Archive for category Malays
Malay Schizophrenic Response to British Colonialism
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, History, Malays on Monday, 2 November 2015
Bakri Musa
[email protected]
Oct 28 2015
Malays actively shunned and refused to participate in the various colonial endeavors even those that could potentially benefit us. Instead we undertook a form of passive resistance, utilizing what John C Scott refers to as “weapons of the weak.”
While these everyday forms of passive resistance may not grab headlines, nonetheless they are akin to the cumulative accumulation of the coral reefs. In the aggregate and over time they exert a profound impact. When the ship of state runs aground on such reefs, attention is directed to the shipwreck and not to the aggregations of petty acts that made those treacherous reefs possible.
So was the Malayan Union initiative shipwrecked upon a reef of resentment and resistance that had quietly been building up and concretized over time. Read the rest of this entry »
Lessons From The Past
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, History, Malays on Monday, 2 November 2015
M. Bakri Musa
www.bakrimusa.com
October 20 2016
The coming of Islam, European colonization, and the pursuit of independence – these were transformational events in our culture that resulted in the toppling of the Malay collective coconut shell. In all three instances our culture had served us well in guiding us through uncharted waters.
Yet, and this seems perverse, in our current tribulations we are far too inclined to blame our culture. I suggest that instead of forever berating and blaming the presumed inadequacies of our culture, it would be far more meaningful and productive if we were to analyze and learn how our culture had dealt with the major events of the past, and apply those insights to our current challenges.
If I were to grade the performance of our culture to the three transformational events in our history, I would give an exemplary A-plus for the path we chose towards independence, an A-minus for our reception to the coming of Islam, and a respectable B for our performance during colonization. Read the rest of this entry »
The Peaceful Path We Chose Towards Independence
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, History, Malays on Monday, 2 November 2015
M. Bakri Musa
www.bakrimusa.com
13th October 2015
The third defining moment in Malay culture was the peaceful path we chose towards independence. The Malay world was turned upside down with colonization; it altered the physical as well as social landscape. The latter was even more profound and threatening.
Despite that, and defying the trend of the time, we opted for this peaceful path through negotiations and collaborations in pursuit of our independence.
If one were to stroll along the countryside of pre-colonial Malaysia, there would of course be no paved roads. One would have to literally cut a swath through the thick jungle. The only practical route for travel was by rivers and waterways.
The British built roads and replaced the thick jungle with neat rows of identical, boring but highly productive rubber trees. As for the rivers, once teeming with fish, they were now like kopi susu (cafe au lait) from the contamination of brown sediments from the ubiquitous tin mines. Read the rest of this entry »
No “Lazy Malays” During The Japanese Occupation
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Constitution, Malays on Monday, 2 November 2015
M. Bakri Musa
www.bakrimusa.com
Oct. 6, 2015
The Japanese Occupation briefly interrupted British colonial rule. Japanese troops landed in Kota Baru in the early morning of December 8, 1941, and surrendered some 43 months later. That was only a blink in our history but to those who suffered through that terrible period, it was eternity. As brutal as it was, Malays as a culture and community survived.
There was one significant but not widely noted disruption and humiliation of Malay culture during that period. The Japanese, despite their reverence for their own Sun God Emperor, had little use or respect for Malay sultans. At least the British maintained the facade of respect even though those sultans were essentially colonial puppets.
The colonials saw in the institution of Malay sultans an effective means of indirect rule. The British knew full well the reverence Malays had for our sultans. The British must have learned a thing or two from observing kampong boys herding their kerbaus (water buffaloes). Pierce a ring through the lead buffalo’s nose and then even a toddler could effectively control the herd by pulling on the rope tied to that lead beast’s ring.
That essentially was the British approach to controlling the Malay herd; pierce a ring through their sultan’s nose. The rope may be of silk and the ring of gold, but the underlying dynamics are the same. Read the rest of this entry »
#Merah169 youths say stung by toll rates hiked by government they defended
by Syed Jaymal Zahiid
Malay Mail Online
October 28, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 ― After genuine belief that their lives could be improved by joining the controversial #Merah169 rally, the sense of pride and optimism among the many poor urban Malay youths who took part in that movement is now fading.
