Future of the Malays

The New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur
10 April 2005

THE BIG PICTURE: Separating the wheat from chaff
By Munir Majid

JUST recently, the issue of the future of the Malays - their achievement or their shortcoming - again came to the fore. It is an issue that will always be a concern of Malaysian politics, as Malays form the majority in the country. Their performance and well-being will determine where this country goes, along with the other races of course but, more so, given their numbers and position in government, administration and, slowly but surely, in the professions and the modern economy.

Thus, while it is axiomatic in our political system that the Malays must be secure and must feel secure, there is, increasingly, a direct correlation between how far and how fast Malaysia progresses with how well and how successfully the Malay performs in the polity.

One should not, however, hold the other to ransom.

The modernisation of Malaysia must mean the modernisation of the Malays. They must not want to modernise and then blame the system for leaving them behind. Any assessment of the status of the Malay today should not take the form of bleating and blaming. Neither should it, as Raja Nazrin Shah rightly said recently, take the habit of beating the Malay down to a worthless person.

There is too much evidence, especially nowadays, of so many worthy Malays, including those from much humbler backgrounds than the Raja Muda of Perak. So bleating, blaming and demeaning would not be right or true or worthwhile. All of it would be deleterious to the country's well- being, not to mention the Malays' future.

Least of all should the Malays be saying, "If I do not get it all my way I will blow the whole political house down". We are all in it together, not just the Malays and non-Malays, but also the Malays with different perspectives.

Let us be calm, unemotional and objective in approaching issues, acknowledging there are at least two sides to them, and discussing them without being threatening or judgmental.

Mind your language

THE issue of the national language is settled, but sometimes rumbles, when the use of English comes up, which does not seem to be settled.

First of all, it may be useful if we are clear on one thing: You can think filthy thoughts about the country in the national language, as in the English language, or any other language.

What is most important is love of your country and commitment to it. The national language is an important symbol and communicative characteristic of the country, of course, and the Malay language has that permanent place in our nation. Nothing will change that, whatever happens with the use of English or any other language.

If we get transfixed on English being the language of the colonialist, we might get stuck in time, as it is now the language of international commerce, and of science and technology.

We might not even be exactly accurate in perceiving it only as the language of the colonialist, as it was also the language of Jawaharlal Nehru, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Kwame Nkrumah, and Jomo Kenyatta - who all sent the colonialist packing.

The use of English does not per se come with colonialist baggage and does not belittle local traditions and language, unless, of course, those who use it feel so belittled.

Indeed, some of the best writers in the English language today, whether literary or academic, are non-white - people like Kazuo Ishiguro, Hanif Kureishi, Timothy Mo or the late Edward Said. Even before, there was the towering Tagore, and Iqbal.

Of course, in the liberal tradition of the West, there are also those whom I consider to be sellouts - like V.S. Naipaul and Salman Rushdie - but my point is about the mastery and use of the language at the highest level of excellence, better than the natives, a form of counter-domination.

If, however, the gripe about the use of English is based on the disadvantage it places on the Malay kid in learning science and mathematics, as Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah pointed out recently, then it is fair enough. The Government must ensure that the disadvantage is removed swiftly with clear focused action, and not just say it is looking into it, so that the Malays are not left further behind.

Get an overview

IF we see the big picture, and resist ideological and emotional temptations, and work hard at finding solutions by avoiding antagonistic stands, we will make the good come through. We must not concentrate on inconsequential matters, as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reminded Umno Youth a couple of days ago, and miss the wood for the trees.

Malays must eschew this tendency, particularly over language and religion.

When I interviewed Yasmin Alibhai Brown on Fast Forward on TV1 two Tuesdays ago, I got an irate email about how she could be considered a Muslim when she was an Ismailia, despite the fact that she considered herself a Muslim and was fighting for Muslim rights in Britain as she thought best. Really, I would leave the matter of whether she is a Muslim or not to Allah and not make it an issue of such heated human disputation that has cost, and still does, so many Muslim lives.

What would have been fruitful would have been a discussion on whether she was right, for instance, in insisting on individual freedom in moral issues, and yet express a concern over moral decay.

Actually, on this score, she was as intemperate as those who insist on the right to intrude without argument. In reality, as we all know if we did not jump in at the deep end to start with, there are quite a few more issues that have to be addressed other than the black and white answer.

There is both private and public morality. There is right to private expression, but no licence to public indecency. What is and is not can be discussed.

How to ensure the parameters are then clear can also be discussed. But let's not be righteous and judgmental about it, because then we would only get the dialogue of the deaf.

In religion, as with language, the Malays must work out in a clear and calm manner what is good, what bad. It clearly would be good for our race if we made progress, together with our religion, which is for all ages, and did not leave it behind.