I write in English and cannot seek to address concerns of most in Malay community because frankly I cannot completely understand their irrational emotionality. I have been writing for 12 years now, and almost weekly in Malaysiakini. I chose then and will therefore continue only in English. Others are invited to translate, if needed.
So far, by God’s grace and maybe their inability to fully comprehend what I write; I have not been invited for a meeting by ‘any outsiders’. Nonetheless, about two or three times in the past, Malaysiakini editors have objected and refused to upload what I have submitted. They have the first right of refusal; though.
My hope is that this column does not meet a similar fate; but, I do feel compelled to write so that we do not allow the recreation of, or the rise of another Donald Trump-like, or Rodrigo Duterte-like personality in Malaysia. They both appear to be supported and blinded by right-wingers who have a very narrow view of what each of their countries stands for, and seem to overlook basic humanitarian good values and processes.
Basic courtesy and due processes should always be respected for all humans.
False theology of ‘Dumno’ leadership
In my last two columns I took Ustaz Abdul Hadi Awang to task about his false theology on many matters public and political which he has spoken and even kept quiet about. This column does the same to ‘Dumno’, my pet name for Umno (and pronounced ‘dumb-no’) leadership when referring to their poor quality of leadership of this still ‘Melayu party’ of Malaysia.
Recently, the acting deputy president of Umno said, “Allah appointed Najib Abdul Razak as Prime Minister!” I expected cries of protests from the other Malay parties and Umno members, but I do not remember any real public or respectable contradictions or disagreement. Not even from PAS which claims and proclaims their Islamic credentials. Maybe Brunei’s Islamic model (with a sultan above laws) must be good enough for Malaysia.
My only question to all who speak and understand at least Form 5 quality English is: Why such theological ignorance and the lack of knowledge about the affairs of God? How can anyone, including the new prophetic voices, make such a claim? Worse still, why not question the ignorance of Islamic theology of an acting deputy president who made such a false claim?
Theologically, regardless of one’s specific bias or unbelief, no one can agree absolutely with such a statement. Why? The last ‘idiocrat’ who spoke like that was former US president George W Bush who said, infamously; “You are either with me or against me.” My simple counter-argument: Only God, regardless of whom or what we think he or she is, can speak like that; never human beings.
Why kiss another human’s hand?
Dumno leadership quality was made more evident vide another WhatsApp sent to me which showed a deputy minister kissing the hand of Malaysian Official 1 (MO1). Now, theologically too, I ask, is it okay to kiss another human being’s hand in such a self-deprecating way? Does Islam really allow it?
If it was the Pope, some would say it is okay to kiss his hand, or ‘to receive his blessings’, but surely not the politician already labelled MO1 by the American legal system and against whom there is already a citizens’ petition asking the US Justice Department (DOJ) to name and shame the individual?
Why and how then do we tolerate such a Dumno leadership that is so clearly corrupt and absent of any moral integrity? Why is it that so many other immoral political parties of Malaysia still support such abusive and corrupt leadership, which even the longest serving Umno president has now clearly rejected?
Dumno’s poor quality leadership
Umno has provided political leadership of the government for the last 59 years. But it is obvious to all observers that the same Dumno is now too badly corrupted because of too much power in too few hands.
But what bothers me even more, as son of a founder member of Kedah MIC, is why the MIC and MCA and all other partners of Umno which make up BN do not see the signs of why it is about to become ‘Be End’.
Was it not Lord Acton who argued that “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Therefore, what is it that these BN partners, whether in the peninsula or the Borneo states, cannot see and comprehend this? Are they simply blind, or are they equally corrupted by power also?
Not only is the Umno leadership and their peninsular partners blind in collusion; what bothers me totally is that Borneo parties who serve so many marginalised groups and ethnicities are also playing similar political games? Why do we as Rakyat Malaysia tolerate such lack of integrity?
So, why is ‘Be End’ still relevant when their time has run out and they are completely and absolutely corrupt?
Ignorance that matters
The greatest failure of Malaysian education is that we do not teach about how and why the Federal Constitution uses its language and ideas plus ideals, as it does, and why each of us must not only understand them, but seek to defend them with our lives.
In fact, my good friend and university professor in UKM, Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, once admitted that this failure may be an abject and most serious failure of the university’s general education curriculum. There is zero focus on constitutional values and human rights guaranteed by our Federal Constitution.
How then can we correct this? Well, to my mind and heart, there is only one concrete way forward; make the unity theme our central focus of history studies and explain all issues regarding constitutional resolutions of the past, in terms of actual and real and true history. By Form Three then all students must know the real and truthful history and context of our correct Constitutional Values.
There is one real chance to do this good right and well; as most of the original leaders of the Merdeka Generation are still alive to record and restate the facts and such truthful history. I really and truly believe that this can be one major new role and function of the National Archives; not just to collect artefacts or documents but to help record truthful history from real actors and live players.
Or, am I simply dreaming about these possibilities?