Less than two months after the controversial gathering here in the capital city, ostensibly to uphold Malay dignity in the face of Chinese insults, the angst that drove them to proudly don the movement’s colours has found a new and ironic source ― #Merah169’s own backer, Umno.
“My family was upset about the toll hike. My mom only sells kuih and my dad has little income. Can you imagine what the increase will do to our expenses?
“And who did this? It’s the Umno government… it’s a Malay party,” Alif Fikri, who was interviewed by Malay Mail Online in a special report on urban Malay racism, said when met last week. Read the rest of this entry »
A Chinese puzzle at Petaling Street
Posted by Kit in Azly Rahman, International, Malays on Sunday, 4 October 2015
by Azly Rahman
Malaysiakini
1 Oct 2015
We live in a world of puzzles and mysteries and will probably die still unable to answer questions that live in us. We tell tales and conjure conspiracy theories to comfort our souls and to make sense of life in this theatre of the absurd designed by a deux ex machina we call by different names.
A puzzle is better than a mystery, however. At least we will still have the complete picture. Everyone has a piece of a puzzle. A mystery, on the other hand is not fun, though philosophically exciting. There are puzzles and mysteries in life: the missing airplane MH370 is a mystery puzzling us till today. Someone has the answer.
The brutal and unimaginable murder of the Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, shot and blown to pieces with a C4 bomb, is a sure puzzle mysteriously hidden as truth by those who plotted it. So, a puzzle can be a mystery and a mystery puzzling. Read the rest of this entry »
The Malay agenda
Posted by Kit in Malays, Malaysian Dream, nation building on Saturday, 3 October 2015
– Nungsari Radhi
The Malaysian Insider
2 October 2015
The subject of Malay angst is a popular one lately. Not everyone is upset, of course, but there is a segment among the Malays, perhaps driven by a sense of insecurity, who have created mental models that put themselves under siege.
They feel disunited, threatened, and their honour besmirched. This, despite the Malays controlling almost all parts of officialdom in the country and constituting more than 60% of the population.
Many commentators have pointed out the unreasonableness of these sentiments. That this is an imagined reality, propagated for less than honourable intentions – to develop a political constituency among the Malays based on their fears and, perhaps, on their prejudices. Read the rest of this entry »
A Fractured Nation: Malaysia At The Crossroads
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Malays, nation building, UMNO on Sunday, 27 September 2015
Channel News Asia
Malaysia Day was an occasion to strengthen unity of all Malaysians. To the ultranationalists however it was a chance to sow discord and disunity. But why did the protests take on a racial overtone?
Do Umno Malays know the meaning of dignity?
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Malays, Mariam Mokhtar, Najib Razak, UMNO on Sunday, 20 September 2015
Mariam Mokhtar | September 20, 2015
Free Malaysia Today
They need to exorcise the demons inside them and to wean themselves from the entitlement culture.
COMMENT
It looks like the red shirted Umno-Baru Malays are condemning themselves to a life sentence of self-denial. They assume that everyone else in Malaysia owes them a living. It is time they came to terms with the real world. They need to exorcise their inner demons, and they need to wean themselves from the entitlement culture, which they expect will nurse them from cradle to grave.
Malays throughout Malaysia were ashamed to be associated with these bigots, who claim that they held the Red Shirts Rally to uphold Malay dignity. Their protest had nothing to do with Malay dignity. The rally was held primarily to distract us from the 1MDB scandal.
