A Not-So Welcom Home!

A Not-So-Welcome Home!

It was the second Monday of 1976, a good full week after I had landed in Malaysia after being away for well over 13 years. I had now recovered from my jet lag; time to look for a job. I was in no hurry and had even contemplated postponing the chore for yet another week.

            Karen did not share my newly-acquired tropical placidity, quite a change in me from my medical school and surgical training days. Having lived out of suitcases since Christmas when we left frigid Edmonton, Canada, and being a stranger to Malaysia and its culture while living with in-laws whom she had just met only days earlier, she was understandably anxious to get settled.

            She mirrored her mother’s earlier anxiety. For months before we left, Ruth Bishop had pestered me on whether I had a job lined up in Malaysia. To my nonchalance she responded, “It’s mydaughter and grandchildren you will be taking over there, Bakri!”

            So that Monday morning in my modish maroon suit and matching wide tie, I left for the Ministry of Health in KL. I looked incongruous in my father’s old but clean light-blue Ford Escort, stick shift and no air-conditioning. Soon I had to pull over to take off my jacket for even though it was still morning and the windows wide open, I was already sweating.

            I arrived at the ministry’s leafy campus at Jalan Cendarasari. I was conscious of the many puzzling looks drawn towards me. To them I was, as they would say in my village, a deer that had strayed into a kampong, an unusual enough sight for them to stop what they were doing. Perhaps it was my stylish suit and shining black leather shoes, with a professional leather briefcase by my side. I should be arriving in a chauffeured limousine with someone opening the door for me and my car parked in one of those covered reserved spots, but I was not. Instead I had to find my own spot underneath one of those trees. Soon the silent gawkers turned into volunteer guides; I had no difficulty finding the right office on the second floor.

            I entered an uncomfortably chilled office made more so as I was already sweating after the vigorous climb up the stairs. The clerks were all wrapped up in thick sweaters. In tropical Malaysia!

            The receptionist had to clarify three times after I had told her that I was a surgeon back from Canada and looking for a job. She had difficulty comprehending even though I spoke in Malay. I also had difficulty maintaining eye contact; she was determined to avoid my stare.

            Perhaps my Malay was archaic, plebian, or convoluted. Unable to decipher what I meant, or desperate to escape my stare, she disappeared into the office behind her. Moments later a young man in a white shirt and nondescript tie emerged, smacking his lips with audible satisfaction, savoring the lingering coffee in his mouth. His name tag identified him as a doctor and the son of a Tun Aziz.

            I restated the purpose of my visit.

            “I belum dapat(had not received) papers from PSC (Public Service Commission),” he answered, half English and half Malay, rojak-fashion, after he comprehended what I had said.

            I responded that he should not expect any as I came on my own. I now felt more comfortable as I was speaking in English instead of my earlier forced Malay. He either did not believe me or did not comprehend it for he went on. “You the one kita hantar dulu(the one we sent) but flunked? Kita kena(We had to) withdraw scholarship?”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have never flunked any examination!” as I glared right back at him.

            He wilted and excused himself to retreat into his office. He returned with a stack of files. As he flipped through them with put-on deliberateness I, unable to tolerate the silence and futility of his activity, told him that I was from Negri Sembilan but was prepared to go anywhere.

            “We just recruited a surgeon from Nigeria for Seremban,” as he flipped through more pages. “Let’s see Kuala Pilah.”

            My ears perked up. “That’s my hometown!”

            No vacancy there either. Wow, Malaysia must have really advanced beyond my expectations during the years I had been away.

            Finally, “Kuala Lipis,” his face beaming.

            So was mine. Then the letdown. “There is no anesthesiologist, lah!” he added. “The one we had absconded.” At least he knew that a surgeon would need an anesthesiologist.

            “That’s okay,” I replied, “I am facile with spinals and regionals. I can do a lot with those.”

            That settled, I was given a thick file which I assumed contained the application forms. “We would need your certificates and diplomas.”

            He made no mention of referees. Good! That would have meant a few more weeks if not months of delays.

            Kuala Lipis District Hospital it would be for me!

            I should be disappointed but I was not. I was expecting an exuberant welcome befitting the return of the prodigal son. I had read the statistics. When I passed my surgical boards, I had doubled the number of Malay surgeons!

