On Dec 17 in the North African country of Tunisia, in the small provincial town of Sidi Bouzid, an unemployed 26 year old graduate set fire to himself in frustration after his fruits and vegetables were confiscated by police for trading without a license. His suicide sparked mass unrest and protests which spread from region to region until it reached the capital, Tunis. In less than a month the longstanding President would flee into exile and a government would fall.
The suicide of the young man resonated with the people frustrated at the high unemployment, slack economy, corruption and lack of democratic freedom. His death ignited a shouldering cauldron which had built up under President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali who had reigned for 23 years. His autocratic regime became synonymous with corruption, growing wealth disparity, political repression and tight censorship.
As with all corrupt regimes unchallenged in a one party system, the ruling oligarchy grabbed economic largess for themselves causing the economy to stagnate and decline. Life became harder for ordinary Tunisians faced with rising costs of living amid high unemployment and stagnated incomes. An abusive police force and security apparatus kept the population in line.
There was of course no way that the ruling regime could be removed by free and fair elections, not that there were any. Tunisia has been governed by the same party since independence from France in 1956. The incumbent President, only the second since independence had been re-elected five times with enormous majorities in every election. Political repression kept the opposition small, fragmented and ineffective and tight censorship in the government controlled media and the internet sought to control the flow of information.
At first the government labeled the protestors terrorists, trouble makers and extremists. The police reacted violently by fatally shooting dozens of protestors. When the protests could not be stemmed curfew was imposed and schools and colleges closed. The government promised the creation of 300,000 jobs and ordered down the price of some basic foodstuffs but protests continued unabated.
In a desperate last attempt to placate the populace the President promised a raft of changes including investigating corruption and more democratic freedom. He ordered the police to stop shooting protestors and declared he would not stand for re-election when his term expires in 2014. But it was to no avail. Only the fall of the authoritarian regime could stop the protests and so it did.
A mirror of Tunisia
One important lesson from Tunisia is that in the globalized world governments can no long depend on press censorship to maintain its hold on power. Although news of the protests was blacked out in the tightly controlled press news spread quickly through the cyber world especially via facebook.
What happened in Tunisia is important for us all because it is the culmination of what Malaysia is becoming. Malaysia is almost a mirror image of Tunisia politically, socially and economically, only that the latter has been carried to further extreme. But if the present course of the BN government is not corrected we will reach the Tunisian situation in the near future.
BN or more accurately Umno has governed Malaysia for 53 years and its rule is synonymous with political patronage, an euphemism for corruption. The political patronage is so ingrained that it forms the backbone of Umno’s political structure and has become so endemic that no public project can escape it.
To compound the unsustainable pilfering of public funds, the competitiveness of the economy is degraded by racial policies which introduce economic distortions and cause the flight of productive and skilled human capital upon which any economy heavily depends. The country is unable to transition to a high income economy, least of all by massive infrastructure spending under a grandiose sounding Economic Transformation Program.
The long term effect on the Malaysian economy has been devastating. In the 1970s we were on par with Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan but these countries have outstripped us now in economic performance, per capital income and currency value despite our considerable advantage of abundant natural resources. We are now content to comparing ourselves with Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia which are fast catching up.
Our salaries have stagnated for the past 15 years while others have transitioned into high income economies. Rising cost of living against depreciating real income have pushed backs against the wall while our income disparity is the highest in Asia. A population unable to pay real world prices for oil and food staples coupled with a government increasingly unable to maintain subsidies is a cocktail for future social unrest.
The seeds of destruction
Along with economic mismanagement comes political repression as corrupt regimes try to cement their hold on power by ensuring that a democratically competitive environment does not take root. Efforts are made cull dissent by draconian laws, persecution of opposition politicians, deceitful propaganda and tight government control of information. In Malaysia yet another front is opened by playing on racial and religious sentiments to maintain political power at the expense of nation building.
The winds of change blowing after the unexpected results of the 12th general election did not change Umno’s ways in the least but only made them more cunning and more desperate to cling on to power by whatever means necessary even if it means making full use of subservient courts, enticing opposition lawmakers away, inciting racial and religious tension or a charm offensive with a hollow 1Malaysia propaganda.
The only way for the country to change course is the creation of a two party system where competition for electoral votes will put the brakes on corruption and abuse and lead to a more people-centric government. However a two party system will not be created unless BN is defeated at least once.
Elections in Malaysia are never on a level playing field with an Election Commission biased towards the incumbent government and able and willing to assist in tilting the odds with more tricks than Zimbabwe. For Pakatan Rakyat to seize power in the looming 13th general election is an uphill task and some may say a far stretch.
It is not at all certain that a regime resolute on clinging on to power and willing to use whatever unprincipled means can ever be toppled in democratic elections. The result of BN’s unbroken rule will be continuing corruption, persistent economic decline, increasing income disparity and deteriorating economic conditions for the masses.
But all decadent regimes sow the seed of their own destruction. In the end it may not be elections which topple BN from power but pent-up social forces epitomized by the Tunisian revolt and embodied by the illumination words of John F. Kennedy, “Governments which make peaceful change impossible make revolution inevitable.”
by Kenny Gan
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The Right to Do Business But Not the Right to Vote
by P. Ramakrishnan
We have to speak up. We have every reason to be concerned. We wonder where this nation is heading for and what is in store for us.
From the civil servant to the Umno politician, it is the same story: the non-Malays are ‘pendatang‘ and don’t have any citizenship rights. The rights conferred by Aricle 8 of the Federal Constitution are not respected or protected.
When an extreme group like Perkasa questions the citizenship rights of the non-Malays, the national leadership does not take them to task.
When extreme elements in Umno berate and denigrate the non-Malays, the top Umno leadership does not chastise them.
When one Umno delegate at the recently concluded general assembly had the temerity to suggest that the non-Malays be given the right to do business but should be denied the right to vote, nobody pointed out that it was against the constitution and that he should not be talking through his nose!
It is this disturbing silence when atrocious things are said which affect our unity that is worrying. It is this unbecoming conduct that encourages the extreme elements amongst us to be outrageous in their conduct and prompt them to continue with their seditious remarks.
It is this vocal minority that is predominant in our society and influences the trend of policy. Our political leaders dare not condemn them outright.
Utusan Malaysia fans the race baiting and gives the widest publicity without bothering to be responsible or sensible. When the powers-that-be that own and control this press do not force it to fall in line, what do we make of this?