What kind of dignity can we associate with insolence and the hurling of insults at other communities? What dignity is there in transporting the elderly from the villages to boost attendance at the Kuala Lumpur rally? Taxpayers’ money was probably used to facilitate the transportation and to provide meals and pocket money. Read the rest of this entry »
Pak Samad: Malay-centric Putrajaya may put Malaysia into state of emergency before GE14
Posted by Kit in DAP, Malays, Najib Razak on Saturday, 19 September 2015
by Kamles Kumar
Malay Mail Online
September 19, 2015
PETALING JAYA, Sept 19 — Malaysia is headed towards a state of emergency being declared possibly within the next five years if the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) does not fix its overtly pro-Malay attitude in governance, national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said predicted today.
The respected poet and Malay writer popularly known as Pak Samad said the current administration’s tendency to favour the dominant Malay community over that of ethnic minorities will deepen the rift among Malaysians, with a state of emergency possibly declared before even polls can be held.
“At the rate things are going, with the way race issues are played up and we see people being caught for show, it is not impossible that things will peak into a state of an emergency if the government does not keep peace.
“The government is being Malay-centric now, all their speeches are targeted towards the Malays,” he said after launching a book titled “Young & Malay” at Gerakbudaya here. Read the rest of this entry »
Is the “Kebangkitan Maruah Melayu” rally in KL on Sept. 16 finally a pro-Najib anti-Mahathir rally in the latest round of power tussle in UMNO?
Many must be asking whether the Red-Shirt “Kebangkitan Maruah Melayu” rally in Kuala Lumpur on Sept. 16 is finally a pro-Najib and anti-Mahathir rally in the latest round of power tussle in UMNO?
This thought must have struck many after one of the promoters of the “Kebangkitan Maruah Melayu” rally challenged the former Prime Minister to join the rally on Sept. 16 if “he is Malay enough”!
Putting aside Mahathir’s unrelenting criticisms of Najib , his call for Najib to step down as Prime Minister, even his asking Opposition MPs to support a no-confidence motion against Najib in Parliament but to keep the UMNO/BN government in power, a racially-charged and ostensible “Kebangkitan Maruah Melayu” rally but which is finally a pro-Najib anti-Mahathir gathering, is a real eye-opener.
This is really astonishing and utterly unbelievable – are the masterminds and promoters of the “Kebangkitan Maruah Melayu” rally really suggesting that Mahathir, as President of UMNO and Prime Minister of Malaysia for 22 years, had betrayed the Malays for over two decades to the extent that “maruah Melayu” are today facing unprecedented crisis?
If not, are they blaming Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib, the fifth and sixth Prime Ministers after Mahathir, for the “downfall” of “maruah Melayu”? Read the rest of this entry »
A call to Malay M’sians to reject red-shirt menace
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Malays, university on Tuesday, 8 September 2015
Prof Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi
Malaysiakini
8th Sept 2015
I am writing as a concerned Malaysian and as a responsible Muslim against the overt threats of those I will refer to as the RSMM – the Red Shirt Malay Menace.
I have no idea what the official name of this group is, so I am using my academic licence to call them RSMM. Were this a Bahasa Malaysia article, I would dub them MMTM – Melayu Merah Tiada Maruah.
But strangely enough, this article is not about the RSMM but more about the deafening silence from the Malay political leadership, the Malay leadership of public universities, the Malay ulama who are muftis, and the Malay leadership in one particular political group which claims to be the sole warriors of Islam.
From the first day that the activities of this group were reported in the media and online videos showing them as ‘pahlawan’ or warriors getting ready for battle, I have kept a close eye on not their childish statements and loud bravado but on who amongst the Malay elites of this country holding the bastion of power socially, religiously and politically would say about this group and their more-than-clear intention. Read the rest of this entry »
We are still not merdeka… from the Jews
Posted by Kit in DAP, Malays, Malaysian Dream on Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Zurairi AR
Malay Mail Online
August 30, 2015
AUGUST 30 — When artist Mun Kao included a “blame the Jews” card in his delightful card game Politiko, I wonder whether he had any idea how often the card actually gets played in actual politics.
Especially when other cards in the same category are “cash giveouts” and “phantom voters”, you have to admit that playing the “blame the Jews” card can be construed as a final act of desperation.