            Perhaps they were right. There is no glory in being second!

            The joy of being back in my native land, to be with my family who I had missed so much for the past dozen years would not let me be overwhelmed by anything else. No dark clouds could intrude upon my serene blue sky. I refused to let that happen.

            I left Malaysia at nineteen, unsure of myself, my face still blemished with pimples. I left before there was even a Malaysia, in fact on the eve of its formation, on Sunday, September 15, 1963. Now I was returning as a full-fledged surgeon, having trained at a leading university center, won a coveted research fellowship, had a few scientific papers under my belt, and assorted degrees.

            Under a bright blue sky even the darkest corners look inviting. I had never been to Kuala Lipis. It would be an adventure, and an exotic one at that. I fancied myself a Peace Corp volunteer sent into the deep jungle to help the natives. Only a few months earlier I had bid farewell to one of my former interns who had left for Botswana as a CUSO (Canadian Universities Services Overseas–the Maple Leaf version of the Peace Corp) volunteer. Oh, how I envied him and the excitement of his adventure. I saw my Kuala Lipis assignment as a challenge to leapfrog that small-town hospital into a First World facility, an endeavor worthy of my talent. The glory of being a big fish in a small pond is never to be underestimated.

Excerpted from the writer's second memoir, The Son has Not Returned. A Surgeon In His Native Malaysia (2018).

The Agung Owes Malaysians More Than Just A Bland Statement

The Agung Owes Malaysians More Than Just A Bland Statement

M. Bakri Musa

www.bakrimusa.com

Istana Negara’s bland statement late Sunday, January 6, 2019, announcing the sudden resignation of Sultan Muhammad V as Agung was an insult to all Malaysians. It left many difficult and important questions unanswered.

Foremost is this:  If he feels so undeserving of continuing on as Agung, should he also not feel the same way about being the Sultan of Kelantan? The people of that state too deserve the same standard and expectation of their sultan as Malaysians have of their Agung.

            Only two months earlier on November 2, 2018, the Agung had taken a two-month leave of absence for “medical reasons.” That ended on December 31, 2018, with Prime Minister Mahathir blandly asserting and assuming that Sultan Muhammad had resumed his duties as Agung.

Meanwhile during the Agung’s absence, pictures of his purported wedding to a former Russian beauty queen half his age appeared in social media. Again, no comments, official or otherwise, from the palace or the government.

Then pictures appeared in a British publication of his “bride” in her previous incarnation cavorting in a pool, champagne in hand, with an unidentified male who was definitely not the Agung. Sexual escapades of pageant contestants are not news. That a Malay royalty would in any way be linked to such characters too do not surprise me. Malay sultans have been known to be fond of foreign dancers and waitresses.

            What surprised me was the silence of the palace to these salacious-bordering-on-the-pornographic postings. Even Prime Minister Mahathir admitted to being kept in the dark. What a way to run the country!

Things quickly became murkier. On Wednesday, January 2, 2019, presumably the day after the Agung had resumed his duties and only a few days prior to the resignation announcement, there was an unprecedented and unscheduled meeting of the Council of Rulers without the Agung being invited. Again, there was a news blackout on that.

That the four governors, who constitutionally are on par with the sultans, were excluded did not escape notice. Ever wonder why East Malaysians are clamoring for withdrawal from the Federation?

Then on the first Friday of the New Year, pictures of the Agung attending a congregational prayer in Kelantan, his home state, appeared in the local media. He was in full display of his trademark pretentious piety, complete with his modest jubbah and lebaiwhite cap, shaking hands with his fellow congregants in exaggerated humility.

In his sermon, the Imam reportedly told the congregation not to believe in rumors, presumably referring to the now widespread speculation on the Agung’s extracurricular activities. I wonder how that Imam felt after the resignation announcement!

Sultans, and the Agung in particular, must realize that they are on government payroll, and a very generous one at that, as well as being provided with ample allowances and grandiose palaces. The Agung’s latest, billion-dollar and obscenely ostentatious one struts on a commanding hill, visible from all the high-rises of Kuala Lumpur.

These sultans thus owe some accountability to their paymaster, the citizens.