A nation can make or break depending on the unity of its citizens. Today our unity is threatened. And if concerned voices and responsible leaders and caring Malaysians do not rise up and speak up, we will be a fragmented nation. By our silence, we will contribute to the chaos that may ensue.
P Ramakrishnan is president of Aliran
We have to speak up. We have every reason to be concerned. We wonder where this nation is heading for and what is in store for us.
From the civil servant to the Umno politician, it is the same story: the non-Malays are ‘pendatang‘ and don’t have any citizenship rights. The rights conferred by Aricle 8 of the Federal Constitution are not respected or protected.
When an extreme group like Perkasa questions the citizenship rights of the non-Malays, the national leadership does not take them to task.
When extreme elements in Umno berate and denigrate the non-Malays, the top Umno leadership does not chastise them.
When one Umno delegate at the recently concluded general assembly had the temerity to suggest that the non-Malays be given the right to do business but should be denied the right to vote, nobody pointed out that it was against the constitution and that he should not be talking through his nose!
It is this disturbing silence when atrocious things are said which affect our unity that is worrying. It is this unbecoming conduct that encourages the extreme elements amongst us to be outrageous in their conduct and prompt them to continue with their seditious remarks.
It is this vocal minority that is predominant in our society and influences the trend of policy. Our political leaders dare not condemn them outright.
Utusan Malaysia fans the race baiting and gives the widest publicity without bothering to be responsible or sensible. When the powers-that-be that own and control this press do not force it to fall in line, what do we make of this?
A nation can make or break depending on the unity of its citizens. Today our unity is threatened. And if concerned voices and responsible leaders and caring Malaysians do not rise up and speak up, we will be a fragmented nation. By our silence, we will contribute to the chaos that may ensue.
P Ramakrishnan is president of Aliran
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The Success Story of a Country
US President Obama visited China last week, primarily to find out what exactly & how exactly China is doing things that makes it such a success story, surpassing all the so-called "expert economic planners" of the US & Europe. His team found these 5 basic lessons behind China 's success - it applies equally to our country Malaysia:
LESSON No 1 - BE AMBITIOUS
The Chinese believe in Setting Goals, Making Plans, & Focusing on Moving Ahead - there is always the sense of forward motion.
As an example, a huge 6-lane highway in Shanghai took only 2 years from planning to ready for traffic. In the US, 2 years will only get you the environment and local authority permit if you are lucky - in Malaysia in 2 years, they will still be calculating how to inflate the costs, and to whose crony company to award the project to.
LESSON No 2 - EDUCATIONAL MATTERS
The Chinese are obsessed with ensuring kids get the right education - English, Maths & Science. They made sure that their education system reaches even the most remote of rural areas - today the literacy rate in China is OVER 90%, surpassing even the USA's 86%. According to American Educationists, the Chinese kids are way ahead of the kids in the USA .
Meanwhile in Malaysia, our Moo-Moo politicians are determined to retract our education system into the stone age, such as making History a compulsory subject, and the History text book merely promotes Islam and Syariah law.
LESSON No 3 - LOOK AFTER THE ELDERLY
The Chinese DO NOT send their elderly to nursing care centres - they personally look after & care for their parents. In the US, nursing care of the elderly is now costing each resident USD 85,000 annually, & this is rising. The Chinese also believe that the grandparents at home make the best tutors for their children. It also provides a sense of cultural continuity - this helps bind society.
Here its a growing trend to have children brought up by maids, of the lowest educational & moral quality - so our children (the future leaders) grow up with similar language & outlook capability.
LESSON No 4 - SAVE MORE
In the USA , savings dropped to zero in 2005, and is only now slowly rising to 4%. In China , the savings rate for every household has exceeded 20%. The Chinese believe that fugality & a healthy savings rate are a sure indicator of a country's financial health. High savings lead to increased investments - results in increased productivity, innovation & job growth.
In the West, & aped by our Malaysians, the status symbol is to spend more than you earn, with as many credit cards as possible. In the end, the whole country gets into debt.
LESSON No 5 - LOOK OVER THE HORIZON
In China , everyone is forward looking - never backwards. New graduates make a vow - never ever will their children & grandchildren ever work in the fields again. With this kind of forward mentality, people are always thinking & planning how, not just to succeed, BUT how to be the best in the world in everything they do.
In Malaysia , we are still, after 24 years, trying to get the window switches of the Proton to work properly, and our Religious Fundamentalists want us to adopt medieval syariah laws.
LESSON No 1 - BE AMBITIOUS
The Chinese believe in Setting Goals, Making Plans, & Focusing on Moving Ahead - there is always the sense of forward motion.
As an example, a huge 6-lane highway in Shanghai took only 2 years from planning to ready for traffic. In the US, 2 years will only get you the environment and local authority permit if you are lucky - in Malaysia in 2 years, they will still be calculating how to inflate the costs, and to whose crony company to award the project to.
LESSON No 2 - EDUCATIONAL MATTERS
The Chinese are obsessed with ensuring kids get the right education - English, Maths & Science. They made sure that their education system reaches even the most remote of rural areas - today the literacy rate in China is OVER 90%, surpassing even the USA's 86%. According to American Educationists, the Chinese kids are way ahead of the kids in the USA .
Meanwhile in Malaysia, our Moo-Moo politicians are determined to retract our education system into the stone age, such as making History a compulsory subject, and the History text book merely promotes Islam and Syariah law.
LESSON No 3 - LOOK AFTER THE ELDERLY
The Chinese DO NOT send their elderly to nursing care centres - they personally look after & care for their parents. In the US, nursing care of the elderly is now costing each resident USD 85,000 annually, & this is rising. The Chinese also believe that the grandparents at home make the best tutors for their children. It also provides a sense of cultural continuity - this helps bind society.
Here its a growing trend to have children brought up by maids, of the lowest educational & moral quality - so our children (the future leaders) grow up with similar language & outlook capability.
LESSON No 4 - SAVE MORE
In the USA , savings dropped to zero in 2005, and is only now slowly rising to 4%. In China , the savings rate for every household has exceeded 20%. The Chinese believe that fugality & a healthy savings rate are a sure indicator of a country's financial health. High savings lead to increased investments - results in increased productivity, innovation & job growth.
In the West, & aped by our Malaysians, the status symbol is to spend more than you earn, with as many credit cards as possible. In the end, the whole country gets into debt.