(In case you haven’t figured it out, Politiko is a satirical card game that takes the piss out of Malaysian politics.)
Yet, it was the exact card played by Deputy Transport Minister Aziz Kaprawi, who claimed last week that the RM2.6 billion for Prime Minister Najib Razak was made by the still unnamed Middle East donors to help Umno fight off DAP, which he claimed was backed by the Jews. Read the rest of this entry »
Merdeka negara tapi tidak di jiwa
– Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi
The Malaysian Insider
31 August 2015
Dalam coretan ringkas ini saya ingin menanam satu persoalan dalam benak pemikiran orang-orang Melayu yang tinggal di sebuah negara bernama Malaysia.
Soalannya mudah sahaja. Negara yang kita kenali sebagai Malaysia dan pada suatu ketika dahulu dinamakan Tanah Melayu pun merdeka lebih separuh kurun, persoalannya sudahkah jiwa orang Melayu itu merdeka?
Dalam coretan sejarah dan tulisan dokumen tercatat negara ini merdeka daripada orang Inggeris, dalam julangan bangunan yang bercakar-cakar melonjak dari bumi dapat kita lihat kemerdekaan ekonomi dari aspek usaha keringat kita sekalian. Read the rest of this entry »
The Lessons From Our Encounter With Islam
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Islam, Malays on Monday, 24 August 2015
M. Bakri Musa
www.bakrimusa.com
The smooth assimilation of Malays into Islam was the result of both “down-up” and “up-down” dynamics. The average Malay peasant in his or her interactions with the ancient Muslim traders saw the value of this new faith. This message then spread laterally among the other villagers and later upwards to the nobility and ultimately the sultans. They too saw the merit of this new religion and that acceptance trickled down to the masses. The result was the quick transformation of Malay society.
Today in the retelling of the arrival of Islam to the Malay world, there is not a dissenting voice. All agree that it was a positive development, for the faith as well as for Malays. We also agree that our culture adapted well to Islam.
Those sentiments have more to do with the human tendency to romanticize the past, especially one perceived as being glorious, rather than a true reflection of the reality. We spare ourselves from looking more critically at our past for fear that we would discover something that could blight that pristine image and sweet memory. Read the rest of this entry »
The DAP and I
By Mohd Shahrir Asri
Malaysiakini
18th August 2015
“DAP parti komunis cina. Mereka hendak melenyapkan Melayu dan Islam di Malaysia. Cina2 babi semua tu”. I have been hearing that from almost all Malays since 1987 (I have been interested in politics since I was 12 years old) and I thought it will still be that for years to come.
However, despite all that, I decided to join DAP on July 10, 2015 because I see hope in them and I think I can contribute to make things better for Malaysia, Pakatan and DAP. By the way, my name is Mohd Shahrir Asri and I am a Malay. Read the rest of this entry »
The Arrival of Islam as a Momentous Event in Malay Culture
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Islam, Malays on Tuesday, 18 August 2015
M. Bakri Musa
www.bakrimusa.com
The arrival of Islam was “the most momentous event in the history of the Malay archipelago,” to quote Syed Naquib al-Attas. It came not through the point of the sword but peacefully through trade. Islam did not land in a cultural and religious vacuum as Malays were already steeped in Hindu and animist traditions. Nor did the Arabs come to emancipate our ancestors; there was no messianic zeal or even an inclination to engage in their salvation.
Those Muslims came only to trade; there was no intention to dominate or colonize. Their Islamic faith and the prevailing Malay culture interacted through gradual and mutual accommodation. The result was that “the local genius of the people shone through” in the melding of the two, to quote Farish Noor, respected scholar and frequent commentator on Malaysian affairs.
