DR Maszlee Malik was a good man whose intentions and policies were misunderstood because of lack of political experience and bad communications, said academics.

They said it did not help that the International Islamic University political scientist was put into what is known as the “toughest ministry”, from which he resigned yesterday.

Although Maszlee’s ideas were progressive, some were considered alien or too advanced for Malaysia’s current political culture which still rewards loyalty over performance, they said. 

Even with Maszlee gone, his successor faces the same steep challenge of juggling the conflicting education demands of the country’s ethnic communities.

His successor will have to this while ensuring that Pakatan Harapan doesn’t lose support among its traditional supporters – non-Muslims and those it wants to court – Muslims.

“Education is the toughest ministerial portfolio in Malaysia because education is one issue that Malaysia is most divided,” said political scientist Dr Wong Chin Huat.

Yet everyone wants the minister to carry out with “political will” what they believe to be right, he said.

“Coloured by the identity and class divides in Malaysia, hardly any education policy or measure can be uncontroversial,” said Wong of Sunway University.

“A good education minister, therefore, not only needs to do the right thing, but needs to communicate the right way to stakeholders so that he can maintain a middle-ground majority to support him.”

An example of how Maszlee failed to communicate his policy properly was the decision to switch from white to black shoes.

The media trivialised the idea, said Wong, and few middle-class Malaysians understood that it would have saved poor parents the cost of buying shoe polish or replacing scuffed pairs.

“Maszlee faced a hostile media starting with the black shoes and he has not been media savvy enough to reverse that.”

Another decision that was poorly appreciated was the decision to maintain existing ministry officers even though they may have been loyal to the former Barisan Nasional regime, said political scientist Dr Mazlan Ali.

“Because of his background as an academic and civil society activist, Maszlee is a progressive person with progressive ideas,” said Mazlan of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

“One of those ideas was to allow people to perform regardless of their political affiliation but this was not appreciated.”

Jawi quagmire   

Maszlee attributed his decision to putting the government in crisis over the decision to introduce Arabic script or Jawi at the year four to vernacular schoolchildren.

The measure, which was started by BN in 2014, has been strenuously rejected by 95% of Chinese parents and administrators of these schools.

This was even after the ministry cut the lessons down from six to three pages in Bahasa Melayu textbook and made it dependent on the approval 51% of parents of such schools. 

But to backtrack on the measure risks angering Malay-Muslim nationalists in the opposition who will use it as an issue against PH to erode Malay support.

“Jawi is an issue based on sentiment. It has to do with feelings of communal honour for both Malays and Chinese,” said Mazlan, who recently surveyed parents in Johor about it.

Wong said the Jawi controversy is a proxy war over Islamisation.

“Both staunch pushers and hardline resisters of Jawi see it as a tool to Islamisation,” said Wong, adding that the anger over it could have been managed had the ministry acknowledged its sensitivity.

Again, Wong said had Maszlee communicated better with the public, the uproar could have been reduced.

“Maszlee actually made the first concession on August 2 by cutting down the number of pages from six to three and focusing on learning the phrases on insignias and notes.

“But his press statement did not highlight the changes. Instead it underlined the ministry’s commitment to continue the policy.

“This was translated into media headings, such as the government’s disregard of parents’ and community’s objections.”

UTM’s Mazlan said Maszlee quitting could be the first step in the administration’s overall plan to extricate itself from the Jawi quagmire without angering both Muslims or non-Muslims.

“A new face would likely have a better chance of finding a middle path and way forward, compared to M szlee. His resignation could be a compromise to an alternative route.”– January 3, 2020.