa) not too long ago to quarrel with black people is quite understandable (I am not supporting this apartheid behaviour though) due to the fact that one is Caucasian and the other is Negroid. Not to feign ignorance, the differences between Malay, Chinese and Indian are real for people to see especially the cultural and religion aspects. However, are we not all the sons and daughters of Prophet Adam? Further, does Islam allow racial biasness in our day-to-day dealings? Just because our friend is Malay then he is entitled to a scholarship notwithstanding that his father is the CEO of a government-linked company and takes home RM1 million per year? Or because those leaving in new villages are Chinese then Nizar Jamaluddin is a traitor for giving land to them notwithstanding those Chinese are poor people and even BN does not have the guts to chase them away from their land (occupied by them with government permission).
We are blinded by a racial paradigm, judging all our actions from a racial point of view. True, most Malays are poor. But who failed to help and improve the Malays’ economic condition? As usual, the punching bag would be the Chinese. Poor Malay people were and are always being told by Umno (who else?) that it was the Chinese who robbed them and became rich at their expense.
Before and during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s time, Umno could lie to the people due to its control of the media and the non-existence of the Internet. Now, with Malaysiakini, Malaysia-Today, The Malaysian Insider and Malaysia whatnot, Umno can no more manipulate information. Reading the Utusan report on Nizar Jamaluddin was nauseating, branding him as selling out to the Chinese for granting them land in new villages. Did he give land to a gambling king, or betting mogul, or Astro and Maxis owner, or to approved permit holders (who cause car prices in Malaysia to be phenomenal and I will reserve my expletives for this issue specifically for another day)?
Was Umno a traitor for giving Genting Highlands to the late Lim Goh Tong? Was Umno a traitor for giving exclusive rights over satellite TV (read Astro) and we poor Malays have to pay that guy an average RM79 per month to watch Manchester United whack Gerrard and gang twice per season (sorry Liverpool, the last time they won a Premier League title, I had not even entered school yet)? Is the guy Malay? Oh no… I am being racist here. Pun intended. Who enrich the non-Malays? Not to deny that a few Malays benefited from this arrangement (read NEP) and they build an office for Felda when the current one in Jalan Semarak can still be used, raking in millions along the way. Istana Negara? Oh, a big taboo. Later YB Ezam will lodge a report against me for being anti-Rulers, a stupid politician who fails to look at the real issue. And Malaysia is going bankrupt in 2019, so said a native from Sarawak, yet the government continues to spend like there is no tomorrow on a submarine that cannot dive and “kueh karipap” at RM23 a piece (read the Auditor-General’s Report).
Corruption is a buzz word in Malaysia. With the establishment of the MACC, Malaysia is supposed to be corrupt-free by 2020. Was it rampant? Oh my, just ask any ordinary person who has to go through the test to get a driving licence. I myself had to do my test for the second time after refusing to pay that good-looking RTD official RM50. I can’t believe that this happened right before my eyes! We might need a thick book with a thousand pages to talk about corruption alone.
And people like the great Perak mufti failed to see that corruption is the reason why Umno must be brought down. True that PAS for that matter will probably become corrupt once in power but we people have the power to oust them as well. We the people, “rakyat marhaen”, must be the boss to all politicians, be they from Umno or PAS, not the other way around. Umno has been around for far too long and only by being booted out from the government will corruption be purged.
What about the Malays? Just because is Umno losing power, does it mean the Malays will be wiped out from Malaysia? Are we Malays so stupid that only Umno can look after our interests? Oh yeah, I heard grumbling! Umno did this, Umno did that. Umno built universities, Umno gave scholarships. But do we realise that whose money was used to do just all the above? Mahathir spent his own million to build PLUS expressways and the KLCC? Did Najib spend his own money to give scholarships via the Permata programme (what a nuisance his wife has become, lebih sudu dari kuah, katanya orang-orang Melayu)?
And how people should just forget what Umno did to PAS when it lost Kelantan? It established a JPP (federal agency) and distributed money among its cronies. What about oil royalty? When it lost Terengganu, it became wang ihsan. And Umno claimed Tok Guru as a vengeful person. Oh my, you rob a man (I am more inclined to use the analogy of rapist, but it is too harsh) and then you want to befriend him. When he refused and asked his money back, you say that he is full of vengeance. Now the victim is blamed!
Come on people. Umno did this and did that using OUR money. We paid taxes and whatnot. If PAS or PKR were the government, wouldn’t they be doing the same thing? Road, school, infrastructures and whatnot are the government’s responsibility.
The Malays will continue to lag behind if we allow Umno to remain in power. We will be fed with bedtime stories that the Malays are under siege, the Chinese are robbing the country’s wealth and the Malays will lose power! Whose power exactly? Umno is not representative of all the Malays. Even Umno’s name, United Malays National Organisation. With an English name, can it claim to represent the Malays? Change the name first! Perhaps Perkasa will do and we will have Ibrahim Ali as our prime minister.
We must never blame others for our backwardness and lacking in every aspect, be it in the economic or education fields. Instead, the one who must take the blame is Umno. Umno has failed us and after 53 years in power, there is no more chance. Out it must go!
The Malays must move forward. We must earn our respect and position. We must not allow everything from scholarships to house discounts be given to us because our parents happen to be Malay. Does everybody get to decide their race before birth? We Malays are not lazy or intellectually inferior. We must be competitive. Believe me the moment you let the Malays stand on their own without crutches, they will survive. After all, that is the natural law. You give a fish, people will eat for a day, but when you teach to fish, people will eat for good. You continue helping the Malays, you will only prolong their dependence on crutches.
And for the Malays to move forward, PAS should never marry Umno, again. Let Umno be gila talak. And gila talak people won’t stay that long.
* Penyair Purba is the pseudonym of a Malay lawyer in Malaysia.