Palace officials too must realize that they are also being paid by taxpayers. Like the Agung, these officials are answerable to the people of Malaysia. Issuing bland, meaningless statements that do not clarify matters is an insult to their paymaster. The Keeper of the Royal Seal should not underestimate the intelligence of modern Malaysians. They are not the peasants of yore.

The erratic behavior of this particular Agung does not surprise me. A few years ago there was the embarrassing spectacle of his removing his father from the state throne, again purportedly over some medical issues. The medical report of his father was never released. The people of Kelantan were denied access to the truth.

More recent and most disturbing was the Agung’s behavior during the immediate post-election crisis of last May when he conveniently found himself AWOL abroad. He had to be summoned back to swear in the new Prime Minister.

Someone must have taught this Agung an old and well-rehearsed kampung trick. That is, cloak yourself in a religious garb, complete with a huge turban and overflowing white robe, and learn to recite some long incomprehensible ancient Arabic incantations, and you could get away literally with murder.

The history, recent and ancient, of Malay sultans is replete with such horrors. Nor have their performances as leaders been illustrious. Back in 1946 they were for the Malayan Union. A decade later they were against independence!

This reprehensible pattern must not be allowed to continue. Malaysians are owed a full explanation of the Agung’s resignation. Malaysians, and Malays in particular, must demand a higher standard from their leaders–hereditary as well as political and religious. Anything less would not do it.

Ministers Do Not Have All The Answers

Ministers Do Not Have All The Answers

M. Bakri Musa

www.bakrimusa.com

Soon young Malaysians will return to or begin school. Seeing them full of hope and promises, it would be criminal if their leaders were to fail them. Yet for far too many, more so for Malays, that sorry reality awaits these youngsters.

That is because Malaysia has been blighted with Ministers of Education and others responsible for the system with the conceit that they know what’s best for the students. That’s not necessarily bad except that Malaysians have let those politicians and bureaucrats get away with their arrogance and ignorance, to the detriment of the nation and her young.

Already there are talks of yet another reform, this time to address the sorry state of English and STEM in, as well as the increasing “Islamization” of national schools. I predict that “reform” would last until the next Minister of Education.

Meaningful reform can only begin by first disabusing these ministers of their misplaced assumptions and unwarranted confidence. Reform should be premised on the principle that parents–not the Minister of Education–know a child best. Th minister’s job is to ensure that these youngsters be given all the opportunities to achieve their aspirations.

It would be presumptuous for a Minister to know the dreams of a child from Ulu Kelantan versus that from Bukit Tunku, much less that of an athletic Ahmad versus a studious Su-Ling. The government’s responsibility is to provide schools that would attract them all so our young would have some shared experiences growing up. That would ensure harmony in a plural society.

If a school does not attract a broad spectrum of the young, then the fault lies not with them but with the school. If freedom were to mean anything, it is that you should be able to choose your children’s school. That would also include home schooling.

The core element of any reform begins with parental choice. Then make national schools so attractive that they become the school of choice to all. The two are complementary.

Opening up the system would achieve the first. Any entity, foreign or local, religious or secular, could set up a school. The only proviso being that Malay be a core subject, taught every school day. If the students collectively do not perform up to a certain level, then that school would lose its license. It would be a great shame were a child to attend a school in Malaysia but does not learn any Malay.

These schools must also post financial bonds. Should they close down then their students would be protected from financial loss. Being private, such schools, would not receive any state support and they would have to pay corporate and other taxes. They would be free to charge fees, restrict their enrolment, and choose the medium of instruction.

The second approach would be to make national schools flexible, with room for local adaptations and innovations such that a school on a rubber estate in Johor would be different from that in a fishing village in Kelantan. The only requirement and commonality would be that such schools teach four core subjects–Malay, English, science, and mathematics. Beyond that each school would be free to innovate, as with teaching science and mathematics (or any other subject) in English, Malay, or any language based on local needs.

To address the chronic deficiency of English proficiency among kampung students, I would have special English immersion classes from K-3, reminiscent of the old Special Malay Classes of the colonial era and the Remove Classes of the immediate post-independent years.

