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THE November 26, 2018 Seafield temple riots in Selangor was yet another needless example and tragic consequence of the failure of Malaysian leadership and institutions.
You would not know that from Home Minister Muhyiddin’s smug satisfaction and misplaced confidence when he announced its “cause”–a group of unemployable Malays being paid a measly RM150-300 each to storm the temple.
Muhyiddin was confused between what Joseph Conrad wrote in Lord Jim, the fundamental “why” and the superficial “how”.
Buoyed by that delusion, Muhyiddin went on to assert that the riot was not racial. Only an idiot would utter such nonsense. Of course it was; listen to the ugly epithets and seething rage before, during, and after the riot.
The idiocy continued. Dr Mahathir announced that henceforth all houses of worship must have local authorities’ approval. Meaning, up to now they did not? Again, failure of leadership and institutions.
Dr Mahathir blamed the foreign developer’s ignorance of local racial sensitivities. Quite the contrary! If the developer’s intent was benign, he would have hired Indian youths from the estates, or cheaper still, illegal Banglas. That was vintage Mahathir, blaming foreigners.
Malaysia’s incompetent leaders and failed institutions allowed problems to fester until they pitted neighbors and communities against each other.
Consider stray dogs, a major public health issue what with rabies still a problem. In America, dogs must be immunised and identification chips implanted in them. Owners must also carry plastic bags to pick up the poop when walking their pets. Those sensible rules escape Malaysian authorities. Thus when stray dogs are rounded up, that becomes racial, what with dog owners being non-Malays and dog catchers, being public employees, Malays.
Seafield was a straightforward eviction problem. Only through much conniving and even greater malice did it become racial.
Things have not always been this way. When I was young, the streets would be littered with fake paper money and neighbourhoods assaulted with raucous gongs during Chinese funerals. That is still true in Malaysia. In Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew put a stop to all that. No one else, most of all a non-Chinese, more so a colonialist, would have dared do that. That simple fiat was effective and ignited no racial animosities. Everyone saw its wisdom.
Drive by a mosque on a Friday noon in Malaysia. You can’t; the streets would be plugged with haphazardly-parked cars. Yet no imam had ever advised his congregation to be considerate to other road users. Nor would a Malay mayor dare order towing those vehicles, or that mosques have adequate parking.
In the late 1950s there was a potential major strike at Malayan Railway that threatened to degenerate into an ugly racial showdown, what with the engineers and workers being mostly Indians and their managers, being seconded civil servants, Malays.
To the Malay managers, those Indian workers were getting uppity and should be shown their place. To the Indians, those incompetent civil servants masquerading as executives needed to be taught a lesson on workers’ rights.
It took the wisdom of Ungku Aziz to see the incendiary potential of what to most was but another industrial labour dispute. He had no formal government position but he used his considerable influence as a respected economist to frame the dispute differently, an economic issue that would impact all Malaysians. He ignored the obvious racial angle and educated both parties, as well as the public. The strike was averted.
Today, few remember that incident, akin to a plane that had landed safely after averting a potential mid-air disaster. That Seafield tragedy grabbed headlines and opened up raw racial wounds because those in charge were incompetent, like the pilot who failed to recognize and correct an inflight issue, causing the crash.
Malaysia today desperately needs her Ungku Aziz. We also need a Lee Kuan Yew among the Indians to tell them that they cannot build temples on land they do not own. Likewise we need a Malay Lee to tell those unemployable youths that they would have a better future, as well as for Malaysia, not by being hired hooligans but by acquiring skills.
Looking ahead to December 8, 2018 and the planned protest against ICERD, a competent interior minister would direct his police chief (who would have done it on his own, if he were competent) to infiltrate anti-ICERD organisations and have FRU conduct visible anti-riot exercises. Meaning, be prepared! However, don’t count on that. They are all “menunggu arahan” (awaiting instructions).
A few muftis have come out against the protest. I applaud their wisdom and courage, in particular Kelantan’s Mohamad Shukri Mohamad considering that his state is ruled by PAS, a vociferous anti-ICERD champion. Those muftis went beyond just advising; they gave good reasons based on our scripture.
They also understand the fundamental “why” of racial riots, whereas Muhyiddin only the superficial “how”. If only our other leaders have a modicum of those muftis’ courage and wisdom, Malaysia would be better served.
* M. Bakri Musa reads The Malaysian Insight.
* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.
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Comments
I credit our ex-PM, though a kleptocract, refused to criticize the current government on its race relations but instead direct the criticisms on the economy. However, that is NOT so about our PM-in- waiting. He seems unprepared to rebut the criticisms as most of his comments are on race and religion even before the temple incident. How is he going to advance the country to compete with others economically?
We have seen how a group of our senior idiotic politicians lacked even a basic knowledge of geography and blame natural disasters on the wrath of god. And our idiotic Education Minister even want to make it worse by intending to increase religious studies in schools. As an academic, didn't he know that the decline of the "Golden Age of Islamic Science" was due to the later caliphs upgrading the status of the "ulamas" and the study of theology and discouraging the study of "falsafah"? What did he learn?
In fact, he should bring back the study of Geography to be on par with History like in the '70s. Geography is more beneficial to our everyday life than history.
.... to be continued ....
.... to be continued ....
Posted 7 years ago by Malaysian First · Reply
Speaking of the '70s, at least in Penang, there would NOT be a group of unemployable Malays paid to cause mischief. The education system of that time would make them at least conversant and write passable English enabling them to be gainfully employed in the "kilangs" at the Bayan Lepas FTZ. These "Mat Kilangs" would be happily working in an "air conditioned" environment" (a scarcity during that period) and spending their leisure pursuing the "Minah Kilangs". Why risk under "lokaps"?
But after more than fifty years of Article 153, NEP, discrimination policies and what-not, what did Malaysia produce? Low class doctors (thus forcing rich Malaysians and the royal families to seek treatment abroad rather than risk their lives under these incompetent hands) and low class academics (our Education Minister for example ??). Not to mention the "Mat Rempits" and the "Bohsias" ...... and yes, these unemployable Malays.
... to be continued ...
Posted 7 years ago by Malaysian First · Reply
Some of our ignorant Cabinet ministers are trumpeting we are top among the "emerging markets" Heck, we were already an "emerging tiger" when Mahathir came to power in 1981, grouped with South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. While they become developed nations, Malaysia stagnated and became a "wounded kancil". We are still an an emerging nation after more than thirty years!
What cause our stagnation? Its principally Mahathir and his racist and discriminatory policies and his "castration" of our public institutions!
Its NOT that as a small nation, we lacked human resources. For example, Malaysians controlled a budget airline which are tops for six consecutive years, a company which is the world largest producer of rubber gloves, Grab which toppled the mighty Uber in Asean, a "skinny Penang boy" who oversee one of the fastest growing semiconductor company in the world, among others.The final two chose to domicile OUT of Malaysia for they knew they would NOT have achieved the spectacular success they did otherwise.
There are also many anonymous "brains" who chose to "cabut" due to the discriminations they received in their country of birth. All of these Malaysians could have contributed to making Malaysia a rich nation with low unemployment and WITHOUT racial strife.
In short, its the racist politicians who caused the sorry state we are in now.
Posted 7 years ago by Malaysian First · Reply
Posted 7 years ago by Shaikh karim · Reply