LESSON No 5 - LOOK OVER THE HORIZON
In China , everyone is forward looking - never backwards. New graduates make a vow - never ever will their children & grandchildren ever work in the fields again. With this kind of forward mentality, people are always thinking & planning how, not just to succeed, BUT how to be the best in the world in everything they do.
In Malaysia , we are still, after 24 years, trying to get the window switches of the Proton to work properly, and our Religious Fundamentalists want us to adopt medieval syariah laws.
Why did Beng Hock die? Who are his killers?
by P. Ramakrishnan
January 11, 2011 — We don’t need experts or eminent persons to tell us if Teoh Beng Hock’s human rights have been violated. Ask the common man in the street and he will tell you right away that Beng Hock’s rights have been blatantly and violently abused and violated. This fact is as plain as daylight.
So why do we need a royal commission of inquiry to find out “whether it (MACC) had violated human rights”. Beng Hock’s family is not interested in this. Malaysians don’t want a RCI to waste its time in investigating procedures adopted by the MACC with regard to his death. That’s not the issue, dear Prime Minister.
All that everyone is dying to find out is how did Beng Hock die? Why did he die? Who caused his death?
The inquest has clearly stated that it wasn’t a suicide. How then did he drop from the 14th floor and land on the 5th floor of the MACC building? Who was responsible for this fall from the 14th floor, dear Prime Minister?
The inquest has confirmed that there were pre-fall neck injuries. Who caused these injuries on Beng Hock’s neck? Why were these injuries caused? What damage did these injuries do to Beng Hock? Did he die as a result of these injuries? This is what Beng Hock’s family is demanding to know, dear Prime Minister.
Why are you wasting everybody’s time setting up a RCI to carry out irrelevant investigations that will not throw any light as to how Beng Hock died — and why. This is what the whole country is interested in, dear Prime Minister.
Beng Hock was interrogated for nearly 11 hours from 5pm right up to 3.45am the next day in the most inhuman way. He was deprived of food, denied sleep and rest and subjected to intense questioning. What does that suggest, dear Prime Minister?
Before 5pm on that day —July 15, 2009 — it was a working day for Beng Hock. Assuming that he got up for work at 7am, it would add another 10 hours to his non-stop questioning for nearly 11 hours. That would mean he was on his feet for almost 21 hours. Doesn’t it strike you as an extreme form of torture that he was subjected to in a barbaric manner, dear Prime Minister?
Under the circumstance, do we really need a RCI to tell us that Beng Hock’s human rights were indeed violated? Isn’t it very apparent? Isn’t it rather obvious?
What is not apparent and what is not obvious is: How did Beng Hock die? Who caused his death? Who are his killers? That is all Beng Hock’s family is dying to know in order to bring closure to this human tragedy, dear Prime Minister.
The purpose of the RCI should simply be to establish why and how Beng Hock died. Any other investigation will not do justice to Beng Hock’s family, dear Prime Minister.
* P. Ramakrishnan is president of Aliran.
January 11, 2011 — We don’t need experts or eminent persons to tell us if Teoh Beng Hock’s human rights have been violated. Ask the common man in the street and he will tell you right away that Beng Hock’s rights have been blatantly and violently abused and violated. This fact is as plain as daylight.
So why do we need a royal commission of inquiry to find out “whether it (MACC) had violated human rights”. Beng Hock’s family is not interested in this. Malaysians don’t want a RCI to waste its time in investigating procedures adopted by the MACC with regard to his death. That’s not the issue, dear Prime Minister.
All that everyone is dying to find out is how did Beng Hock die? Why did he die? Who caused his death?
The inquest has clearly stated that it wasn’t a suicide. How then did he drop from the 14th floor and land on the 5th floor of the MACC building? Who was responsible for this fall from the 14th floor, dear Prime Minister?
The inquest has confirmed that there were pre-fall neck injuries. Who caused these injuries on Beng Hock’s neck? Why were these injuries caused? What damage did these injuries do to Beng Hock? Did he die as a result of these injuries? This is what Beng Hock’s family is demanding to know, dear Prime Minister.
Why are you wasting everybody’s time setting up a RCI to carry out irrelevant investigations that will not throw any light as to how Beng Hock died — and why. This is what the whole country is interested in, dear Prime Minister.
Beng Hock was interrogated for nearly 11 hours from 5pm right up to 3.45am the next day in the most inhuman way. He was deprived of food, denied sleep and rest and subjected to intense questioning. What does that suggest, dear Prime Minister?
Before 5pm on that day —July 15, 2009 — it was a working day for Beng Hock. Assuming that he got up for work at 7am, it would add another 10 hours to his non-stop questioning for nearly 11 hours. That would mean he was on his feet for almost 21 hours. Doesn’t it strike you as an extreme form of torture that he was subjected to in a barbaric manner, dear Prime Minister?
Under the circumstance, do we really need a RCI to tell us that Beng Hock’s human rights were indeed violated? Isn’t it very apparent? Isn’t it rather obvious?
What is not apparent and what is not obvious is: How did Beng Hock die? Who caused his death? Who are his killers? That is all Beng Hock’s family is dying to know in order to bring closure to this human tragedy, dear Prime Minister.
The purpose of the RCI should simply be to establish why and how Beng Hock died. Any other investigation will not do justice to Beng Hock’s family, dear Prime Minister.
* P. Ramakrishnan is president of Aliran.
History Became a Compulsory Subject
This history textbook seems to seek to influence the young minds of our children who come from various faiths, to follow the prophet of one particular religion. There is a detailed study of the life of the prophet Muhammad (pg 102 – 107). He is repeatedly praised throughout the chapters. Students are then repeatedly exhorted throughout the book, to emulate him as a ROLE MODEL in life (pg 106, 111, 124, 133, 137, 138).
By A Concerned Mother
When one picks up a history book, one would expect to read a fair account of events as they actually happened in the past. Definitely, one would expect the most accurate record possible of history as it unfolded through the decades, written as objectively as possible.
A most reasonable expectation indeed when the book in question is a major textbook prescribed by our Education Ministry for our students nationwide. A book that is instrumental in shaping the young minds of our future generation. The issue takes even greater prominence when the content of that book is going to decide whether our students pass or fail in a major exam on which their future hinges.
Lay hold of the Form 4 history textbook that our children are compelled to digest. Read it for yourself. Take a good hard look while the storm is brewing in the teacup. And it is brewing for good reason. Be shocked at what the syllabus writers have managed to quietly incorporate into our school syllabus just a few years ago, unnoticed by most people, even parents of affected students.