I would have a third hybrid stream–charter schools. These would be private schools that have attracted a broad spectrum of Malaysians such that their domestic student population reflects the local community. They would receive grants in the amount equal to what it would have cost to educate those Malaysians in a national school. That would encourage other private schools to follow in their path. If those schools could attract a broad spectrum of Malaysians, then those schools must be doing something right and thus be worthy of state support. Conceivably there could be a charter school using Swahili as the language of instruction if there were to be sufficient local demand.

The current national-type Tamil and Chinese schools would lose their state support unless their student population reflected the Malaysian community, at which time they would get the same full support as national schools; likewise with religious schools.

National-type Chinese schools today attract increasing number of Malays. If those schools were to do more, as with having their canteens be halal and teach Islamic Studies in Mandarin, as they do in China, that would attract even more Malays. At which point these schools should receive full state funding. In short, make Chinese schools less as one catering to a particular ethnicity, as at present, but more as one using Mandarin as the medium of instruction.

Tun Razak initiated the first reform back in 1956. What was not noted of his much-lauded Razak Report was that the man himself had little confidence in it. He spared his children by sending them all to Britain. Today we have Prime Minister Mahathir lamenting the decline of national schools. He should be reminded that he started the rot back when he was Minister of Education in the 1970s.

Reform begins with disabusing the Minister of his arrogance that he has all the answers. He should first heed and then learn to respond to the aspirations of our young.

Updated excerpt from the author’s book, An Education System Worthy Of Malaysia(2003).

Hadith And Sunnah Are Like Stars In The Heavenly Sky

Hadith And Sunnah Are Like Stars In The Heavenly Sky

M. Bakri Musa

www.bakrimusa.com

The hundreds of thousands of hadith and sunnah(purported sayings and deeds of the holy prophet) are like stars in the heavenly sky.

            The ancient Mayans saw patterns in the night sky that changed with the seasons. With that, they created their calender to guide them as to when to plant and to celebrate. To the Polynesians, ancient and modern, those stars are their compasses as they sail the vast Pacific. Unlike modern GPS, those stars never run out of batteries!

During Mawlid Nabi (observance of the prophet’s birth), Muslims reflect on the wisdom of his words and recall his many exemplary deeds. Hadith and sunnah, like the heavenly stars, guide us. However, merely reciting them but without the associated reflections and actions would achieve little.

            That would be akin to primitive tribes who struck gongs, fired cannons, and sacrificed their virgins to frighten or appease the giant dragon from devouring their moon. When the eclipse was over, they congratulated themselves for having saved the universe.

            The Saudi writer Adil Salahi said it best in the epigraph of his biography of the Prophet, Muhammad:  Man And Prophet. Muslims would best demonstrate their love for the Prophet by following his teachings, not by singing his praises.

            Yet the sine qua nonof Mawlid Nabi, in Malaysia and elsewhere, is the endless singing of praises for the man. Malaysia goes further, with colorful parades, grand festivals, and glittering award ceremonies thrown in.

            As for emulating the prophet’s many sterling attributes, many are content with aping the man’s superficialities, as with sporting unshaven faces and donning overflowing robes. Others resort to acquiring child-brides and/or multiple wives. We imitate the prophet in the most able way that we can, was their lame pathetic excuse. They do not even bother to hide their carnal urges.

Those Muslims forget or never learned that the prophet’s actions and motivations were expressions of his charity. The four wives limit was to tame the then unlimited number, as with today’s obsessions with trophy cars, prized mares, and pedigreed bitches. It was also to redress the social problems of the many widowed through wars. As for child brides, at the time they were then the tried-and-true instruments for cementing inter-tribal bonds. Those noble sentiments are the very opposite of the priapic propensities of current corpulent Muslims.

            Then consider the hadith where the prophet predicted that his ummah(followers) would be divided into 73 sects, and all but one would be misled and hell-bound. This one hadith, more than any other, is instrumental to the on-going schisms in Islam, what with every Muslim believing that hissect is the only true one, the rest misguided.

The irony that this hadith is the most frequently expounded upon escapes me. I would have expected it to be buried deep in the archives, retrievable only by obsessive scholars. Far from enlightening the ummah, the glut of commentaries only adds to the confusion.

