Queensland University political scientist David Martin Jones, currently working in Malaysia, says: “There is now an interesting collection of scandals dating from the first Anwar case in 1998 that coincides with the fragmentation of Umno-controlled politics.”
The Australian
What’s happening with Malaysia? The country has long been viewed in Australia as not only an especially friendly Southeast Asian neighbour — the “recalcitrant” Mahathir Mohammad excepted, though he’s been retired six years — but also a model of middle-class success and tolerance in that region.
Today, however, the country is having a hard time holding things together, in the face of religious and ethnic divides, political battles, and economic challenges.
Michael Danby, who chairs Australia’s foreign affairs subcommittee, told parliament last Tuesday night that “fellow democrats around Asia are flabbergasted at events unfolding in Kuala Lumpur.”
He was referring to the second trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy.
“For the second time,” Danby said, “the Malaysian legal system is being manipulated by supporters of the incumbent government to drive Malaysia’s best-known leader, Anwar Ibrahim, out of national politics.
“For the second time, documents are being forged, witnesses are being coerced, and evidence is being fabricated. This trial, like the first trial, is a disgrace to Malaysia, a country that aspires to democratic norms.”
Danby said it was long past time that Malaysia repealed these British colonial laws, which could not then be used for such political purposes.
“In the second place, everyone in Malaysia, and everyone in the international legal community, knows that Anwar is innocent of these charges.”
The underlying problem is that Anwar, leader of the People’s Justice Party, is the first charismatic Malay opposition politician with sufficient appeal for Malay voters to pose a real threat to Umno’s 52-year hold on power.
This episode indicates that it’s also long past time Umno took a spell in opposition, as Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party is doing.
Declared a middle-income country by the World Bank several years ago, Malaysia has grown accustomed to patronising its giant neighbour Indonesia — even though it still rankles that Malaysia itself continues to be patronised by its tiny neighbour Singapore.
Now, though, it is Indonesia — the raucous democracy with a rapidly acquired capacity to change leaders and governments peaceably, the world’s largest Muslim country renowned for its moderation and pluralism — that is receiving international praise, with US President Barack Obama flying across the world to visit (with a side-trip to Australia).
In 2008, last year and — as estimated by IMA Asia — this year, Malaysia’s economic growth figures are 4.6 per cent, -2.8 per cent, and 4 per cent. Indonesia’s are 6.1 per cent, 4.5 per cent and 5.6 per cent.
Since taking office last April, Prime Minister Najib Razak has started to dismantle the 40-year-old New Economic Policy, Sydney-based business consulting firm IMA notes.
It says: “While the NEP did little for ordinary Malays, its supposed beneficiaries, it enriched a handful of businessmen and contributed to corruption in Umno.”
Najib also has to tackle the over-reliance on oil money — for more than 40 per cent of government revenues — while just 2.3 million of the 28 million population pay income tax. And he needs to open more sectors of the economy to foreign investors.
That’s hard to do, while at the same time grappling with the plethora of problems resulting from Malaysia’s restrictive religious laws, reflecting Islam’s role as the state religion.
Queensland University political scientist David Martin Jones, currently working in Malaysia, says: “There is now an interesting collection of scandals dating from the first Anwar case in 1998 that coincides with the fragmentation of Umno-controlled politics.”
One such scandal comprised the tragic case of Lina Joy, aged 45, who was born into a Muslim family but began attending a church in 1990 and was baptised in 1998, and naturally wished to marry her Christian fiance. But marriage between Muslim women and non-Muslim men is forbidden under Malaysian law, and after years of battling the authorities in the courts, in 2007 she was refused permission to convert formally.
This year, Malaysia has seen its simmering religious and racial conflicts boil over after a ruling of the High Court that the Malay language pages of the Catholic Church’s weekly newspaper, the Herald, could use the term “Allah” as a translation for “God”.
Malaysian Christians say they have used “Allah” for God for centuries.
The government is appealing the decision. But in the meantime, it has triggered violent protests from Muslim Malays who comprise 60 per cent of the population, and who claim exclusive rights over the Arabic word “Allah”. Christians comprise just 9 per cent of Malaysians.
Eleven churches, a Sikh temple and two Muslim prayer rooms have been attacked so far, as a result of the row, and the severed heads of three wild boars — considered unclean by Muslims — with their mouths stuffed with bank notes, in plastic bags, were found outside two mosques.
The High Court last April sentenced to death two policemen who were assigned to the office of Najib Razak, the then deputy prime minister and defence minister. They were found guilty of murdering a Mongolian woman who had had a relationship with Abdul Razak Baginda, a defence analyst for a think tank, and had translated for him on a deal to buy submarines from France.
Abdul Razak, arrested for abetting the murder, was acquitted. But the motives for the policemen to have killed Atlantuyaa — by explosives — remain murky.
Martin Jones says: “Malay political scandals and the cynicism they engender, together with the bitter debate over the ‘Allah affair’, are seriously fragmenting the Malay community, whilst minority communities are increasingly rejecting the Umno model of Satu Malaysia (1 Malaysia). I suspect this portends some trouble ahead for the Malay political process.”
Razak has launched a multimedia 1 Malaysia campaign to promote the virtues of “perseverance, a culture of excellence, acceptance, loyalty, education, humility, integrity, and meritocracy.”
This looks to be a hurdle too high for a political establishment whose credibility is too low, for an economy that for two years has suffered net outflows of foreign investment, and for a culture suffering some confusion.