This is no typical history textbook. Simply because the syllabus writers have not confined its content to history. Instead they have extended its boundaries seemingly to push a certain agenda. In the process, our history textbooks seems to have taken on a quest of its own - to win the hearts and minds of our children for that particular agenda. We have to take note that all 4 writers of the textbook comes from only one race and religion, without representation from other faiths and races.
I write as a concerned mother who cares about what my children are being fed in school. I write as a troubled citizen who cares about the younger generation that will one day helm the nation. I write based on my own personal review of the Form
4 history textbook and this review is based on the hard facts of the content of the textbook, without any intention to offend any religion, its prophet or believers. I will leave the review on the accuracy of the history to historians, who are already speaking out on the historical errors and distortions contained.
The first fact to note is the overwhelming proportion of the Form 4 history textbook being devoted to Islamic civilization (100 PAGES) while the other religious civilizations are barely given a passing mention (460 WORDS). Out of 10 chapters, 5 bulky chapters are devoted to Islamic history and civilization, which constitutes at least half a year’s study. This certainly is a disproportionate emphasis on one religion, to the exclusion of all other religious civilizations.
Most of us would not mind our children understanding more about Islamic civilization. But it has to presented fairly accurately within a balanced perspective. Do we want to mislead our children to believe that there is only one important civilization in the entire history of the human race and the rest are insignificant? Are the other major civilizations not worth studying in equal if not greater depth?
Giving our children a correct and broad worldview can only benefit our nation in the context of a globalized world. Otherwise, our nation will be producing people with an extremely narrow worldview and an incomplete and distorted view of world history. That is to our own loss.
Secondly, this history textbook seems to seek to influence the young minds of our children who come from various faiths, to follow the prophet of one particular religion. There is a detailed study of the life of the prophet Muhammad (pg 102 – 107). He is repeatedly praised throughout the chapters. Students are then repeatedly exhorted throughout the book, to emulate him as a ROLE MODEL in life (pg 106, 111, 124, 133, 137, 138).
We respect the Muslim belief in the greatness of their prophet. However, we have to respectfully suggest (with no offence intended whatsoever to the prophet) that teachings that encourage students to follow any prophet would more properly belong to a religious class meant for students who already subscribed to that particular faith. It has no proper place in a major history textbook for students of other faiths. In a plural society like ours, the religious sensitivities of other faiths must surely be respected.
Thirdly, throughout the pages of the textbook, history seems to have been written from a religiously biased viewpoint. Other religions seems to be cast in an unfavourable light. Consider some statements found in the textbook:-
(1) Islam is described as a religion easily acceptable and not confined to any race, nation or geography (pg 185).
(2) Islam can be accepted by many people because of the purity of its teaching (pg 110).
(3) The uniqueness of Islam resulted in many people embracing the religion (pg162, 163, 185).
(4) The conversion of some Arab leaders to Islam in 629 AD is described as “an act done after rational investigation into the truth of Islam” (pg 133).
(5) Islamic social policies are described as so attractive that European Christians converted to Islam during the Byzantize era (pg 163).
(6) Islam requires rational thinking and therefore is accepted by all levels of society. (pg 185).
Sadly, biased religious viewpoints are being unfairly shoved onto our children as established facts within the framework of a narrow religious perspective.
Fourthly, the history textbook itself dwells on the teachings of the religion. Whilst the children have to study Islamic concepts (pg 185), no space is given to a balanced comparison with the teachings of other religions. Our youth are therefore taught the virtues of one religion to the exclusion of others. Why not have a balanced approach and allow our children to learn the basic tenets of all major world religions? Allow them to engage in comparative studies. Will it not be healthier to promote better understanding among the races which has positive effect on nation building?
Fifthly, the textbook also promotes Syariah law as suitable and practical for a multi racial nation. It cites the example of the success of the multi racial community in Madinah governed by the Madinah Charter. The formation of an Islamic government in Madinah is stated to thus prove that Islam can be practised in a wholesome daily living and should be emulated by the Malaysian society. Syariah law is hailed as just, complete and perfect, and can be followed by all communities (pg 128). There is mention of social justice under Islam (pg 128); equal treatment to all people under Islam (pg 110, 128); purity of the struggles of Islam (pg 112); fairness, integrity, consideration and generosity of Islamic economic principles (pg 128).
Perhaps the fifth ground raises the most questions and rings loudest the alarm bells. It makes us wonder why our school history syllabus is written in a way that seems to condition the minds of our youth to accept Syariah laws as the basis of our legal system in the future? Is there a deliberate political and/or religious agenda at play?
Our Education Minister owes us an explanation. We want to know why our school curriculum has been allowed to be written from such a religious slant by a group of writers of only one religious background. We want to know the reason for this sudden but quiet change in the school syllabus a few years ago. We want to know why our children are compelled to disproportionately focus and digest so much on one religion without a balanced perspective of others?
We must demand for an immediate and urgent revamp and re-writing of the entire history curriculum for our schools and universities. There should be a panel of qualified historians from all races and faiths working reviewing the syllabus. Feedback must be obtained from the public. We must insist that politics and religious indoctrination be strictly kept out of our textbooks.
History should be what it is – an objective and accurate record of past events. We must no longer allow our school syllabus to be hijacked for political and religious propoganda. Until then, it is unacceptable to even think that History should be made a compulsory pass subject in SPM.
By A Concerned Mother
When one picks up a history book, one would expect to read a fair account of events as they actually happened in the past. Definitely, one would expect the most accurate record possible of history as it unfolded through the decades, written as objectively as possible.
A most reasonable expectation indeed when the book in question is a major textbook prescribed by our Education Ministry for our students nationwide. A book that is instrumental in shaping the young minds of our future generation. The issue takes even greater prominence when the content of that book is going to decide whether our students pass or fail in a major exam on which their future hinges.
Lay hold of the Form 4 history textbook that our children are compelled to digest. Read it for yourself. Take a good hard look while the storm is brewing in the teacup. And it is brewing for good reason. Be shocked at what the syllabus writers have managed to quietly incorporate into our school syllabus just a few years ago, unnoticed by most people, even parents of affected students.
This is no typical history textbook. Simply because the syllabus writers have not confined its content to history. Instead they have extended its boundaries seemingly to push a certain agenda. In the process, our history textbooks seems to have taken on a quest of its own - to win the hearts and minds of our children for that particular agenda. We have to take note that all 4 writers of the textbook comes from only one race and religion, without representation from other faiths and races.
