Sociocultural Barriers To Critical Thinking

 Sociocultural Barriers To Critical Thinking

M. Bakri Musa

Jan 18, 2026

Updated excerpt from my Qur’an, Hadith, and Quran In Critical Thinking.

 

If religion is not already a formidable barrier to critical thinking among Malays, then there is the added burden of our culture. Feudalism is still entrenched in Malay society with sultans, even the rare ones with degrees from Oxford and Harvard, demanding absolute loyalty. They are also beyond question or criticism. Do so and you risk literally your life.

 

         The recent raging controversy (note: primarily among Malays) over the so-called “Royal Addendum” that would have allowed convicted former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve his remaining jail sentence at home reflected this still strong feudal sentiment. At the state level, many a sultan had arbitrarily rescinded the decisions of his Chief Minister. To Malays, Agung and sultans have absolute power unrestrained by the constitution.

 

         On the flip side, more than a few members of the royal family had been convicted of murder. On the surface that would indicate that the rule of law is applicable to all. Alas, that is only a façade. Less noted is that they were all pardoned, some even before the trial. One of those pardoned would later become Agung.

 

         Even on matters civil, as with the non-payments of personal debts, those make headlines for their luridness. The previous Yang Di Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan skipped with impunity on his few million-ringgit debt, a puny amount considering the overall royal emoluments.

 

         Suits against the sultans, civil as well as criminal, must be heard in a specially empaneled tribunal. Set up back in 1993 to date it has heard only a few cases. In a remarkable 1996 ruling, this privilege to sue applies only to Malaysians. Foreigners have no standing in that court. So foreign gold-digger princess-wannabes, be warned!

 

         Despite his reputation for being brash and blunt, even strongman and plebian Prime Minister Mahathir buckled under royal pressure. During his second tenure he rescinded the Rome Treaty which he had signed (for Malaysia) only a month earlier because of pressure from the sultans. Ironically it was Mahathir as Prime Minister back in 1993 who introduced the constitutional amendment clipping the immunity of the sultans in their personal behaviors. What gives?

 

         The Rome Treaty would have removed the King’s immunity in his constitutional conduct by virtue of his being the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces. Thus, while he would be immune from prosecution in Malaysia, not so when abroad.

 

         It was remarkable how quickly the sultans garnered mass Malay support by invoking this threat posed by the Rome Treaty. The 1993 constitutional amendments notwithstanding, when it comes to their sultans Malays still maintain their absolute and uncritical loyalty. That old feudal trait among both rulers and citizens (at least Malays) remains unshakeable. 

 

         In May 2009 there was the embarrassing incident while Kelantan’s Sultan Yahya was undergoing medical treatment in Singapore. In that huge expensive taxpayer-paid entourage was one of the Sultan’s sons, Tengku Fakhry and his wife Manohara, a former Indonesian model. 

 

         Thinking that they were still in feudal Malaysia, the palace officials sent Manohara to her hotel alone in a taxi after her visit to the hospital. In a chanced casual conversation with the driver, she revealed her royal captive state. The driver immediately drove her to the nearest police station. From there the scandal unraveled fast, thanks to the efficiency of the Singapore authorities. To cut the long sordid story short, she was able to be freed from her Neanderthal husband and flew back to Indonesia.

 

         To make the story even more pathetic and a crying shame was that Manohara and her mother had previously and repeatedly sought help in Malaysia at the “highest level.” The state mufti advised her to be an “exemplary” obedient Muslim wife. In short, suffer the consequences, typical “blame the victim” excuse. Her mother had also pleaded with then Prime Minister Najib and Indonesian President Susilo, all to no avail.

 

         It took an alert civic-minded Singapore taxi driver to be Manohara’s savior. All he did was ask a few simple questions, the essence of critical thinking. Now imagine the fate of an ordinary Malay woman.

 

         A feature of feudalism is indentured labor, a variant of slavery. As Prime Minister Anwar noted in his recent book, Rethinking Ourselves: Justice, Reform, and Ignorance in Postnormal Times, slavery was very much part of Malay culture until recently. Say what you will on the evils of colonialism, at least the British variety upended slavery among Malays. If not for the British colonials, I would have been doomed to be an orang hamba (slave) at the palace in Sri Menanti.  

 

Next:  The Sultan Syndrome