MALAY leaders who do not hold to good morals and values are the reason for negative perceptions cast against Malay politics, activist Nizam Mahshar said.

The Malay Survival Committee chairman said these leaders taught their followers not to be ashamed even if they do wrong. 

He did not name any of these leaders. 

“Malays should know what their values are, right or wrong. But when that person does something wrong, and he says he doesn’t need to be ashamed, that is punishing Malay values and their religious values. 

“How can we do something wrong and still be without shame and without sin? This is wrong. 

“Do we want to teach other Malays that there is no problem in committing sins, committing crimes, or stealing from people?” Nizam told The Malaysian Insight. 

He said that because of this, Malay politics is now seen as synonymous with abuse of power and corruption. 

“What will happen to our people if this is what is being propagated to the people? If it is allowed to continue to damage society? 

“It is as if our politics have no morals and manners. That’s the disappointment of many people. We want good things, but because something like this happens, we’re sad,” he said.

Nizam said what was worse was that Malay voters are now in a dilemma and have no choice due to existing political parties.

Malay voters, he said, are now caught between a type of politics that does not supposedly support the Malay and Bumiputera agenda, and are led by Malay politicians with morality and integrity issues. 

“Now we lack options. With the transition of power, one of the factors of which is the prevailing Malay sentiment, supposedly the Pakatan Harapan government opposes the agenda of the Malays, Bumiputeras and so on.

“The Malays are trapped. One side says politics does not support the Bumiputera/Malay agenda. When we want to support Malay politics, they say ‘we support corrupt people’.

“There is no integrity… Is this the only direction the country’s politics is heading towards today?” Nizam said. 

Nizam said Malay voters want their chosen political parties and representatives to be free from corruption. 

“Malays are not stupid, we want good things.

“It is important for Malays to separate the good and bad in society, basic things. You can’t say you don’t need to be ashamed of committing a sin,” he said.

He said there is also the behaviour of a few party supporters who act as if their political party is above everything else, which only damages the political process. 

“When political leaders talk and their members act as if the party is bigger than religion, this is what we don’t want. 

“When we put political parties higher than God, then we have destroyed the political process itself,” he said.

He said a group of Malay academics and scholars are trying to find a way to correct the problems affecting Malays through a group known as the National Malay Forum.

“The forum now consists of about 50 Malay intellectuals who are working together to make Malays aware that they have options other than just two political groups.” – July 31, 2022.