M. Bakri Musa
The two Malay political parties – UMNO and PAS – are battling each other
to convince us that each is better than the other in advancing the "Malay
agenda." The two are like ageing fighters stuck with their same old tired
moves. They are oblivious of the fact that we are fed up with their act;
their lack of vigor and imaginative new strategies.
In a clumsy if not desperate attempt for new moves they concocted a
'vision' for a 'unity' government based on the two parties! Left
unstated is the question: Unity for what and against whom?
I wish that they would expend their efforts on making our people
competitive, and thus lifting us out of poverty. That is the most
important Malay agenda today. Better yet, I would prefer that they just
exit the ring and let others run the show for a change.
I fail to see how this 'unity' government would make Malays more
competitive. The track record for UMNO is for all to see. Corruption is
now rampant, as well as the erosion of the integrity of our institutions
and the deepening polarization of Malaysians. The Melayu Baru (New
Malay) of UMNO has now morphed into Melayu Barua (Malay scoundrels).
As for PAS, after decades of ruling Kelantan, the young still has to leave
the state to seek a better life. The state is regularly plagued with such
diseases as cholera. Tok Guru Nik Aziz may be pious and religious, with
honesty and humility thrown in massive doses, but he is completely inept
in running a modern state. Apparently his humility does not extend to
his intellect for he has not seen fit to seek competent help in such
'secular' matters.
New Political Reality
UMNO and PAS are so used to fighting each other that they have forgotten
what it is they are fighting for. While they are busy fighting each
other, the world has passed them by. Today with the increasing plurality
of the Malaysian electorate, securing the majority Malay votes would not
necessary translate into political power, at least at the national level.
In a rare display of political wisdom, PAS recognized the need to reach
beyond by, for example, fielding non-Malay candidates in the last
election and establishing a new wing within the party for non-Muslims.
However, whatever inroads the party may have made with non-Malays have
since evaporated with its ill-conceived pursuit of a "unity government"
with UMNO.
UMNO, a slow learner, has yet to recognize this new political reality.
Thus it treats its non-Malay coalition partners in Barisan with
undisguised contempt. UMNO leaders are quick to brandish their kerises,
preferably dripped with ketchup for dramatic effect, at the slightest
provocation.
Chauvinistic appeals of Ketuanan Melayu to win Malay votes might still
work, but only regionally in Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, and Trengganu.
Unfortunately those are not exactly the economic or power centers of the
nation. In terms of population, landmass, and most importantly economic
activities, the contributions of those states to the national total are
at best miniscule.
The elements overrepresented in those states are poverty and the
underdevelopment of the people, and the overwhelming majority of whom
are, sadly, Malays. Oh, yes, combined those four states have nearly half
(four out of nine) of the sultans. For some, that is a source of endless
pride.
As for the much-vaunted Malay agenda or even Ketuanan Melayu, I am at a
loss as to what exactly these Malay politicians are fighting for. If it
is for retaining the Malay language, sultans and other key elements of
Malay culture, including and especially Islam, those are already
enshrined in our constitution. Even if non-Malays were to oppose that,
there is not much that they could do about it. By themselves they could
never secure the necessary two-third majority needed to amend the
constitution.
The only way for non-Malays, or anyone else for that matter, to do away
with those constitutional provisions would be to bribe Members of
Parliament (Malays and non-Malays) to amend the constitution. Then just
to be sure, also bribe the Senators and also the King and sultans so they
too would agree with the changes.
The price tag would be cheap. The late Tun Ghaffar once suggested that
for a few hundred million ringgit you could buy the entire UMNO Supreme
Council. With a billion or two you could get the whole parliament and
the Council of Rulers.
The colonial British secured the entire country for considerably much
less, even after factoring in for inflation and devaluation (of both the
sterling and ringgit). Flattery made up for what they could not afford
in gold. The British offered fancy titles like the Knighthood of some
Medieval Order to our leaders and sultans to win them over.
The corollary to my observation is that if we Malays truly wish to
preserve our cherished special privileges, we better start electing
honest and incorrupt leaders. Corrupt leaders would not only sell off
those special privileges, they will also sell away our country.
