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Barisan leaders are constantly calling for national unity - plenty of pronouncements and platitudes - but their deeds do not match their words, notes our special correspondent.
The British successfully adopted a divide-and-rule policy. Therefore, at independence the people were severely fragmented along ethnic lines - Malays, Chinese and Indians. The Barisan has indeed improved upon this strategy.
Political parties are organised strictly along ethnic lines and keris-kisser Hishamuddin has called upon Malaysians to sensitise themselves to ethnic politics. It has never occurred to him to sensitise himself to non-ethnic politics in the interests of national unity, which will remain an impossible dream.
As if this division were not enough, a further division - bumiputera and non-bumiputera - was institutionalised, resulting in further deterioration in ethnic relations which led to severe polarisation at workplaces, schools and universities. The destroyers of national unity did not stop at that.
They introduced the poison of ethnic politics into Sabah by establishing Umno there. Sabah was a state that was really united and where ethnic feelings and rivalry hardly existed. As if these was not enough, even the Malay population has been sub-divided into bumputera and Umnoputera, the latter generously helping themselves to the nation’s wealth through highly-priced projects, preferential share allotments, APs for imported cars etc. at the expense of the rakyat. Let alone national unity, these corrupt practices have divided the Malay community and increased the income differential - the highest in this region - within the community.
I wish I could believe Najib who stated only the Barisan can look after the interests of the Chinese and Indian Malaysians. Really, it is with the collusion and connivance of both the MCA and the MIC that the Constitution has been amended many times. For example, they remained dumb when the Constitution was amended in 1988 eventually resulting in a half-past-six PM claiming that Malaysia is an Islamic State. These same dumbos have the audacity to criticise the DAP for coming to an electoral understanding with Pas in respect of seat allotment! These same clowns decided to send a memorandum to the PM and got hammered by Umno. These cowards withdrew the memorandum and apologised profusely for their sin! There is no doubt that the Umno-dominated government at all levels has bullied them into submission, emasculated them and made them into political eunuchs. Would a political party interested in national unity permit the destruction of Hindu temples and churches built for Orang Asli?
There is a ban on bibles in the Indonesian language in this country - though the Qur’an has been translated into Mandarin and Tamil. Recently, bibles from bookshops as well as travellers were confiscated. Though the word “Allah” was used for six centuries before Islam came into existence in 622 AD, Malaysia has banned the use of the word by non-Muslims. The word “Allah” is widely used by Jews, Christians and Muslims in the Middle East. The Muslims have persistently refused to be part of the Malaysian Consultative Council consisting of Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs and Taoists. Reason? To sit together with other religious leaders would mean that every religion is of equal worth, something unacceptable to Muslims because they claim Islam is superior.
Sadly, the Barisan government has gone along with this view. The PM, in the view of many, has successfully sabotaged the formation of an Inter-faith Commission. Have you wondered why Tamadun Islam (Islamic civilisation) is rammed down the throats of non-Muslims from school to university and no attempt has been made to educate Muslim students about the religion and culture of non-Muslims? Have you wondered why Ramli Ibrahim does not perform Indian dances on RTM?
The Barisan continues to claim that they are building national unity. The government is supposed to be guided by Islam Hadhari, which is touted as a modern, liberal and progressive form of Islam. Ironically, the position of non-Muslims has become worse after the introduction of Islam Hadhari. Non-Malays converting to Islam and then wanting to reconvert to their original religion have found it impossible.
The civil courts, in total contravention of constitutional provisions, have denied this right granted in the Constitution. In Egypt, converts to Islam are permitted to leave Islam and return to their original faith. Remember Arafat married a Christian and was in a church with her on Christmas Eve. That is modern, liberal and progressive Islam. Indonesia has legislated to make every Indonesian citizen indigenous. In my opinion, primitive practices will ruin the glory of any religion.
Malaysia is light years away from being a truly secular democracy guaranteed by the Constitution.
“ ... Dear Friend,
The one, free nation we imagined,
Remains a distant truth,
My anger becomes bitterness,
When we are forced apart,
The distance ever wider,
Now that I am proclaimed “bumiputra” and you not”
Usman Awang: Sahabatku
(for Dr M K Rajakumar)
1979/1983
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