            The clarity and centrality of this hadith escape these erudite scholars. If your sect has only a 1-in-73 chance of being correct, that means you have a corresponding 72-in-73 (over 98.6 percent) probability of being misled! That is a certainty in statistics. A humbling thought!

Perversely, most Muslims conclude otherwise; they believe theyare among the super-select rightly-guided!

            A destructive corollary to that hubris is the messianic zeal to “correct” the “misled” to the point of intolerance of those who do not share your interpretations. You become exclusive, insular, and most dangerous of all, closed to new or different ideas. Such arrogance and certitudes are the very antithesis of the qualities demonstrated by our holy prophet.

            If you read the probabilities right, or are humble enough, and assume that you are among the misguided 72, that motivates you to learn from the others, believing that one of them would be rightl. You become inclusive, tolerant of others, and open to new ideas in the process.

With the religious freedom afforded me in America, I have benefited much from the teachings of the Wahhabis, Ismailis, Ahmaddiyahs, and others. From the Wahhabis, I appreciate the crucial role of rites and rituals in anchoring social and family stability; from the Ismailis, communal goals and efforts; and the Ahmaddiyahs, the importance of learning and social welfare. All those sects, and others, have enhanced my understanding of this great faith.

It is not a surprise that American Muslims are becoming more ecumenical, no longer identifying with any particular sect. With my mosque in California, we have been privileged to host visiting imams and ulama of various theological persuasions, to the benefit of our congregation.

By contrast, in Malaysia, if I were caught reading Shiite literature, I could be jailed under the Internal Security Act, the same draconian penalty imposed on the communists!

Back to that hadith, when asked as to which sect was the rightly-guided one, the prophet responded, “Ahl as Sunnah wa’l Jama’ah” (Those of the tradition and congregation).

Scholars and ulamas have long been engaged in endless puerile debates to identify this chosen, privileged group referred to by the prophet, and the accompanying quest for Muslim unity. The crusade for the return of the caliphate is a variant of this sentiment. We ignore that of the first four “rightly-guided” caliphs, three were assassinated – hardly the reflection of a united ummah even then.

“Just follow the Koran and the sunnah,” is another simplistic mantra endlessly and meaninglessly pursued. If only we were to do that, then Muslim unity would be assured. Again, here we forget or ignore that even when the prophet was alive, there were already vigorous debates on the very nature of the Koran as well as the prophet’s utterences. Imagine over 1400 years later!

We are more likely to achieve unity, or at least peace, not through coerced unanimity, but through greater understanding and better appreciation of the differences that necessarily exists among the ummah. Be inclusive. Accept and tolerate the differences amongs us. Better yet, embrace and celebrate our diversity.

That is the essence of the prophet’s rightly-guided Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l Jama’ah. That should be our northern star.

The Social And Economic Drag of Islamic inheritance

The Social And Economic Drag Of Islamic Inheritance

M. Bakri Musa

www.bakrimusa.com

The Regent of Pahang revealed last Ramadan that an estimated over RM 66.6 billion worth of assets remained unclaimed or tied up in Islamic probates. That included nearly two billion in cash, as well as titles to over one million pieces of land and other properties.

            Even with today’s devalued ringgit, that is a huge sum. It exceeds the estimated liabilities of that monster 1MDB, and would fund a quarter of the annual federal budget. Yet the Regent’s revelation was a yawner–it triggered no reaction. At the September 2018 Kongress Masa Depan Bumiputra (Congress on the Future of Bumiputras), not a word was uttered on the matter.

            The Regent too felt that his duty was done merely by his bringing up the issue. He did not feel it was necessary to consult his fellow sultans in the Council of Rulers, or convene a body of experts to pursue the matter.

Bank Negara too was silent; likewise Muslim intellectuals and economists. They are too busy arguing about ribaa.

Meanwhile the ulama are consumed with estimating how many virgins a Muslim man would get in the Hereafter for fasting beyond Ramadan. No mention of the comparable rewards for a Muslimah! In their endless sermons on death, rarely a word is mentioned on the importance of preparing oneself, and thus one’s loved ones, for this final inevitable moment. The word “will” or insurance for example, is not in the ulama’s vocabulary.

