Interesting isn't it that:
If a person is not a Malay and not a Muslim, that person is deemed as having no right to comment on things affecting Muslims. Nevermind that it is often on things that could be solved or discussed using plain common sense.
If a person is not a Malay and a Muslim, we then say that we do things differently here in Malaysia and our way of practicing Islam is different compared to those in Indonesia, China, the US etc. Somehow our brand of Islam is much better than everybody elses and our solutions work.
If a person is a Malay and a Muslim, this person is deemed to not know enough about Islam to qualify to make a comment or be a critic on things such as fatwas. Nevermind that God gave everyone a brain, blessed us with thinking intelligently and rather than straight jacketed us to be automatons, gifted us with a consciousness and conscience.
If a person is a Malay, a Muslim and qualified, we just brand the poor sod as a traitor to race, religion and has abused his or her knowledge of Islam.
The loudest voices (and those who often get their way) are those of the ones who are less tolerant of others, less forgiving, more judgemental and claim to be fighting to uphold Islam.
Is it not possible for us Muslims to recognise that there is so much for us to learn from non-Muslims? Why is there so much emphasise on punitive action, punishment, banning this and that, etc.
I believe that there is a crisis of faith amongst Malaysian Muslims today. Choosing to ostrasize or to pulaukan your brothers and sisters who you deem to be unfit, to be sinners, and confused, is unworthy of a Muslim.
20 November 2008
On fatwas, tulang besi and tomboys...
I was making a comment on this article published by Tulang Besi on his blog in response to the outroar concerning the fatwa on tomboys. The page is at http://www.malaysiawaves.com/2008/11/ivy-josiah-and-friends-advocating.html
It is remarkable than in our Malay Muslim society here in Malaysia that compassion and understanding are frequently absent in our actions and responses dealing on issues such as this one. Yet, we will always boast that we are the society renowned for its gentleness, politeness, courtesy.
As Muslims, we have every right to question a Council of mainly men who govern the lives of millions of Malaysian Muslims, appear to be unanswerable to no one, make decisions which appear to be uninformed and without consultation with those who might be affected by such fatwas.
Frequently, my observation is that we are all too eager to drop the hammer on to someone's head, to pass judgement on what we perceive to be against the norm, and to punish those we feel have transgresed. This time, the issue is being a tomboy or in this case, misclassified as "pengkik".
There is an unhealthy tendency to take the easy why out whenever there Should every immoral and unhealthy trend be solved with a fatwa then? After which we put our hands together and say "problem solved!" Are we that simplistic? Rather than put forward our hands to help, we rather use a fatwa to deal with the problem. We really should ask these men and women on the fatwa counci: how are you going to enforce this ruling? Arrest and charge every women having short hair, wears trousers, looks mannish, acts like a man? How? Are you going to tell your daughters that they are forbidden to wear trousers, cut their hair or anything else related to manlike behaviour, like I don't know, play sports like football?
Tulang Besi in his blog, willy nilly linked divorces and family disintegration. He claims that the "rise in homosexuality is very strongly connected to the rise in rate of divorce and family disintegration" and that children with both parents won't 'adopt' homosexuality. Please provide evidence that this is so. And while you are at it, if you have solved the problem of homosexuality with a fatwa, how about divorces? Are you going to solve that too with a fatwa?
TB's attack on the issue of women's rights and his personal attack on Ivy Josiah is an embarrasment and reflect a limited and privileged understanding of women's rights and his views are in fact contrary to Islamic teachings. He claims that "Women’s Right is convenient tool to be used in order to undermine religion and decency. Many-a-time, it is also used as a tool to defend revolting and nauseating practices such as adultery, promiscuousness, homosexuality and, yes, “pengkik”" The teachings of Islam and the practices of the Prophet Muhammad clearly advocated the emancipation of women. In fact the rights of women are clearly recognised as being one critical to the advancement of our religion. He states that "In truth, that’s what Women’s Right is all about: a. To undermine the family institution in a society, b. To promote sick and negative values in a society, c. To promote social reengineering agenda in a certain society."" He also says later that "we want to follow a Women Right’s leader, she should be married and have actually raised children."