Unity for What and Against Whom?
Following the Barisan election rout of March 8, 2008, the fear that the
coalition, specifically UMNO, would lose power at the national level was
palpable. This desperation led misguided souls in UMNO to seek those in
PAS who had been longing for power. This quest for a 'unity government'
was nothing more than UMNO securing an insurance policy for its
continuing hold on power; for PAS, it was a seductive teasing on the
taste of power.
It is ironic that the pursuit of a "unity government" resulted only in
sowing distrust within the existing coalitions. In pursuing PAS, UMNO
succeeded only in straining relations with its long-time Barisan
partners. PAS meanwhile managed only to poison its still frail Pakatan
Rakyat coalition with PKR and DAP. Worse, as we are now seeing, it also
threatens the unity of PAS.
The proponents for this "unity government" have obviously not done their
due diligence or any downstream analysis. Those UMNO warlords would not
take kindly to sharing their bounty with their new kopiah-clad upstart
colleagues. Far from 'purifying' UMNO, PAS would end up being just as
corrupt as UMNO.
It is remarkable that both Tun Mahathir and Tok Guru Nik Aziz are against
the idea. I do not know their individual motives, but the fact they are
both in rare agreement should serve as a cautionary note.
If the disintegration of UMNO and PAS were the consequence of this "unity"
movement, I could not care less. However, the initiative would poison
race relations in the country on a scale comparable to the May 1969
tragedy. Indeed the venom has already seeped out. That should concern
everyone.
This "unity government" scheme is nothing more than a crude and greedy
power-grab by the UMNO and PAS pair. It is not to be confused with Tun
Razak's version following the May 1969 tragedy. Then it was truly a
unity initiative, with the wise Tun opening up the old Alliance coalition
to all willing participants.
This latest scheme is the ugliest manifestation of Malay ultra chauvinism.
It would lead not to unity but greater polarizations among Malays as well
as between Malays and non-Malays, and at a time when we can least afford
it.
Even if UMNO were to merge with PAS, the new coalition would still never
command a two-third majority in Parliament. At last count, even if every
Member of Parliament with a Malay-sounding name were to vote in "unity,"
that would still fall far short of a supra majority needed to amend the
constitution. The political calculus has changed irreversibly.
The central reality is that Malays will have to advance with and not at
the expense of non-Malay Malaysians. Likewise, non-Malays would advance
along with and not at the expense of Malays. The unity that we should
all strive for must not only be among Malays but also among Malaysians.
We can begin that process not by pursuing a "unity government" but
decreasing the rhetoric that polarizes our society. Demanding that our
political leaders be civil and courteous to each other would be an
excellent beginning. Oh yes, please also keep those kerises sheathed!
It amuses me that the most vigorous proponents of this "unity government"
in UMNO and PAS are also the shrillest and most divisive voices before
they discovered this 'unity' religion.
A New Direction For Malays
Instead of wasting time and effort in chasing the mirage of Malay 'unity'
and in the process unnecessarily alienating others, Malay leaders should
focus on the more difficult and critical problem of enhancing Malay
competitiveness. This problem cannot be solved simply by shouting
slogans of Malay unity or Ketuanan Melayu. Instead we need leaders who
are smart, competent, diligent, and above all, not corrupt.
Look at the schools Malay children attend. How can we expect them to
learn English or science when we do not provide them with competent
teachers? Examine the institutions run predominantly by Malays, the
civil service for example. As Malays we should be ashamed of this. We
need these institutions to be effective as they are a key to making
Malays competitive.
The list is endless. What is limited, and severely so, is the willingness
to acknowledge, let alone solve them. I have yet to hear something
sensible from either PAS or UMNO leaders. So far PAS wants Malays not to
learn English and to ban Sisters in Islam. Well, that is an advancement
of sorts; at least they are not harping on hudud. As for UMNO leaders,
they cannot even decide whether to continue teaching science and
mathematics in English.
Malay leaders should not be deluding the masses with half-baked ideas of
"Malay unity." These leaders succeed only in deluding themselves.
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