Yet today’s headlines scream of families being torn apart over squabbles on the assets of their deceased loved ones. The latest is over the multibillion-ringgit estate of the late Jamaluddin Jarjis, pitting his mother against his wife. Other cases split siblings and reignite fights among wives and ex-wives.

As a morbid thought, the intricate links and hidden assets related to 1MDB would be exposed much faster if Najib were to die tomorrow; the inevitable ensuing squabbles among his survivors would reveal much not only about his assets but also his family.

Prophetic tradition has it (approximately rendered) that we should prepare our life as if we would live forever . . . and as if we would die tomorrow.

Despite that sage advice, I have yet to hear an ulama counsel his congregation to have a will or carry adequate life insurance. Instead, they all urge us to go for Hajj or Umrah “before it is too late.” Muslims would do more good to themselves, their families, and community if they were to use their scarce resources to create a will, carry adequate life insurance, and save for their children’s education first before even contemplating Hajj.

            Think of the divisions and heartaches endured by those surviving family members over those assets trapped in probates. I do not know of the deceaseds’ fate in the Hereafter, but their survivors are surely enduring a hellish existence in this world.

            This inheritance mess reflects only one of the many failures of Islamic institutions. Muslims are consumed with reliving our supposedly glorious past rather than making serious efforts at addressing our current challenges. Islamic schools are another tragic example.

            In his bookThe Long Divergence, Duke University economist Timur Kuran concluded that it is precisely this failure of Islamic institutions to adapt that accounts for the current backwardness of the Middle East.

Islamic inheritance laws may be more just (albeit with the daughter getting only half of the son’s share) as compared to those of medieval Christians (where the eldest son gets to inherit all), but it is bad for economic development because of the subsequent fragmentation of the estate.

The West continues with its innovations, foremost being the concept of the limited liability corporation, where it would not only remain intact and not be fragmented but could continue on its normal operations upon the death of its proprietor.

Islam on the other hand considers innovation (bida’a) a deadly sin. Islam has a comparable concept of the company–waqaf(endowment)–but it has not kept up with the inevitable changes in society. A land “waqafed” to be a school must remain so even though it is now in the middle of an industrial area or that there is little need for it now that the state provides funding for schools.

            Then consider Kampung Baru, the blighted Malay settlement in the shadow of the iconic Petronas Towers. Attempts to develop this eye sore, despite being well funded, have failed. What is needed is not financial capital but intellectual resources to untangle the inheritance mess. Just to ascertain ownership of the land is a challenge. Then you would have to get all the descendants to agree to a development plan!

            When Tun Razak launched his landmark FELDA rural development scheme, he was very much aware of this potential Muslim inheritance quagmire. Thus he stipulated that FELDA land be inherited by only one son (or daughter) to avoid fragmentation. The surprise was the lack of howling protests from the ulama.

            Today, no Malay leader is courageous enough to challenge the ulama class even when they stray outside their field of expertise, as in politics (think of the many looney ideas of our ulama-politicians), and public health (consider their views on child brides). In economics, a field in which they have minimal understanding let alone expertise, they have the final say on what is halal and haram transactions despite not comprehending any of the economic concepts.

The stranglehold the ulama class has on the individual Malay mind and collectively on Malay society remains the ummah’s greatest challenge. Those billions of unclaimed inheritance assets are but only the symptoms.

Chasing The Mirage Of Malay Unity

Chasing The Mirage of Malay Unity

M. Bakri Musa

www.bakrimusa.com

There are few certainties that could be drawn from last Saturday’s December 8, 2018 massive rally in Kuala Lumpur. One, the crowd was huge and exclusively Malay. Second, it was peaceful–a rarity with massive demonstrations. The participants even took time to clean up the mess afterwards! Compare that to the current anarchy in Paris.

This rally could benchmark future ones, both on how the protestors should behave and the authorities react. If they could be persuaded to be tolerant of future rallies, then a significant goal had been achieved.

Third, the protest was only in KL. The rest of the country was quiet. In Miri, Sarawak, they had an equally massive and peaceful parade, but to celebrate Christmas!

However, there were costs to the rally beyond the extra police work, as with the loss of business along the marchers’ route, as well as from tourists who skipped Malaysia. Those impromptu street vendors selling cheap Made-in-Bangladesh T-shirts would not compensate for that economic loss.