Let's call this for what this is. It has nothing to do with religion, it has nothing to divorces or families disintegrating. I believe that these views as articulated by TB and those of similar sentiments are sexist, homophobic, discriminatory, patriachal and honestly, naive.
Enough said.
It is remarkable than in our Malay Muslim society here in Malaysia that compassion and understanding are frequently absent in our actions and responses dealing on issues such as this one. Yet, we will always boast that we are the society renowned for its gentleness, politeness, courtesy.
As Muslims, we have every right to question a Council of mainly men who govern the lives of millions of Malaysian Muslims, appear to be unanswerable to no one, make decisions which appear to be uninformed and without consultation with those who might be affected by such fatwas.
Frequently, my observation is that we are all too eager to drop the hammer on to someone's head, to pass judgement on what we perceive to be against the norm, and to punish those we feel have transgresed. This time, the issue is being a tomboy or in this case, misclassified as "pengkik".
There is an unhealthy tendency to take the easy why out whenever there Should every immoral and unhealthy trend be solved with a fatwa then? After which we put our hands together and say "problem solved!" Are we that simplistic? Rather than put forward our hands to help, we rather use a fatwa to deal with the problem. We really should ask these men and women on the fatwa counci: how are you going to enforce this ruling? Arrest and charge every women having short hair, wears trousers, looks mannish, acts like a man? How? Are you going to tell your daughters that they are forbidden to wear trousers, cut their hair or anything else related to manlike behaviour, like I don't know, play sports like football?
Tulang Besi in his blog, willy nilly linked divorces and family disintegration. He claims that the "rise in homosexuality is very strongly connected to the rise in rate of divorce and family disintegration" and that children with both parents won't 'adopt' homosexuality. Please provide evidence that this is so. And while you are at it, if you have solved the problem of homosexuality with a fatwa, how about divorces? Are you going to solve that too with a fatwa?
TB's attack on the issue of women's rights and his personal attack on Ivy Josiah is an embarrasment and reflect a limited and privileged understanding of women's rights and his views are in fact contrary to Islamic teachings. He claims that "Women’s Right is convenient tool to be used in order to undermine religion and decency. Many-a-time, it is also used as a tool to defend revolting and nauseating practices such as adultery, promiscuousness, homosexuality and, yes, “pengkik”" The teachings of Islam and the practices of the Prophet Muhammad clearly advocated the emancipation of women. In fact the rights of women are clearly recognised as being one critical to the advancement of our religion. He states that "In truth, that’s what Women’s Right is all about: a. To undermine the family institution in a society, b. To promote sick and negative values in a society, c. To promote social reengineering agenda in a certain society."" He also says later that "we want to follow a Women Right’s leader, she should be married and have actually raised children."
Let's call this for what this is. It has nothing to do with religion, it has nothing to divorces or families disintegrating. I believe that these views as articulated by TB and those of similar sentiments are sexist, homophobic, discriminatory, patriachal and honestly, naive.
Enough said.
13 September 2008
Dina Zaman: From P. Ramlee types to high brows
Reproduced from The Star, 12 September 2008:
http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?file=/2008/9/11/columnists/awriterslife/20080911072939&sec=A%20Writer%27s%20Life
From P. Ramlee types to high brows
A WRITER'S LIFE - By Dina Zaman
Putting a handle on the Malay Malaysian can be mind boggling. It depends on who you talk to and what his life experiences are. I DON’T believe that all Malay men and women are lazy, idiotic and lost causes. I know of many who work so hard to feed their families, and I have met with very kind-hearted people in my field of work. I have met with women who come from traditional backgrounds who volunteer to assist People Living With HIV and street kids; and I have a good bunch of Malay male friends who try to make me fat when we meet for makan, and have been supportive of my career.
What we questioned when we met throughout the month of August was this: Was all this angst about being Malay, and the what-nots, a middle-class thing? The working class, according to Zaidel, is more concerned with livelihood. As a local graduate who comes from a lower middle class background, and has now a study loan to service, all this was just pure drivel. “I’m assuming from the comments in your Facebook notes and emails, that all these people have non-technical degrees. Law, politics, communications and so forth. Me and my friends – we’re geeks,” she said.