I write as a concerned mother who cares about what my children are being fed in school. I write as a troubled citizen who cares about the younger generation that will one day helm the nation. I write based on my own personal review of the Form
4 history textbook and this review is based on the hard facts of the content of the textbook, without any intention to offend any religion, its prophet or believers. I will leave the review on the accuracy of the history to historians, who are already speaking out on the historical errors and distortions contained.
The first fact to note is the overwhelming proportion of the Form 4 history textbook being devoted to Islamic civilization (100 PAGES) while the other religious civilizations are barely given a passing mention (460 WORDS). Out of 10 chapters, 5 bulky chapters are devoted to Islamic history and civilization, which constitutes at least half a year’s study. This certainly is a disproportionate emphasis on one religion, to the exclusion of all other religious civilizations.
Most of us would not mind our children understanding more about Islamic civilization. But it has to presented fairly accurately within a balanced perspective. Do we want to mislead our children to believe that there is only one important civilization in the entire history of the human race and the rest are insignificant? Are the other major civilizations not worth studying in equal if not greater depth?
Giving our children a correct and broad worldview can only benefit our nation in the context of a globalized world. Otherwise, our nation will be producing people with an extremely narrow worldview and an incomplete and distorted view of world history. That is to our own loss.
Secondly, this history textbook seems to seek to influence the young minds of our children who come from various faiths, to follow the prophet of one particular religion. There is a detailed study of the life of the prophet Muhammad (pg 102 – 107). He is repeatedly praised throughout the chapters. Students are then repeatedly exhorted throughout the book, to emulate him as a ROLE MODEL in life (pg 106, 111, 124, 133, 137, 138).
We respect the Muslim belief in the greatness of their prophet. However, we have to respectfully suggest (with no offence intended whatsoever to the prophet) that teachings that encourage students to follow any prophet would more properly belong to a religious class meant for students who already subscribed to that particular faith. It has no proper place in a major history textbook for students of other faiths. In a plural society like ours, the religious sensitivities of other faiths must surely be respected.
Thirdly, throughout the pages of the textbook, history seems to have been written from a religiously biased viewpoint. Other religions seems to be cast in an unfavourable light. Consider some statements found in the textbook:-
(1) Islam is described as a religion easily acceptable and not confined to any race, nation or geography (pg 185).
(2) Islam can be accepted by many people because of the purity of its teaching (pg 110).
(3) The uniqueness of Islam resulted in many people embracing the religion (pg162, 163, 185).
(4) The conversion of some Arab leaders to Islam in 629 AD is described as “an act done after rational investigation into the truth of Islam” (pg 133).
(5) Islamic social policies are described as so attractive that European Christians converted to Islam during the Byzantize era (pg 163).
(6) Islam requires rational thinking and therefore is accepted by all levels of society. (pg 185).
Sadly, biased religious viewpoints are being unfairly shoved onto our children as established facts within the framework of a narrow religious perspective.
Fourthly, the history textbook itself dwells on the teachings of the religion. Whilst the children have to study Islamic concepts (pg 185), no space is given to a balanced comparison with the teachings of other religions. Our youth are therefore taught the virtues of one religion to the exclusion of others. Why not have a balanced approach and allow our children to learn the basic tenets of all major world religions? Allow them to engage in comparative studies. Will it not be healthier to promote better understanding among the races which has positive effect on nation building?
Fifthly, the textbook also promotes Syariah law as suitable and practical for a multi racial nation. It cites the example of the success of the multi racial community in Madinah governed by the Madinah Charter. The formation of an Islamic government in Madinah is stated to thus prove that Islam can be practised in a wholesome daily living and should be emulated by the Malaysian society. Syariah law is hailed as just, complete and perfect, and can be followed by all communities (pg 128). There is mention of social justice under Islam (pg 128); equal treatment to all people under Islam (pg 110, 128); purity of the struggles of Islam (pg 112); fairness, integrity, consideration and generosity of Islamic economic principles (pg 128).
Perhaps the fifth ground raises the most questions and rings loudest the alarm bells. It makes us wonder why our school history syllabus is written in a way that seems to condition the minds of our youth to accept Syariah laws as the basis of our legal system in the future? Is there a deliberate political and/or religious agenda at play?
Our Education Minister owes us an explanation. We want to know why our school curriculum has been allowed to be written from such a religious slant by a group of writers of only one religious background. We want to know the reason for this sudden but quiet change in the school syllabus a few years ago. We want to know why our children are compelled to disproportionately focus and digest so much on one religion without a balanced perspective of others?
We must demand for an immediate and urgent revamp and re-writing of the entire history curriculum for our schools and universities. There should be a panel of qualified historians from all races and faiths working reviewing the syllabus. Feedback must be obtained from the public. We must insist that politics and religious indoctrination be strictly kept out of our textbooks.
History should be what it is – an objective and accurate record of past events. We must no longer allow our school syllabus to be hijacked for political and religious propoganda. Until then, it is unacceptable to even think that History should be made a compulsory pass subject in SPM.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Ketuanan Melayu: A case for UN Security Council to consider?
- Joe Fernandez
The name-calling has started again over that neo-Nazi ideology called Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy). Perkasa, the extreme Malay right-wing movement, is firing on all cylinders against PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for her take over the weekend on Umno’s “Ketuanan Melayuism”.
Congratulations to her for taking the bull by the horns in recognition of the stark reality that the urban Malays in particular accept that Ketuanan Melayuism is an elaborate cover for the ruling elite to raid the public treasury and the banks at will.
Media pictures of Perkasa leaders – many looking more Indian than Malay – vividly depict the fury on their faces, their eyes flashing as if possessed by demons on the loose.
Patently, it’s a sheer waste of time to engage with Umno poodle Perkasa or like-minded racists on their sick version of Article 153 of the Federal Constitution and the unwritten 1957 social contract, which allowed political dominance for the Malays to compensate for Chinese economic dominance.
The rhetoric, polemics and endless debates on Ketuanan Melayuism will be a dead ender and a contradiction in terms considering the mountains of sanctimonious pontification on the 1Malaysia concept.
The time has come to bring the Ketuanan Melayu issue to the United Nations Security Council. The world body must consider whether Malaysia is following in the footsteps of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Apartheid regime of South Africa.
Some years ago, the UN put India on notice that it must end the caste system. The Security Council even invoked the spectre of economic sanctions against it after intensive lobbying by social activists.