The rally achieved nothing, not even as a catharsis for the massive build-up of collective Malay frustrations. Had those demonstrators cleaned up the parks and beaches, or spent quality time with their loved ones, they would have achieved more.

The protest created only false hope and misplaced confidence in their leaders. These leaders have not shown any indication now or in the past of their ability to tackle our monumental challenges.

Come Monday, those protesters would return to the drudgery of their civil service jobs or village chores. Those from Kelantan might derive some comfort in that their government had declared the Sunday following, a normal working day there, a public holiday. Never mind that the Kelantan could not even meet its payroll!

Come next January, the protesters’ children would return to the same failed national schools. Nothing there too would have changed. As for religious schools, with more Malays now opting for that, if their teachers have not crippled those pupils mentally, they risked being burned in their dilapidated hostels.

As for those young Malay graduates who protested, they would still have difficulty with their job interviews, or even securing one. They would have increased their odds greatly had they spent their time and resources improving their English. Rest assured those rally leaders would never advise them of that.

If, as stated so often and so stridently by its leaders and echoed by the participants, the rally was to oppose ICERD, then that too was unneeded. The government had already decided not to ratify it.

If it was for Malay “unity” and rights, as well as to defend Islam, what have they achieved?

Islam does not need any defending, least of all from these characters. It thrived despite the Moghuls, crusaders, colonials, and Stalin. It will also survive today’s Chinese communist leaders.

PAS leader Haji Hadi, self-proclaimed ulama turned opportunistic politician, asserted that it was fardu ain(a religious obligation) upon Muslims to oppose ICERD and thus support the rally. He is too ignorant to note that Turkey, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia, among others, have ratified the treaty.

As for championing Malay rights and unity, consider the record of UMNO, the rally’s co-organizer together with PAS. UMNO was the government since 1955 until booted out in the May 2018 elections. Those institutions meant to advance Malay causes such as FELDA, 1MDB, and Tabung Haji have all been subverted to enrich corrupt UMNO leaders.

Their cry for Malay unity is but a desperate ploy to overthrow the Pakatan coalition. UMNO leaders are not even subtle in their political ambition. They could not achieve it through elections, so they opted for mob rule. That won’t succeed either as Malays would not remain dumb for long. The upcoming criminal trials of top UMNO leaders would open many more Malay eyes.

The appeal to Islam is more dangerous. Hadi is shrewd and careless in playing this dangerous tool of religion. The good news is that he has zero, if not negative influence among non-Malays, and now increasingly among Malays.

The bad news is that he still has considerable sway among rural Malays, a major voting bloc. However, with increasing urbanization and Malays becoming better informed, that would soon change.

Islam, or more correctly the variety propagated by PAS and UMNO, is turning off many Malays. Their version does not solve problems; on the contrary, it aggravates them.

More Muslims have left the faith because of the excesses of Ayatollah Khomeini than of Stalin’s. Malays should worry of the threats posed by their Haji Hadis than from their non-Muslim fellow Malaysians.

When Malays discovered that they had been conned by the Hadis, just like they had been hoodwinked by “UMNO is Malay; Malay UMNO” gimmick, the retribution then would be severe. UMNO leaders like Ahmad Zahid may yet experience the true meaning of amuk.

Images of last Saturday’s rally haunted me, especially the faces and expressions of the young. They lacked passion in their eyes and voices. Nor could they articulate their reasons for taking part. It was as if they were partaking in one of the many religious rituals without comprehending anything, just going through the motions.

That is sad. Perhaps they already realized that they were chasing a mirage.

I am for Malay unity–to improve our schools, increase opportunities for the young, and ensure that we have leaders with competence and integrity. The “unity” envisaged by UMNO and PAS leaders would have us return to them the keys to the nation’s treasury so they could once again plunder it.

Temple Riots Reflect Failure Of Leadership And Institutions

Temple Riot Reflects Failure of Leadership And Institutions

M. Bakri Musa

www.bakrimusa.com

The November 26, 2018 Seafield temple riot in Selangor was yet another needless example and tragic consequence of the failure of Malaysian leadership and institutions.