“We see things differently. We don’t want to be what these aspirants want to be: middle class. Frankly I think we have this P Ramlee syndrome. And another thing, all that talk about being ashamed of the NEP, yet how much it has helped them. Oh another thing, why are they so ashamed of speaking in Malay?” No one is defending the salaried man. The Working Class, be it Malay, Chinese, Indian or everyone Malaysian. And that is what Barisan Nasional or whoever it is must look into.
“See all this intellectualising by these supposedly English speaking liberals – and may I borrow a quote from former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad – detached intellectual discourse by intellectuals who want to display their intellect? You think the grassroots really care what they say?” Zaidel asked.
Two weeks ago, I had written an article based on my meetings with my male friends. They were from their mid 20s to their early 50s. Most of them were locally educated, and a good number came from working class to middle class backgrounds. One didn’t have a degree but is now a successful bonds trader, and while four benefited from scholarships, the rest took loans or paid their way through university.
One spoke to me in Queen’s English, all plumy and marbles, three spoke to me in fluent Malay – because they spoke and thought in Malay at work, home, play and they were proud of it – and the rest communicated in the hybrid we use when we speak with friends: English, and then Malay, then back to English (no, not Manglish).
One felt he was a marginalised Malay, and for that, I paid the price, for quoting him, because as far as the rest of Malay-Malaysia was concerned, he erred on the ethno-religious aspect and hence his views were not valid and not to be considered.
What puzzled H, my partner in crime, who operates a research centre, and I, were the vitriolic emails wanting the poor marginalised Malay man’s blood for even daring to speak up about his love of plonk. I had written about my respondents’ feelings about culture, the NEP, their fear that the Malays as a race would die if we kept on insisting on being dependent on a welfare state and throwing away everything that was their heritage. And that was all some of my rabid readers zeroed on.
And yes, the jubah issue. All two men asked was whether Malay women were embarrassed by their national costumes, that that was why they chose to wear the jubah. My Facebook and email creaked from the flurry of comments. Let me get this straight: these men did not imply that wearing the hijab meant a woman was backwards. Their wives wore the tudung! Hence, this has led me to think that a good many people out there do not understand language, its nuances and complexities. They read what they want to read, and if need be, create the reality and impose that on the article (and others). I’d say something more rude, but it’s bulan puasa.
All these brickbats were good. Keep them coming, for H and I plan to work on a project and are seeking funding: its working title is Minda Melayu. We’re planning field studies and a poll of what Malay Malaysians really think about race (their own and others) and Malaysia. When this takes off, I’ll be doing this wearing a suit of armour, and a huge pile of Xanax in my handbag.
And so the comments and emails came in fast and furious. A good number who did benefit from the NEP realised that the NEP was weakening the race, while another good number disagreed. One wrote in and told me that we Malaysians should be grateful we’re not poor Bangladeshis; to which I responded, we Malaysians have a lot to learn from Bangladesh. Obviously the poor sod has not heard of the Grameen Bank and Bengali laureates like Rabindranath Tagore and Amyrta Sen. And why, I asked the reader, couldn’t we aspire to have public amenities that are given to the Swedes, Norwegians, such as paid maternity and paternity leave, excellent public safety and healthcare, for instance? “Oh, itu negara kafir.”
August and September have proven to be very highly entertaining and informative months. Mr What If and I met and discussed whether he’d make a great Pahlawan Melayu (fella’s having a crisis: he’s half Malay and half white). Over the last weekend, two pieces of news entered the public consciousness. One was a short interview with Dr Sham Rahayu Ab. Aziz who likened egalitarian Malays to poison to their own race, and that there was a huge difference between liberal Malays and constitutionalised Malays (Melayu Perlembagaan).
The other, by Muaz Omar, was a commentary about disassociating Malays from Malay supremacy. The earlier news piece was picked up by a blog, and the comments drove home the point that while all this clamour is good because we have been so repressed (!), we are warring among ourselves. Sept 16 is around the corner. Will race and faith no longer be relevant if changes are afoot?
