DO you know of “Struggle”, a rock kapak band from Sabah from the 90s? Play their Sumpah Perwira (Hero’s Oath) song below while reading this piece, and consider it the soundtrack.

I am taking a break from my usual flow to head into the rabbit hole that is Malaysian politics; specifically, Malay politics.

There is an assumption that creative individuals such as musicians are not concerned about politics; well, it is actually the opposite. They may not act, sing or dance about politics, but I assure you, they have brains, too.

Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yasin a.k.a. Abah – the man who singlehandedly hijacked the loving handle of all Malay fathers – had recently talked about the formation of Bersatu, which is based on Islam, the Malays and Malaysian “struggles”.

No kidding, Sherlock. I think he needs a new script.

No one has based this tripartite “struggle” on empirical evidence or outlined it on paper. Frankly, I do not think anyone will ever do so or be bothered to do so – not any of the so-called political parties that fight for Islam, the Malays and Malaysian “struggle”.

All Malay-based parties are seemingly doing the same thing and miserably failing at delivering their spiel.

You would have to be either intellectually challenged or on their payroll to believe this shallow rhetoric that endlessly spews out of their moustachioed kissers.

But, I am heartened by the fact that there is a vast majority of people who do not buy into this rhetoric; just visit Wikipedia and look at the number of seats won by each party in the past general elections.

If you are Malay-Muslim and reading this, please be critical about your choices in the next elections – state or national – as they impact all Malaysians and the future of the nation.

Being the majority is not a privilege, but a responsibility; enough of this “ketuanan” thing. A true believer accepts that nothing is truly theirs in this world – it all belongs to the Almighty.

As a Malay, Muslim, Malaysian and tax-paying voting citizen (I am not fishing for any vote here), I would like to reclaim the usual ethno-nationalist ownership of our “struggles”’ and make it mine.

Malay struggle

What is the Malay struggle? A struggle of class, or one against economic inequality or between feudalistic elites and laymen?

All the above are sensible struggles of the Malays. But to me, the main struggle is one over knowledge – which enables mobility, be it economic or social.

Education is the final frontier. We have witnessed how public higher education institutions have been plagued by political interference and the official national history discourse is continually consumed with ethno-nationalist.

The Malays need to wake up and realise that they have been manipulated for decades. Malay youth need to be empowered, and there are signs that the older men running the show are already anxious about this and will try to delay the inevitable.

The true Malay struggle is internal: and access to knowledge – for knowledge is power – to “decolonise” the race against the drivel from the ruling class.

Islamic struggle

The current national budget and its predecessors show that a lot of funds have been given to this “struggle”, but for what and where are the goodies used?

Is it to eradicate competing strains of Islam not on the checklist, incessantly ban things or protect Muslims from imaginary temptations? Or is it policing love? To paraphrase Abah, can these not be sorted at the press of a button?

The “Islamic struggle” is tied to the “Malay struggle” – for better or worse – since, constitutionally, all Malays are Muslims and the contemporary Malay identity is intertwined with religious affiliation.

The Islamic struggle is to keep the faith and state separated as the religion is increasingly corporatized and exploited in the name of material and worldly possessions – the very thing that the religion really shuns.

These gatekeepers and politicians give Islam a bad name as they are “insulting” Muslims, not the other way around.

Malaysian struggle

As Malaysian citizens, our real struggle is dealing with condescending, thick-faced Malay politicians and their elite brethren – inept and indecisive with a dollop of sputtering rhetoric from the usual script because they know that they need neither rational debate nor discourse to retain their positions.

The Malaysian struggle is the struggle against this political class and to keep them in check. Economics and money are key. If Malaysians are struggling to get by (Covid-19 created an opportunity to impose draconian measures), less attention will be channelled to their misgivings, and so keeping the populace struggling is the modus operandi.

The Malaysian struggle is being resilient and staying alive; do not steal our thunder.

I guess the media could play a part by being more discerning about whom they pay attention to – ignore the has-beens; easier said than done in a nation run by a rotating cast of has-beens.

On a lighter note (although the irony is not lost on me), the Malaysian struggle is also an aesthetic: there are many attractive Malaysians who are a sight for sore eyes that deserve the media spotlight than sexist, potbellied, faux-pious, chauvinistic middle-aged Malay men.

Fellow Malaysians, the struggle is real indeed, but in the midst of our journey, do not forget that we are the heroes of our narrative. Stay safe and stay sane, Malaysia. – November 19, 2021.

* Azmyl Yunor is a touring underground recording artiste, and an academic in media and cultural studies. He has published articles on pop culture, subcultures and Malaysian cultural politics. He adheres to the three-chords-and-the-truth school of songwriting, and Woody Guthrie’s maxim “All you can write is what you see”. He is @azmyl on Twitter.

* 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.