Jones points out: “It’s somewhat ironic that an ostensibly puritanical political culture that won’t contemplate a Beyonce concert seems to lap up details of Anwar’s alleged penetration of his aide.”
The singer Beyonce last October cancelled a second planned concert in Malaysia after accusations by Islamic conservatives that her show was immoral. She scored a huge hit when she flew instead to a Muslim neighbour with less stringent rules on dress or behaviour: Indonesia.
written by imanj, February 08, 2010 14:16:05
But the statement suggest that the Malaysian law forbids Muslim women from marrying non-muslim men altogether.And do we have such a Law? Look Malaysians,let us not be selfish instead admit that we are governed by many laws that do not appeal to many of us.But at some point if you do not give course for the said law to be executed there may be many incidences that could have been avoided.
Like in the case of the non-muslims who are in an estranged marriage,whereby one party opts to convert into Islam and even go to the extend of converting their babies and children without considering the consequences..The religious authorities that allow it together with the said persons who encourage it are they not then creating new and uncomfortable situations and these situations take on a different light amongst the general public especially the immediate families of the said persons?
In any case as far as i would dare say,if any muslim especially a Malay muslim is concern where they seek Christianity as the truth,are you really saying it is for the religion they opt to fight to denounce Islam?
Please safe your down votes on my second comment,cause it is so widely known that the celebrations that are not directly apart of Christianity eg Christmas,Easter and New Year that are more intriguing to non-Christians and there are many who just are so over-whelmed by the glitter and manner of how it is celebrated.In short the easy-going,not so strict,not so difficult way to pray and live without to many restrictions is somewhat appealing..No fuss,no eyes watching and yah I could wear anything I want,eat or drink anything i like..!!
In any case for those who are lost or ignorant or even selfish enough to be ignorant you do no justice to either religion.And as far as Malaysia is concerned this has been the manner of the people,who could not agree to disagree or weigh the pros and cons or neither do they undersand that race does not necessarily go with religion and what is worst they play GOD and allow us a bashing internationally while they continue to leave many bad influences on our younger generations..!!
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written by imanj, February 08, 2010 10:31:17
Mr Jones, this is not actually true. Muslim women or be it Muslim men can marry anyone they please.But the Law in Malaysia is,if a muslim decides to marry a person who is not muslim,then the non-muslim partner will need to convert into the muslim faith before marriage.Of course it is preferred that the non-muslim accepts Islam for the religion and not just for the sake of marriage.
In the case of Lina Joy or if there are others who may or are in a similar situation,a born Muslim is dissallowed to denounce their muslim faith and then go on to pursue any other faith/no faith,marry someone of another faith or not..
I may not necessarily agree with some of the stringent laws that would be made to show authority and power,where it may not totally be in accordance to the religious book and teachings,but I would say where it would be a Law in the country known to most people,it would be the people to not make a personal preference into an issue that would see cruelty on the part of the religion in the eyes of many.
The highest achievement of man is to love GOD,love yourself and to love others.This would be the purest and respectful love. There are many situations in Malaysia where many peole have conducted themselves in a manner that derives from contradiction,selfishness,ignorance,arrogance,greed and certainly without any knowledge or understanding and you could sometimes say an uneducated reaction or judgement on the individuals part and this includes the Ministries and their administration.
Malaysia needs to just stop and admit its perpetrated flaws is on the rise.And the people too have to realise that most issues have a way of going into the wrong direction is because it is created by the people themselves.! One example would be to ask the many who find themselves drawn to the Christian way is if it was actually for the understanding of the religion itself or for its modern manner and celebrations which are not neccessary conventional..?
And there would be many more things for Malaysian to ponder and one of it would be their behaviour and attitude that is so unpleasant in our society that allows for many unplesant issues in this country.
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written by NSTPravda, February 08, 2010 05:26:14
We agree 135.25%!!!! How about Na$1b Ro$ak and UMNO starting to practice this fir$t before preaching to the rakyats.
Now we see:
1. perseverance with corruption and abuse of power and processes,
2. a culture of excellence in promoting bigotry, racism and cynical use of force to remain in power,
3. acceptance of institutionalized murders and corruptions, at the highest level,
4. loyalty only the the fuhrer and cash,
5. educational brainwashing by UMNO controlled government arms such as BTN, MACC, AG and JAKIM
6. humility ??#$@ like in Chicken Rai$'s and Kerispudding ketuanan melayu racist supremacy
7. integrity like Cur Toyo's RM$24 million pondok and MACC's failure even in asking question, MACC's murder of TBH, Polis murder of Kugan and co, and who really killed Altantuya??
8. meritocracy!!!@#$$!?? Ha, bluddy ha! Just start with NEP...
$emua-nya OK!
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written by educationist, February 08, 2010 04:05:56
The UMNOputras do not have to go all the way,
Just to drop the adsurd Sodomy 2 charges against Anwar will, to me, be indicative they are serious in taking the rakyat's present abhorrence of all that they represent seriously.
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written by orangkampong, February 08, 2010 02:33:14
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
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Shouting empty unity slogan such as “1 Malaysia”, while on the other hand, maintaining if not strengthening all mechanisms of segregation and polarisation.
Apart from lip servicing, calling for unity, could anybody out there name just one concrete action by the government to help achieve unity? Without equality to all, unity is just a farce.
Calling for unity by the UMNO/BN government is just a window dressing to buy time, to achieve just the opposite, disunity, which ultimately will serve them well.
“1 MALAYSIA” is just “1 BIG LIE”. A lie too big and too obvious………… designed to confuse, made incomprehensibly silly to be seen as nothing but a lie.