Madame Dina and her crystal ball says more sandiwara will happen. Aummmm.
http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?file=/2008/9/11/columnists/awriterslife/20080911072939&sec=A%20Writer%27s%20Life
From P. Ramlee types to high brows
A WRITER'S LIFE - By Dina Zaman
Putting a handle on the Malay Malaysian can be mind boggling. It depends on who you talk to and what his life experiences are. I DON’T believe that all Malay men and women are lazy, idiotic and lost causes. I know of many who work so hard to feed their families, and I have met with very kind-hearted people in my field of work. I have met with women who come from traditional backgrounds who volunteer to assist People Living With HIV and street kids; and I have a good bunch of Malay male friends who try to make me fat when we meet for makan, and have been supportive of my career.
What we questioned when we met throughout the month of August was this: Was all this angst about being Malay, and the what-nots, a middle-class thing? The working class, according to Zaidel, is more concerned with livelihood. As a local graduate who comes from a lower middle class background, and has now a study loan to service, all this was just pure drivel. “I’m assuming from the comments in your Facebook notes and emails, that all these people have non-technical degrees. Law, politics, communications and so forth. Me and my friends – we’re geeks,” she said.
“We see things differently. We don’t want to be what these aspirants want to be: middle class. Frankly I think we have this P Ramlee syndrome. And another thing, all that talk about being ashamed of the NEP, yet how much it has helped them. Oh another thing, why are they so ashamed of speaking in Malay?” No one is defending the salaried man. The Working Class, be it Malay, Chinese, Indian or everyone Malaysian. And that is what Barisan Nasional or whoever it is must look into.
“See all this intellectualising by these supposedly English speaking liberals – and may I borrow a quote from former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad – detached intellectual discourse by intellectuals who want to display their intellect? You think the grassroots really care what they say?” Zaidel asked.
Two weeks ago, I had written an article based on my meetings with my male friends. They were from their mid 20s to their early 50s. Most of them were locally educated, and a good number came from working class to middle class backgrounds. One didn’t have a degree but is now a successful bonds trader, and while four benefited from scholarships, the rest took loans or paid their way through university.
One spoke to me in Queen’s English, all plumy and marbles, three spoke to me in fluent Malay – because they spoke and thought in Malay at work, home, play and they were proud of it – and the rest communicated in the hybrid we use when we speak with friends: English, and then Malay, then back to English (no, not Manglish).
One felt he was a marginalised Malay, and for that, I paid the price, for quoting him, because as far as the rest of Malay-Malaysia was concerned, he erred on the ethno-religious aspect and hence his views were not valid and not to be considered.
What puzzled H, my partner in crime, who operates a research centre, and I, were the vitriolic emails wanting the poor marginalised Malay man’s blood for even daring to speak up about his love of plonk. I had written about my respondents’ feelings about culture, the NEP, their fear that the Malays as a race would die if we kept on insisting on being dependent on a welfare state and throwing away everything that was their heritage. And that was all some of my rabid readers zeroed on.
And yes, the jubah issue. All two men asked was whether Malay women were embarrassed by their national costumes, that that was why they chose to wear the jubah. My Facebook and email creaked from the flurry of comments. Let me get this straight: these men did not imply that wearing the hijab meant a woman was backwards. Their wives wore the tudung! Hence, this has led me to think that a good many people out there do not understand language, its nuances and complexities. They read what they want to read, and if need be, create the reality and impose that on the article (and others). I’d say something more rude, but it’s bulan puasa.
All these brickbats were good. Keep them coming, for H and I plan to work on a project and are seeking funding: its working title is Minda Melayu. We’re planning field studies and a poll of what Malay Malaysians really think about race (their own and others) and Malaysia. When this takes off, I’ll be doing this wearing a suit of armour, and a huge pile of Xanax in my handbag.
And so the comments and emails came in fast and furious. A good number who did benefit from the NEP realised that the NEP was weakening the race, while another good number disagreed. One wrote in and told me that we Malaysians should be grateful we’re not poor Bangladeshis; to which I responded, we Malaysians have a lot to learn from Bangladesh. Obviously the poor sod has not heard of the Grameen Bank and Bengali laureates like Rabindranath Tagore and Amyrta Sen. And why, I asked the reader, couldn’t we aspire to have public amenities that are given to the Swedes, Norwegians, such as paid maternity and paternity leave, excellent public safety and healthcare, for instance? “Oh, itu negara kafir.”