Ketuanan Melayuism is no different from a caste system in that it benefits a handful of leeches, parasites, bloodsuckers at the expense of the overwhelming majority through institutionalised racism. Furthermore, there are shades of Nazism, Fascism and Apartheid in Ketuanan Melayuism.
An inconvenient truth
The Umno government will not be able to explain at the UN Security Council why it has not abolished Article 153 but has instead even extended it outside its four limited areas, applying it to every aspect of life in Malaysia in a deviant, distorted form. In addition, the second prong of Article 153, which covers the legitimate aspirations of the non-Malay communities, has been ignored by Umno as an inconvenient truth.
To complete the living nightmare, the New Economic Policy (1970-1990) has been applied selectively throughout the country and institutionalised to circumvent its 20-year shelf life. This has seen, among others, the emergence of the Licence Raj, which reserves permits, quotas, concessions, licences and the like for certain people only. In short, it’s a licence for them to print money in perpetuity.
We can see the sickness that is Ketuanan Melayu from any number of angles.
Education is one field that has deeply divided the country and polarised it as never before.
Peninsular Malaysian law graduates from foreign universities are not allowed to practise their profession in the country unless they pass the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) examination conducted by the government.
Of the nearly 2,000 law graduates who sit for the examination every year, only 10% get the right to practise. This 10% is subject to a racial quota that remains a state secret. The unfortunate majority have to repeat the CLP, as many as 10 times or more, before they get a chance to make it, if at all. Not all have the patience to run the gauntlet; they give up after two or three attempts, depressed, traumatised and suicidal.
Subjecting a critical discipline like law to a racial quota is the height of idiocy and a refinement of Ketuanan Melayuism to a degree that has no parallel anywhere else in the world.
Medicine, another critical discipline, has likewise been taken over by the Ketuanan Melayuists. A strict racial quota regulates entry into government-owned universities for medicine. Even getting there for a shot at a medical seat is easier said than done since the race-based marking system for government-run public examinations is a closely guarded state secret.
Tip of the iceberg
There’s no escaping the government even if one attempts to get a medical degree at a foreign universities. Many foreign universities with an unusually high number of Malaysian students of Indian-origin vis-à-vis the Malays have had the recognition of their medical degrees withdrawn. This happened to the medical degrees awarded by the Crimea State University in the Ukraine after a visit by the then prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Like the CLP students, medical graduates who return to Malaysia with unrecognised degrees have to run the gauntlet before they can win recognition for their qualifications.
This is just the tip of the iceberg in education.
There is no 1Malaysia in administering pre-university examinations. Malay students take the easier matriculation route to enter universities while their non-Malay counterparts are bogged down by the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), which Wikipedia describes as the most difficult pre-university examination in the world. Yet, the matriculation and the STPM are considered as equal in standard.
Not even one of the vice-chancellors of the 20-odd state-owned universities is non-Malay.
It’s the same situation in the civil service, which is 90% dominated by one community, as is the teaching service, the police and armed forces, the judiciary, the governrment-linked companies, and the diplomatic and foreign service, among others.
In keeping with Ketuanan Melayuism, proxies of the ruling elite run Sabah and Sarawak.
In Sabah, in particular, the influx of illegal immigrants continues and they have overtaken the locals in numbers, resulting in the latter’s virtual disenfranchisement. Of the 3.2 million people in Sabah in 2005, 1.7 million were illegal immigrants. About 600,000 of them have acquired MyKads via the backdoor and been placed on the electoral rolls, according to Suhakam annual reports.
The federal civil service in Sabah and Sarawak has not been Borneonised, as pledged in the 1963 Malaysia Agreement. Instead, the Ketuanan Melayuists stepped into the vacuum created by the departing British colonial civil servants and continue to hog almost all posts.
It would be interesting to hear what the UN Security Council has to say about the manner in which Umno has been running the country since 1957. There is even a case to be taken up, as a class action suit, at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
The name-calling has started again over that neo-Nazi ideology called Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy). Perkasa, the extreme Malay right-wing movement, is firing on all cylinders against PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for her take over the weekend on Umno’s “Ketuanan Melayuism”.
Congratulations to her for taking the bull by the horns in recognition of the stark reality that the urban Malays in particular accept that Ketuanan Melayuism is an elaborate cover for the ruling elite to raid the public treasury and the banks at will.
Media pictures of Perkasa leaders – many looking more Indian than Malay – vividly depict the fury on their faces, their eyes flashing as if possessed by demons on the loose.
Patently, it’s a sheer waste of time to engage with Umno poodle Perkasa or like-minded racists on their sick version of Article 153 of the Federal Constitution and the unwritten 1957 social contract, which allowed political dominance for the Malays to compensate for Chinese economic dominance.
The rhetoric, polemics and endless debates on Ketuanan Melayuism will be a dead ender and a contradiction in terms considering the mountains of sanctimonious pontification on the 1Malaysia concept.
The time has come to bring the Ketuanan Melayu issue to the United Nations Security Council. The world body must consider whether Malaysia is following in the footsteps of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Apartheid regime of South Africa.
Some years ago, the UN put India on notice that it must end the caste system. The Security Council even invoked the spectre of economic sanctions against it after intensive lobbying by social activists.
Ketuanan Melayuism is no different from a caste system in that it benefits a handful of leeches, parasites, bloodsuckers at the expense of the overwhelming majority through institutionalised racism. Furthermore, there are shades of Nazism, Fascism and Apartheid in Ketuanan Melayuism.
An inconvenient truth
The Umno government will not be able to explain at the UN Security Council why it has not abolished Article 153 but has instead even extended it outside its four limited areas, applying it to every aspect of life in Malaysia in a deviant, distorted form. In addition, the second prong of Article 153, which covers the legitimate aspirations of the non-Malay communities, has been ignored by Umno as an inconvenient truth.
To complete the living nightmare, the New Economic Policy (1970-1990) has been applied selectively throughout the country and institutionalised to circumvent its 20-year shelf life. This has seen, among others, the emergence of the Licence Raj, which reserves permits, quotas, concessions, licences and the like for certain people only. In short, it’s a licence for them to print money in perpetuity.
We can see the sickness that is Ketuanan Melayu from any number of angles.
Education is one field that has deeply divided the country and polarised it as never before.
Peninsular Malaysian law graduates from foreign universities are not allowed to practise their profession in the country unless they pass the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) examination conducted by the government.
