Fresh air above the nonsense

Politics in Malaysia turned around a corner yesterday. The quaking mainstream media however stood frozen in the dark ages by choosing not to report it. Who can blame them, after all they are currently an utterly confused bunch.

Trust Malaysiakini, uncowed by any ZAM-bitions, to write:

'The race for votes has led political parties like Umno and PAS to use Islam as a platform and do things which ‘we do not believe in’ at the expense of the nation, said a minister.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz made this shocking remark in response to a question at a dialogue with lawyers on whether the country was pandering to the whims and fancies of Islamic hardliners. The de facto law minister said the Malay-based Umno was forced to do the same as Islamic-opposition party PAS in using religion as a platform to garner votes. “We are doing a disservice to our nation, we are led into doing something that we don’t believe,” added Nazri, who is also an Umno supreme council member.'


More importantly, finally a minister with the integrity to call a spade a spade. For the first time in a long while, you have a high-ranking Umno person – a Supreme Council member and full minister – speaking about the inherent folly of playing up the case of religion.

In this land of political wimps and zealots, that takes balls.

And it is balls such as this that will pave the way for a better Malaysia. Nazri’s message: “The problem among Muslims is that we rely on people who are knowledgeable (Islamic scholars) but people like you and me are secular… So speak up.”

Nazri Aziz has come quite a ways from his “bloody racist” days of June last year. He stood up in defence of Teresa Kok, MP for Seputeh, when accusations were getting wild and idiotic during the earsquats saga. Nazri has also said he would like to see the University and University College Act removed.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Now the other face. Why didn’t the media carry this story? Was it deemed too sensitive for the news palate these days? Have we come down to that, Zam-banged mute for fear of mutiny? Are we as a masyarakat so fragile? Can I even talk about this in conversation with my Malay-Muslim friend and speak honestly how I feel?

I see this scenario as one that captures the developing differentiation ongoing within the government – an unfolding drama between feudal conservatives fed and bred on Mahathirian diet and the emerging liberals who believe in a freer, but responsible Malaysia. The saga will go on, slowly churning the cultural milk of this country.

Dialogues will continue to take place not shunned, I hope. In fact, it must. One of my favourite Malaysians is Marina Mahathir for she has a beautiful mind. She has this to say:


‘Then we have this wonderful word “sensitive” in our vocabulary, which in Malaysia, means “don’t talk about it”. We give no quarter to the thought that people might be more mature and resilient than we think, and can discuss issues without resorting to mental breakdowns or violence.

Perhaps it is the people who deem things sensitive who do not have the facility to deal with things in a calm and rational manner. That’s why they assume everyone else will be the same.

… Instead of over-using the word “sensitive” as a codeword for censorship, why not use the word “respectful” and really mean it?

We should say that people of all faiths, races and genders should be respectful of one another in every situation. We should be able to discuss anything at all as long as the ground rules are that we speak respectfully to one another.

But most of all, respectful discussion should not be limited to a tiny space only. It should extend to everything that human beings can discuss. Only then can democracy be meaningful.’


Heart and balls. Hear, hear, the voice of moderate Muslims. Such attitudes will certainly get us farther than duct-tape over our mouths.