August and September have proven to be very highly entertaining and informative months. Mr What If and I met and discussed whether he’d make a great Pahlawan Melayu (fella’s having a crisis: he’s half Malay and half white). Over the last weekend, two pieces of news entered the public consciousness. One was a short interview with Dr Sham Rahayu Ab. Aziz who likened egalitarian Malays to poison to their own race, and that there was a huge difference between liberal Malays and constitutionalised Malays (Melayu Perlembagaan).
The other, by Muaz Omar, was a commentary about disassociating Malays from Malay supremacy. The earlier news piece was picked up by a blog, and the comments drove home the point that while all this clamour is good because we have been so repressed (!), we are warring among ourselves. Sept 16 is around the corner. Will race and faith no longer be relevant if changes are afoot?
Madame Dina and her crystal ball says more sandiwara will happen. Aummmm.
28 August 2008
Dina Zaman: Looking at our own reflection
Reproduced from The Star: 28 August
Looking at our own reflection
A writer's life - Dina Zaman
Every race has rivalry, jealousy and envy. But all the bluster about superiority only hides a deep inferiority complex.
RECENT events that had the country fluctuate from a variety of emotions, has many Malays wondering: what is it to be Malay now, and has race become the only identifying factor in a Malay (man)’s life?
Has the Malay race become emasculated over the years, due to a public policy that had good intentions but was not administered properly?
The men I spoke to for this article were bewildered by the recent turn of events, and honest enough to concede that the race is regressing to a dark age.
All this bluster about being a superior race in the country hides a deep inferiority complex about themselves.
And with certain channels trumping the race card at practically every nook and cranny, was it any wonder that the Malays, especially so, Malay men felt threatened?
One of the things that cropped up in my discussions with these gentlemen was the issue of a ‘throw-away culture’ that contemporary Malays employ when it comes to their traditions, customs and heritage.
The Arabisation of Malay-Muslim life is not a pretty sight to them. Slowly going are pretty tudung girls in pretty baju kurung, who now don long tunics and sombre scarves. “What’s wrong with our baju kurung? They cover the aurat, don’t they?”
The issue of language and heritage is another that begs to be questioned. The Chinese send their children to vernacular schools, and are taught Chinese history. They send their children to calligraphy and other cultural classes.
Now why is it that modern Malay parents have abolished what was once the pride of Malay life?
Writing in Jawi, reading writers like Shahnon Ahmad and histories like Sejarah Melayu are considered to be the playground of academics, literary eccentrics, and those who are buying up our culture, our heritage are wealthy non-Malays, who really do appreciate all that is Malay.
Instead we adopt not necessarily healthy customs that are deemed in keeping with Islam (which is really more about non-Malay(sian) traditions and not about the faith at all).
Perhaps, it is suggested, the Malays are still insecure.
They have the compunction of adopting other cultures, because they don’t appreciate their own language and customs.
They are unable to think and analyse critically; but ape others that do.
Could this be that as a politicised race, the Malays do not have a thousand year history of tradition and culture?
What existed before is being aggressively erased from our psyche.
What is noticeable is that many young Malays hunger for material and physical wealth. They want it fast.
The proliferation of multi-level marketing companies selling from herbal to car products, and unit trust agents show that they want to be more than what they are now.
Having attended enough MLM and motivational talks with a predominantly young Malay audience, I am always left to wonder. Is this it? Is to be rich and look good the pinnacle of Malay success?
At the risk of sounding naïve and idealistic, whatever happened to values like savings, good moral principles and social justice?
“Korang tau la, camne orang lain pandang kat kita ? jadi kita kena sukses! Kita kena belajar buat duit macam Cina! Bila ada kete besar, handbag mahal ? orang pandang lain babe ? challenge!”(You know how people look down on us, so we must be successful! We must learn to make money like the Chinese! When you have a big car, expensive handbags ? people look at you differently! This is a challenge!)