Of the nearly 2,000 law graduates who sit for the examination every year, only 10% get the right to practise. This 10% is subject to a racial quota that remains a state secret. The unfortunate majority have to repeat the CLP, as many as 10 times or more, before they get a chance to make it, if at all. Not all have the patience to run the gauntlet; they give up after two or three attempts, depressed, traumatised and suicidal.
Subjecting a critical discipline like law to a racial quota is the height of idiocy and a refinement of Ketuanan Melayuism to a degree that has no parallel anywhere else in the world.
Medicine, another critical discipline, has likewise been taken over by the Ketuanan Melayuists. A strict racial quota regulates entry into government-owned universities for medicine. Even getting there for a shot at a medical seat is easier said than done since the race-based marking system for government-run public examinations is a closely guarded state secret.
Tip of the iceberg
There’s no escaping the government even if one attempts to get a medical degree at a foreign universities. Many foreign universities with an unusually high number of Malaysian students of Indian-origin vis-à-vis the Malays have had the recognition of their medical degrees withdrawn. This happened to the medical degrees awarded by the Crimea State University in the Ukraine after a visit by the then prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Like the CLP students, medical graduates who return to Malaysia with unrecognised degrees have to run the gauntlet before they can win recognition for their qualifications.
This is just the tip of the iceberg in education.
There is no 1Malaysia in administering pre-university examinations. Malay students take the easier matriculation route to enter universities while their non-Malay counterparts are bogged down by the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), which Wikipedia describes as the most difficult pre-university examination in the world. Yet, the matriculation and the STPM are considered as equal in standard.
Not even one of the vice-chancellors of the 20-odd state-owned universities is non-Malay.
It’s the same situation in the civil service, which is 90% dominated by one community, as is the teaching service, the police and armed forces, the judiciary, the governrment-linked companies, and the diplomatic and foreign service, among others.
In keeping with Ketuanan Melayuism, proxies of the ruling elite run Sabah and Sarawak.
In Sabah, in particular, the influx of illegal immigrants continues and they have overtaken the locals in numbers, resulting in the latter’s virtual disenfranchisement. Of the 3.2 million people in Sabah in 2005, 1.7 million were illegal immigrants. About 600,000 of them have acquired MyKads via the backdoor and been placed on the electoral rolls, according to Suhakam annual reports.
The federal civil service in Sabah and Sarawak has not been Borneonised, as pledged in the 1963 Malaysia Agreement. Instead, the Ketuanan Melayuists stepped into the vacuum created by the departing British colonial civil servants and continue to hog almost all posts.
It would be interesting to hear what the UN Security Council has to say about the manner in which Umno has been running the country since 1957. There is even a case to be taken up, as a class action suit, at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy): A Risky Experiment
By Mariam Mokhtar
I was born Malay and was hardly conscious of my race, either at school or at home. Race hardly cropped up in conversation except when we had form-filling to do – like applying for an identity card. Religion was something sacred and the only time we’d be aware of our racial and religious differences was deciding what to wear for a wedding or whose open house to visit, during the various festivities.
Thus, the recent clamour for “ketuanan Melayu” is destructive and damaging – not just for Malaysia but more so for the Malays, the very people that the “ketuanan Melayu” concept is supposed to protect. It is wrong because “ketuanan Melayu” is a dangerous experiment in social engineering.
Our neighbours were both Chinese and Indian. As children, we studied and played with each other, even hitched lifts to school when necessary, whilst the adults shared garden produce, swopped certain special dishes for the various ‘open houses’ and practiced their own version of ‘neighbourhood watch’.
Today, the Wongs are living out their twilight years away from their children, who have now settled overseas. Their children were willing to pay for them to live in a gated community, but they refused. In gated communities, they said, people hardly know one another and lives are conducted behind high walls and electric fences. The Wongs are unwilling to trade their relative freedom for living in secure isolation.
Mrs Pillai is now a widow, living on her own. Both her son and daughter have emigrated and she is loathe to leave Malaysia. She tells me, her children saw no opportunities in Malaysia. Her daughter is particularly bitter at having to leave her mother and especially angry that she was denied a place at a local college, and denied help by a local political organisation who refused to recommend her for a study loan.
Several thousand non-Malays have left, but many Malays have also gone. Families are torn apart or wrecked by a false belief in so-called superiority. Our country has not benefited from the wasted talent.
Where’s the sense of equality and justice?
When will Malays understand that the call for “ketuanan Melayu” creates antagonism at best, and violence at worst? There is open hatred toward non-Malays. The Malays have become arrogant; and non-Malays have been forced to be compliant. But for how long? Perhaps, it is the Malay who has more need of change. Where is their sense of equality and justice?
If “ketuanan Melayu” is supposed to benefit the Malays, why are the majority of Malays poor? If politicians had genuinely wanted to help Malays, the majority of Malays would now be wealthy, after 53 years of Umno rule. But this is not the case. The majority of Malays are poor.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad warned that the Malays will “lose their power” if Pakatan Rakyat were to come to power. He labeled Pakatan leaders as a bunch of self-serving and racist politicians.
What “power” is he referring to? Is he referring to Umno’s potential loss? Will the loss mean no
more abuse of power and enrichment of family, friends and cronies? Is he lamenting the lack of control over the media, police, judiciary and the parliamentary rights and privileges committee? Did he also mean the inability to detain those who dare speak out against injustices?
Malay extremists claim that Pakatan’s alternative call for “ketuanan rakyat” goes against the Malay rulers. However, no one objected when Mahathir clipped the wings of the royals.
Mahathir and Najib Abdul Razak have sought to suggest that Umno/BN is a caring party, but despite 1Malaysia, Malaysians probably feel less united today.
Perhaps, the Malay extremist politicians promoting “ketuanan Melayu” can rightly be called “Children of Mahathir”.
Why will the extremists not deal with the social ills that beset the Malay youth – drug abuse, abandoned babies, under-achievement, and Mat Rempit? They have been fed propaganda and expect instant rewards but soon become disillusioned. They then fall further into the trap that ‘non-Malays are robbing them of their rights’. Is it any wonder they are bitter and have little aspiration?
The same group of extremists expects other faiths to respect Islam – but they fail to reciprocate this. It is alleged that in some mosques, the sermons preach unbridled hatred.
Many loopholes and obstacles
Last Saturday, a 14-year-old girl and a 23-year-old teacher were married at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, after a religious syariah court approved the union. The teenager said, “It has been hard trying to juggle two rôles – as a student and a wife – but I am taking it in my stride.”