This was vividly illustrated with my matriarchal Adat Perpateh. It coexisted peacefully with traditional male-dominated Islam, demonstrating a brilliant and workable synthesis of the two. Malays did not repudiate our traditional ways to become Muslims, and Islam was not adulterated to accommodate Malay culture. Both were remarkably malleable to and adaptive of each other. Read the rest of this entry »
The True Measure Of A Culture
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, culture, Malays, Najib Razak on Monday, 10 August 2015
M. Bakri Musa
(www.bakrimusa.com)
The true measure of a culture is how well it prepares its members to sudden changes and challenges, especially when those are unanticipated or imposed from the outside. That different societies react very differently is obvious.
Consider the March 2011 tsunami that demolished the coastal areas of Northern Japan. Thousands were killed and billions worth of properties damaged, with whole villages and families wiped out. Compare the reactions of the Japanese to that tragedy of August 2005 when Katrina hurricane devastated the southern coast of United States.
The differences in reactions could not be more profound. Today only a few years after the tragedy, Northern Japan is almost fully recovered. In Louisiana they are still entangled in massive lawsuits, and the finger pointing has not yet stopped. Both Japan and America are developed societies, so we cannot account the difference to socioeconomic status, only to culture. Read the rest of this entry »
Pilihan raya lokal hakis hak Melayu?
Posted by Kit in Local Goverment, Malays, PAS on Monday, 3 August 2015
Saifuddin Abdullah
Sinar Harian
3 OGOS 2015
MINGGU lalu, Presiden Pas Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang menuduh DAP “cauvinis” kerana ingin mengadakan semula pilihan raya Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan (PBT). Enam bulan terdahulu, beliau menyatakan yang pilihan raya tersebut akan menghapuskan hak keistimewaan orang Melayu.
Saya tidak terlibat dengan perselisihan antara beliau dengan DAP. Tetapi, saya tidak bersetuju dengan pendapatnya tentang hak orang Melayu dalam konteks pilihan raya PBT.
Pada 13 Mac 2015, saya telah menyampaikan syarahan khas bertajuk “Adakah Pilihan Raya PBT Menghakis Hak Keistimewaan Melayu” di Persidangan PBT di Malaysia: Menilai Laporan Athi Nahappan Untuk Masa Kini, anjuran Penyelidikan Untuk Kemajuan Sosial (REFSA). Teks syarahan itu diterbitkan dalam REFSA Quarterly, Isu 1 2015.
Saya mula berbicara dan menyokong diadakan semula pilihan raya PBT sejak 1986. Saya pernah menjadi Ahli Majlis PBT Temerloh selama enam bulan, pada 2007, iaitu sebelum menjadi Ahli Parlimen Temerloh pada 2008-2013. Oleh kerana pada saya, Majlis Daerah dan Majlis PBT tidak partisipatori dan representatif, maka, sebagai Ahli Parlimen, saya telah menubuhkan mini-parlimen tempatan, iaitu Majlis Perundingan Parlimen Temerloh. Read the rest of this entry »
Malays say they join DAP for its struggle, not for power
by Jennifer Gomez
The Malaysian Insider
26 July 2015
Far from being mere yes-men as alleged by an Utusan Malaysia columnist recently, the Malays who join DAP do not believe in self-entitlement but instead accept its culture built on merit, a Malay DAP federal lawmaker said.
These Malays are also academically accomplished and thick-skinned enough to endure and share the ideals of the party’s politics and “don’t expect a 30% discount on anything”, Raub MP Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz told The Malaysian Insider.
“They understand that elections to the CEC (central executive committee) are not a matter of being given a seat on the basis that a Malay is entitled to many things.
“You have to prove and earn it. Take the sons of Karpal Singh, for example. They are there because they are good, and they are not Chinese.”
Citing another example, that of Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto, Ariff said she was not in the party because she was the daughter of former DAP leader P. Patto, but because she was talented and genuine.
However, becoming a member of the democratic socialist party was a bold step for any Malay as he was opening himself to the vilest of condemnation, including being labelled the running dogs of the Chinese, betrayer of the Malay race, apostate and abandoning Islam, said Ariff, a former Umno assemblyman. Read the rest of this entry »
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