“Challenge!” was the ever-present war cry I kept hearing at the many MLM lectures I attended.
However, is wanting material success wrong?
The NEP hasn’t really made all Malays rich, and at the lower rung of the economic ladder are still the Malays.
Who doesn’t want to look good and feel good? Who doesn’t want to have money and not worry?
Another thing that cripples the Malays is what my respondents termed dengki Melayu.
When it was pointed out that every race and its people also practised rivalry, jealousy and envy among themselves, the men nodded but stressed that the Malays will not succeed if they are intent on destroying themselves.
The current politics of the country and the lack or rather the refusal to have an incorruptible system for anything – from applying for tenders to a job promotion – has given the adage “dog eat dog” a new twist.
“You get really good Malays who are as good as expatriates, but you don’t nurture them, promote them, because one, you’re intimidated by them, and two, they don’t play ball. They’re not going to brownnose you and aren’t part of a certain circle, so why bother with them?”
On the other extreme is a minority group a friend termed the “marginalised Malays”.
In his e-mail he wrote, “Frankly, although I am as Malay as they come, I feel 'race-less' in everyday life. 'Race' is so unimportant to me. The only 'race' I care about is car races and racing cars.”
Seriously, have you ever wondered about the ‘marginalised Malays’? Yes, there are in fact Malays who are marginalised by their own race! These are the Malays who do not conform to the mainstream Malay ideas, character, way of life, thinking and what have you.
These are the Malays whose girlfriend/wife/daughters do not wear tudung. They probably even drink alcohol and love the good life.
They could sit and argue and debate about all things in life (religion included) and they believe they are open minded and intelligent enough to engage with anybody, race and creed notwithstanding. The truth is they are neither here nor there.
Not accepted by mainstream Malays (some are even branded pengkhianat bangsa) nor are they accepted as equals by non-Malays.
They walk into high powered corporate meetings attended by non-Malays (even Caucasians) and all eyes would observe these Malays while thinking, in their head, “here comes the product of the NEP” when in truth the NEP had embarrassed these Malays to no end as they could well stand up to anybody regardless of race.
These is the “marginalised Malay”. Unhappy in his/her own turf and looked down by non-Malays as being “just another NEP Malay”. Ironic but true!
An old boyfriend wondered out aloud, whether all this self-reflection meant anything at all. After all, it’s only rituals like attending weddings and funerals, for instance that reminded us of our heritage.
Did we wake up in the mornings saying, I am a Malay (man or woman)? He didn’t think so, as Man was preoccupied with bills to pay and family to care for. This pondering is not going to help the race or country at all.
I received a text from an old friend, Mr What If: “I love this country. I have seen many a man caught up in his own self-importance and let everybody down. I want you to write about the need to bring Malay(sians) back to earth and to start again. Is that feasible?”
Is it?
Looking at our own reflection
A writer's life - Dina Zaman
Every race has rivalry, jealousy and envy. But all the bluster about superiority only hides a deep inferiority complex.
RECENT events that had the country fluctuate from a variety of emotions, has many Malays wondering: what is it to be Malay now, and has race become the only identifying factor in a Malay (man)’s life?
Has the Malay race become emasculated over the years, due to a public policy that had good intentions but was not administered properly?
The men I spoke to for this article were bewildered by the recent turn of events, and honest enough to concede that the race is regressing to a dark age.
All this bluster about being a superior race in the country hides a deep inferiority complex about themselves.
And with certain channels trumping the race card at practically every nook and cranny, was it any wonder that the Malays, especially so, Malay men felt threatened?
One of the things that cropped up in my discussions with these gentlemen was the issue of a ‘throw-away culture’ that contemporary Malays employ when it comes to their traditions, customs and heritage.
The Arabisation of Malay-Muslim life is not a pretty sight to them. Slowly going are pretty tudung girls in pretty baju kurung, who now don long tunics and sombre scarves. “What’s wrong with our baju kurung? They cover the aurat, don’t they?”
The issue of language and heritage is another that begs to be questioned. The Chinese send their children to vernacular schools, and are taught Chinese history. They send their children to calligraphy and other cultural classes.