Can no one else see that this is wrong? How does the state protect children from paedophilia? Has the child’s health and maturity been considered? What about her mental and maternal health, when she undergoes repeated childbearing at a young age? What about her education?
Muslim men can remarry easily. So who will support her should her marriage fail? Or if her husband leaves her for a younger woman or fails to support her when he remarries? Our syariah law and welfare system has many loopholes and obstacles. Some women claim it works against them.
Look at how Malay men perceive of their women. Despite equality in Islam, women are given short shrift. Nurul Izzah Anwar’s request for a debate with Ibrahim Ali was rejected. He called her ‘small fry’ and told her to contact the head of Wiranita, the Perkasa women’s organisation, instead. This demeaning attitude towards women is replicated in many Malay households..
When will the champions of “ketuanan Melayu” talk about success, progress, innovation, creativity, harmony, sharing and excellence instead of alluding to the “only my rights matter” mentality?
We Malays must face up to our insecurities so we can live at peace with ourselves. The non-Malay is a convenient scapegoat for our failures. We need to admit we have problems and face up to them.
Our religious leaders must make a clear stand against polygamy, paedophilia, child-snatching and intolerance of other faiths. Our Malay leaders must learn to respect other non-Malay Malaysians and treat them as equals. Only then do we have the right to ask others to respect us. We must stop the hypocrisy and madness that is called “ketuanan Melayu”.
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist
I was born Malay and was hardly conscious of my race, either at school or at home. Race hardly cropped up in conversation except when we had form-filling to do – like applying for an identity card. Religion was something sacred and the only time we’d be aware of our racial and religious differences was deciding what to wear for a wedding or whose open house to visit, during the various festivities.
Thus, the recent clamour for “ketuanan Melayu” is destructive and damaging – not just for Malaysia but more so for the Malays, the very people that the “ketuanan Melayu” concept is supposed to protect. It is wrong because “ketuanan Melayu” is a dangerous experiment in social engineering.
Our neighbours were both Chinese and Indian. As children, we studied and played with each other, even hitched lifts to school when necessary, whilst the adults shared garden produce, swopped certain special dishes for the various ‘open houses’ and practiced their own version of ‘neighbourhood watch’.
Today, the Wongs are living out their twilight years away from their children, who have now settled overseas. Their children were willing to pay for them to live in a gated community, but they refused. In gated communities, they said, people hardly know one another and lives are conducted behind high walls and electric fences. The Wongs are unwilling to trade their relative freedom for living in secure isolation.
Mrs Pillai is now a widow, living on her own. Both her son and daughter have emigrated and she is loathe to leave Malaysia. She tells me, her children saw no opportunities in Malaysia. Her daughter is particularly bitter at having to leave her mother and especially angry that she was denied a place at a local college, and denied help by a local political organisation who refused to recommend her for a study loan.
Several thousand non-Malays have left, but many Malays have also gone. Families are torn apart or wrecked by a false belief in so-called superiority. Our country has not benefited from the wasted talent.
Where’s the sense of equality and justice?
When will Malays understand that the call for “ketuanan Melayu” creates antagonism at best, and violence at worst? There is open hatred toward non-Malays. The Malays have become arrogant; and non-Malays have been forced to be compliant. But for how long? Perhaps, it is the Malay who has more need of change. Where is their sense of equality and justice?
If “ketuanan Melayu” is supposed to benefit the Malays, why are the majority of Malays poor? If politicians had genuinely wanted to help Malays, the majority of Malays would now be wealthy, after 53 years of Umno rule. But this is not the case. The majority of Malays are poor.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad warned that the Malays will “lose their power” if Pakatan Rakyat were to come to power. He labeled Pakatan leaders as a bunch of self-serving and racist politicians.
What “power” is he referring to? Is he referring to Umno’s potential loss? Will the loss mean no
more abuse of power and enrichment of family, friends and cronies? Is he lamenting the lack of control over the media, police, judiciary and the parliamentary rights and privileges committee? Did he also mean the inability to detain those who dare speak out against injustices?
Malay extremists claim that Pakatan’s alternative call for “ketuanan rakyat” goes against the Malay rulers. However, no one objected when Mahathir clipped the wings of the royals.
Mahathir and Najib Abdul Razak have sought to suggest that Umno/BN is a caring party, but despite 1Malaysia, Malaysians probably feel less united today.
Perhaps, the Malay extremist politicians promoting “ketuanan Melayu” can rightly be called “Children of Mahathir”.
Why will the extremists not deal with the social ills that beset the Malay youth – drug abuse, abandoned babies, under-achievement, and Mat Rempit? They have been fed propaganda and expect instant rewards but soon become disillusioned. They then fall further into the trap that ‘non-Malays are robbing them of their rights’. Is it any wonder they are bitter and have little aspiration?
The same group of extremists expects other faiths to respect Islam – but they fail to reciprocate this. It is alleged that in some mosques, the sermons preach unbridled hatred.
Many loopholes and obstacles
Last Saturday, a 14-year-old girl and a 23-year-old teacher were married at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, after a religious syariah court approved the union. The teenager said, “It has been hard trying to juggle two rôles – as a student and a wife – but I am taking it in my stride.”
Can no one else see that this is wrong? How does the state protect children from paedophilia? Has the child’s health and maturity been considered? What about her mental and maternal health, when she undergoes repeated childbearing at a young age? What about her education?
Muslim men can remarry easily. So who will support her should her marriage fail? Or if her husband leaves her for a younger woman or fails to support her when he remarries? Our syariah law and welfare system has many loopholes and obstacles. Some women claim it works against them.
Look at how Malay men perceive of their women. Despite equality in Islam, women are given short shrift. Nurul Izzah Anwar’s request for a debate with Ibrahim Ali was rejected. He called her ‘small fry’ and told her to contact the head of Wiranita, the Perkasa women’s organisation, instead. This demeaning attitude towards women is replicated in many Malay households..
When will the champions of “ketuanan Melayu” talk about success, progress, innovation, creativity, harmony, sharing and excellence instead of alluding to the “only my rights matter” mentality?
We Malays must face up to our insecurities so we can live at peace with ourselves. The non-Malay is a convenient scapegoat for our failures. We need to admit we have problems and face up to them.
Our religious leaders must make a clear stand against polygamy, paedophilia, child-snatching and intolerance of other faiths. Our Malay leaders must learn to respect other non-Malay Malaysians and treat them as equals. Only then do we have the right to ask others to respect us. We must stop the hypocrisy and madness that is called “ketuanan Melayu”.
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist
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