            You would not know that from Interior Minister Muhyiddin’s smug satisfaction and misplaced confidence when he announced its “cause”–a group of unemployable Malays being paid a measly RM 150 to 300 each to storm the temple.

            Muhyiddin was confused between, what Joseph Conrad wrote in Lord Jim, the fundamental whyand the superficial how.

            Buoyed by that delusion, Muhyiddin went on to assert that the riot was not racial. Only an idiot would utter such nonsense. Of course it was; listen to the ugly epithets and seething rage before, during, and after the riot.

            The idiocy continued. Mahathir announced that henceforth all houses of worship must have local authorities’ approval. Meaning, up to now they did not? Again, failure of leadership and institutions.

            Mahathir blamed the foreign developer’s ignorance of local racial sensitivities. Quite the contrary! If the developer’s intent was benign, he would have hired Indian youths from the estates, or cheaper still, illegal Banglas. That was vintage Mahathir, blaming foreigners.

Malaysia’s incompetent leaders and failed institutions allowed problems to fester until they pitted neighbors and communities against each other.

Consider stray dogs, a major public health issue what with rabies still a problem. In America, dogs must be immunized and identification chips implanted in them. Owners must also carry plastic bags to pick up the poop when walking their pets. Those sensible rules escape Malaysian authorities. Thus when stray dogs are rounded up, that becomes racial, what with dog owners being non-Malays and dog catchers, being public employees, Malays.

Seafield was a straightforward eviction problem. Only through much conniving and even greater malice did it become racial.

            Things have not always been this way. When I was young, the streets would be littered with fake paper money and neighborhoods assaulted with raucous gongs during Chinese funerals. That is still true in Malaysia. In Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew put a stop to all that. No one else, most of all a non-Chinese, more so a colonialist, would have dared do that. That simple fiat was effective and ignited no racial animosities. Everyone saw its wisdom.

            Drive by a mosque on a Friday noon in Malaysia. You can’t; the streets would be plugged with haphazardly-parked cars. Yet no Imam had ever advised his congregation to be considerate to other road users. Nor would a Malay mayor dare order towing those vehicles, or that mosques have adequate parking.

            In the late 1950s there was a potential major strike at Malayan Railway that threatened to degenerate into an ugly racial showdown, what with the engineers and workers being mostly Indians and their managers, being seconded civil servants, Malays.

            To the Malay managers, those Indian workers were getting uppity and should be shown their place. To the Indians, those incompetent civil servants masquerading as executives needed to be taught a lesson on workers’ rights.

            It took the wisdom of Ungku Aziz to see the incendiary potential of what to most was but another industrial labor dispute. He had no formal government position but he used his considerable influence as a respected economist to frame the dispute differently, an economic issue that would impact all Malaysians. He ignored the obvious racial angle and educated both parties, as well as the public. The strike was averted.

            Today, few remember that incident, akin to a plane that had landed safely after averting a potential mid-air disaster. That Seafield tragedy grabbed headlines and opened up raw racial wounds because those in charge were incompetent, like the pilot who failed to recognize and correct an inflight issue, causing the crash.

            Malaysia today desperately needs her Ungku Aziz. We also need a Lee Kuan Yew among the Indians to tell them that they cannot build temples on land they do not own. Likewise we need a Malay Lee to tell those unemployable youths that they would have a better future, as well as for Malaysia, not by being hired hooligans but by acquiring skills.

            Looking ahead to December 8, 2018 and the planned protest against ICERD, a competent Interior Minister would direct his Police Chief (or the latter would have done it on his own) to infiltrate anti-ICERD organizations and have FRU conduct visible anti-riot exercises. Meaning, be prepared! However, don’t count on that. They are allmenunggu arahan(awaiting instructions).

A few Muftis have come out against the protest. I applaud their wisdom and courage, in particular Kelantan’s Shukri considering that his state is ruled by PAS, a vociferous anti-ICERD champion. Those Muftis went beyond just advising; they gave good reasons based on our scripture.

            They also understand the fundamental whyof racial riots, whereas Muhyiddin only the superficial how. If only our other leaders have a modicum of those Muftis’ courage and wisdom, Malaysia would be better served.