The Malaysian Malaise: Last Excerpt: On The Title And Added Features

The Malaysian Malaise:  Corrupt Leadership, Failing Institutions, And Intolerant Islamism

M. Bakri Musa © 2023

 

Excerpt #6 (Final):  On The Title And Added Features

 

The phrase “The Malaysian Malaise” was the title of an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times September 20, 1990, by its conservative commentator Wllliam Safire. He was castigating then Prime Minister Mahathir (as well as other Asian autocrats) for their super sensitivity and intolerance to criticism. This was soon after Mahathir had jailed his erstwhile Deputy Anwar Ibrahim and later, the conviction in Malaysia of long-time Asia correspondent Murray Hiebert of the now-defunct Far Eastern Economic Review. That was the malaise Safire referred to, not only Malaysians’ tolerance of these autocrats but also the acquiescence of their Western enablers in London and Washington, DC. The same title (and theme) was repeated in a subsequent commentary by his colleague, also long-time Asia hand, Phillip Bowring on April 12, 2006.

 

            The shift in content but with the same title appeared later with Elizabeth Segram’s “Letter From Asia” (Foreign Affairs, October 2013). She was commenting on the general political malaise following the 13^th General Elections of May 2013. The Najib-led coalition then won the majority of Parliamentary seats, but the opposition Pakatan Harapan garnered the majority of the popular votes.  The malaise there was the huge letdown with the unfairness of the electoral process.

 

            On April 22, 1915, Global Gaming Business magazine used the same title for its editorial on Malaysia’s affirmative action programs favoring Malays. Why such a topic would appear in such a magazine beats me. Presumably because affirmative action and Malay Special Privileges was a huge and ultimately losing bet. A few more subsequent commentaries amplified on the same theme but with slightly altered title, such as Kuala Lumpur-based freelance journalist E H Imrantski’s “The Malaise of Malaysian Malays” (Newnaratif.com, March 8, 2018) and Chandra Nair’s in The Diplomat (“Malaysia’s ‘Malay-First’ Malaise,” March 4, 2020).

 

            Imrantski’s piece would be closer in theme and content considering that most of my commentaries deal with Malay leadership and Islam, the Malay version. With demographic and thus political dominance of Malays, the malaise of Malays is also that of Malaysia. Hence my title. The pun is intentional. 

 

I have added two new features in this collection. One, a brief introductory background material (in parenthesis) preceding each essay to put it in perspective, time and content-wise. Two, I have included readers’ ratings and a sampling of their comments. 

 

Based on the responses on my Facebook and elsewhere, I assign one point for “Like,” two for each comment, three for sharing my article, four if the essay were to be picked up by other outlets (print or virtual), and five if I were to receive direct personal comments from readers. The five-star articles would have over 500 points; one-star, under 100. Unlike in my freshman class scoring, there is no Bell curve distribution to the ratings. The highest-ranking articles were those on corruption among Malay leaders; the lowest, religion. Within each section I have arranged the essays in a sequence that would make sense instead of chronologically.

 

I have included the four video conferences that I had participated in, rendering my oral presentations as essays. One was in Malay (Isu dan Cabaran ke Arah Kesetaraan Dalam Pendidikan). I have put the English translation (“Issues and Challenges Towards A More Equitable Education”) in the main body while the original transcript appears in the Appendix.

 

            I thank my California friend Amir Razelan for introducing me on-line to Dr. Rozhan Othman of LeadUS Malaysia for the invitation to be on a panel with Professor Tajuddin Rasdi on the webinar “Does The Malay Mind Need To Be Liberated?” An American-trained architect and thus the beneficiary of Western liberal education, Tajuddin has not been afraid to swim against the current socio-political trends. He has given his erudite and contrarian views on fields far outside his profession, in the best tradition of a public intellectual. 

 

            Beyond his American liberal education, Tajuddin had attended a Chinese school in Malaysia. That was a rare phenomenon at the time. 

 

I am also indebted to another public intellectual, the academic cardiac surgeon Dr. Ahmad Farouk Musa of the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF), for inviting me to the other three virtual seminars. His active involvement in affairs outside of medicine reflects the modern “T” intellectual, deep involvement in a narrow discipline (he is the still-rare, at least in Malaysia, MD-PhD surgeon) combined with a broad interest as reflected by his leadership of IRF. 

 

I treasure the exchanges with my fellow panelists Dr. Sharifah Munirah Alatas of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; Dato Dr. Madeline Berma, Fellow Akademi Sains Malaysia; and Prof. Zaharom Naim of University of Nottingham Malaysia, together with moderators “Uncle” Shamshir Alam and Nageeb Gounjaria, IRF’s Senior Research Fellow.

 

            Again, a big thank you to husband-and-wife team Jason and Su Pittam for the wonderful cover design. Su is a graphic arts graduate; Jason an IT wizard. They have designed the covers of almost all my books. Jason was indispensable and a balm to my nerves as I negotiated yet the latest quirks and updates of modern publishing software. To my wife Karen, my first and very critical reader, I thank Allah for blessing me with her.

 

January 2023

Morgan Hill, California