Now why is it that modern Malay parents have abolished what was once the pride of Malay life?
Writing in Jawi, reading writers like Shahnon Ahmad and histories like Sejarah Melayu are considered to be the playground of academics, literary eccentrics, and those who are buying up our culture, our heritage are wealthy non-Malays, who really do appreciate all that is Malay.
Instead we adopt not necessarily healthy customs that are deemed in keeping with Islam (which is really more about non-Malay(sian) traditions and not about the faith at all).
Perhaps, it is suggested, the Malays are still insecure.
They have the compunction of adopting other cultures, because they don’t appreciate their own language and customs.
They are unable to think and analyse critically; but ape others that do.
Could this be that as a politicised race, the Malays do not have a thousand year history of tradition and culture?
What existed before is being aggressively erased from our psyche.
What is noticeable is that many young Malays hunger for material and physical wealth. They want it fast.
The proliferation of multi-level marketing companies selling from herbal to car products, and unit trust agents show that they want to be more than what they are now.
Having attended enough MLM and motivational talks with a predominantly young Malay audience, I am always left to wonder. Is this it? Is to be rich and look good the pinnacle of Malay success?
At the risk of sounding naïve and idealistic, whatever happened to values like savings, good moral principles and social justice?
“Korang tau la, camne orang lain pandang kat kita ? jadi kita kena sukses! Kita kena belajar buat duit macam Cina! Bila ada kete besar, handbag mahal ? orang pandang lain babe ? challenge!”(You know how people look down on us, so we must be successful! We must learn to make money like the Chinese! When you have a big car, expensive handbags ? people look at you differently! This is a challenge!)
“Challenge!” was the ever-present war cry I kept hearing at the many MLM lectures I attended.
However, is wanting material success wrong?
The NEP hasn’t really made all Malays rich, and at the lower rung of the economic ladder are still the Malays.
Who doesn’t want to look good and feel good? Who doesn’t want to have money and not worry?
Another thing that cripples the Malays is what my respondents termed dengki Melayu.
When it was pointed out that every race and its people also practised rivalry, jealousy and envy among themselves, the men nodded but stressed that the Malays will not succeed if they are intent on destroying themselves.
The current politics of the country and the lack or rather the refusal to have an incorruptible system for anything – from applying for tenders to a job promotion – has given the adage “dog eat dog” a new twist.
“You get really good Malays who are as good as expatriates, but you don’t nurture them, promote them, because one, you’re intimidated by them, and two, they don’t play ball. They’re not going to brownnose you and aren’t part of a certain circle, so why bother with them?”
On the other extreme is a minority group a friend termed the “marginalised Malays”.
In his e-mail he wrote, “Frankly, although I am as Malay as they come, I feel 'race-less' in everyday life. 'Race' is so unimportant to me. The only 'race' I care about is car races and racing cars.”
Seriously, have you ever wondered about the ‘marginalised Malays’? Yes, there are in fact Malays who are marginalised by their own race! These are the Malays who do not conform to the mainstream Malay ideas, character, way of life, thinking and what have you.
These are the Malays whose girlfriend/wife/daughters do not wear tudung. They probably even drink alcohol and love the good life.
They could sit and argue and debate about all things in life (religion included) and they believe they are open minded and intelligent enough to engage with anybody, race and creed notwithstanding. The truth is they are neither here nor there.
Not accepted by mainstream Malays (some are even branded pengkhianat bangsa) nor are they accepted as equals by non-Malays.
They walk into high powered corporate meetings attended by non-Malays (even Caucasians) and all eyes would observe these Malays while thinking, in their head, “here comes the product of the NEP” when in truth the NEP had embarrassed these Malays to no end as they could well stand up to anybody regardless of race.
These is the “marginalised Malay”. Unhappy in his/her own turf and looked down by non-Malays as being “just another NEP Malay”. Ironic but true!
An old boyfriend wondered out aloud, whether all this self-reflection meant anything at all. After all, it’s only rituals like attending weddings and funerals, for instance that reminded us of our heritage.
Did we wake up in the mornings saying, I am a Malay (man or woman)? He didn’t think so, as Man was preoccupied with bills to pay and family to care for. This pondering is not going to help the race or country at all.
I received a text from an old friend, Mr What If: “I love this country. I have seen many a man caught up in his own self-importance and let everybody down. I want you to write about the need to bring Malay(sians) back to earth and to start again. Is that feasible?”
Is it?
05 May 2008
MFA proposal to monitor the travel of women abroad
The recent proposal by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that all women travelling abroad alone be required to have a letter from parents or employers is ridiculous beyond belief and should be condemned by both the women and men of this country. It is a shameful and disgraceful proposal, which apparently has the support of the Home Ministry.
The proposal is fundamentally insulting to women as it casts doubts as to whether a woman is capable of travelling alone, being responsible for herself, to make sound decisions, or even be trusted. This proposal implies that she is not able to do any of the above and should be tracked for her own good. To quote the Foreign Minister "we will know for sure where and for what she is travelling overseas."
The pretext of protecting women is once again used to justify a paternalistic and discriminatory mindset. Besides being totally impractical and lacking common sense (thousands of women, authenticity issues of letters and signatures, the list goes on), it is essentially punishing women for being women, and is a violation of both human rights and their rights as citizens of Malaysia.
If the Foreign Minister had bothered consulting anyone working on human rights or even in his own ministry for that matter, concerning this proposal, he would learn that under the Convention on the Elimination of All-Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) of which Malaysia is a proud signatory, women have the right to travel and move freely. The fact that he stated that the proposal has already been submitted to the Cabinet implies that he felt that extensive consultation was unnecessary.
I am not surprised that the Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim, has put forth this paternalistic proposal as he is an anachronism from the past.
Irregardless of his past track record at the ministry, should he decide to pursue this initiative further, I argue that it would obviously indicate that he has lost touch with the global issues of this day and age. The continued existence of this proposal will imply that the rest of his views are similarly tainted by obsolescence and irrelevance. In that case, he should not continue to be Malaysia's top diplomat. Malaysia will be viewed as hypocritical where we promote moderation through Islam Hadhari to the world on one hand, and yet proceed to implement Taliban-like initiatives domestically in the name of protecting women.
Let's not even bother dealing with the utter impracticality and absurdity of this proposal, and the subtle implication that only men can be trusted. It should be condemned for what it is: a fundamental violation of a women's human right and an insult to our intelligence.
The proposal is fundamentally insulting to women as it casts doubts as to whether a woman is capable of travelling alone, being responsible for herself, to make sound decisions, or even be trusted. This proposal implies that she is not able to do any of the above and should be tracked for her own good. To quote the Foreign Minister "we will know for sure where and for what she is travelling overseas."
The pretext of protecting women is once again used to justify a paternalistic and discriminatory mindset. Besides being totally impractical and lacking common sense (thousands of women, authenticity issues of letters and signatures, the list goes on), it is essentially punishing women for being women, and is a violation of both human rights and their rights as citizens of Malaysia.
If the Foreign Minister had bothered consulting anyone working on human rights or even in his own ministry for that matter, concerning this proposal, he would learn that under the Convention on the Elimination of All-Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) of which Malaysia is a proud signatory, women have the right to travel and move freely. The fact that he stated that the proposal has already been submitted to the Cabinet implies that he felt that extensive consultation was unnecessary.
I am not surprised that the Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim, has put forth this paternalistic proposal as he is an anachronism from the past.
Irregardless of his past track record at the ministry, should he decide to pursue this initiative further, I argue that it would obviously indicate that he has lost touch with the global issues of this day and age. The continued existence of this proposal will imply that the rest of his views are similarly tainted by obsolescence and irrelevance. In that case, he should not continue to be Malaysia's top diplomat. Malaysia will be viewed as hypocritical where we promote moderation through Islam Hadhari to the world on one hand, and yet proceed to implement Taliban-like initiatives domestically in the name of protecting women.
Let's not even bother dealing with the utter impracticality and absurdity of this proposal, and the subtle implication that only men can be trusted. It should be condemned for what it is: a fundamental violation of a women's human right and an insult to our intelligence.
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