Friday, September 01, 2006
Malaysia no longer secular in 10, 15 years?
"The idea of a secular state is dead in Malaysia," so says politicial scientist Farish Noor. He was quoted in an International Herald Tribune article dated August 28th 2006. " "An Islamic society is already on the cards. The question is what kind of Islamic society this will be."
For many who cherish our secular Constitution, this is indeed a depressing statement by an avid observer of Malaysian politics. My late father, commentator and journalist MGG Pillai, also shared the same observation about the inevitable rise of political Islam in Malaysia.
I read this article in a resigned mode, with a feeling that this nation is already on a fixed track toward a more intrusive form of Islamic governance. There are no detours on this train; nor will there be any prolonged stops on this journey, complete with millions of willing and unwilling passengers. The only question is not if, but when Malaysia reaches this milestone.
I dare say that a replacing of the current Constitution with an Islamic one, does not bode well for Malaysia. The reasons are obvious - there has been no Islamic nation (in words and deeds) that has thrived and prospered on the global stage, and there has been no instances in history (that I can think of) where Islamic political governance has succeeded in winning the hearts and minds of a sizable non-muslim citizenry. Malaysia is a unique nation, probably none other like her in the modern world, where the muslim and non-muslim population is almost on par with one other.
I would also venture to say that the only way for UMNO to remain relevant in the future political landscape of Malaysia, is to defend the Constitution and differentiate itself from a serious rival, PAS who has always called for an establishment of an Islamic government, which I assume would be based wholly on the Syariah.
Current attempts by UMNO to play the Islamic card and try to out-Islam PAS are laughable when the mainstream (including an increasingly number of Malays) are only too aware of UMNO's raison d'etre. I believe in its attempts to be more similar like PAS, but unwilling to purge the party of questionable and immoral acts such as corruption and vote buying, UMNO will continue to be seen as an empty shell with no real ideology. If its main reason for being is to make money and the enrichment of members, I think there is a real fear of UMNO going the way of Indonesia's Golkar.
The only way, in my view, of Malaysia remaining a secular state which really is in the true interest of UMNO (if they wish to remain in power for much longer), is for them to defend the idea of a secular state and have the political will to maintain this stance and challenge PAS. Sadly, UMNO is pandering to a vocal minority within their main constituents. I don't have any statistics but I suspect a majority of Malays in this country prefer a moderate approach to religion and politics. Coupled with a huge non-muslim population that would be heartened by such a pro-secular stance, UMNO would win this battle with PAS and prolong its hold over power for a longer time.
Looking at the current batch of UMNO politicians, my hopes are pretty dim on this front. They seem pretty fond of playing the race card whenever they get a chance, and trying to hoist the flag as a defender of the religion, to the discomfort of many - muslims and non-muslims alike. This goes on, while PAS plays the role of the more moderate political party which in the long run, if current developments continue, will be its ticket to achieving its main goal of rewriting the Constitution to one of its own choosing. ¶ 10:58 AM
For many who cherish our secular Constitution, this is indeed a depressing statement by an avid observer of Malaysian politics. My late father, commentator and journalist MGG Pillai, also shared the same observation about the inevitable rise of political Islam in Malaysia.
I read this article in a resigned mode, with a feeling that this nation is already on a fixed track toward a more intrusive form of Islamic governance. There are no detours on this train; nor will there be any prolonged stops on this journey, complete with millions of willing and unwilling passengers. The only question is not if, but when Malaysia reaches this milestone.
I dare say that a replacing of the current Constitution with an Islamic one, does not bode well for Malaysia. The reasons are obvious - there has been no Islamic nation (in words and deeds) that has thrived and prospered on the global stage, and there has been no instances in history (that I can think of) where Islamic political governance has succeeded in winning the hearts and minds of a sizable non-muslim citizenry. Malaysia is a unique nation, probably none other like her in the modern world, where the muslim and non-muslim population is almost on par with one other.
I would also venture to say that the only way for UMNO to remain relevant in the future political landscape of Malaysia, is to defend the Constitution and differentiate itself from a serious rival, PAS who has always called for an establishment of an Islamic government, which I assume would be based wholly on the Syariah.
Current attempts by UMNO to play the Islamic card and try to out-Islam PAS are laughable when the mainstream (including an increasingly number of Malays) are only too aware of UMNO's raison d'etre. I believe in its attempts to be more similar like PAS, but unwilling to purge the party of questionable and immoral acts such as corruption and vote buying, UMNO will continue to be seen as an empty shell with no real ideology. If its main reason for being is to make money and the enrichment of members, I think there is a real fear of UMNO going the way of Indonesia's Golkar.
The only way, in my view, of Malaysia remaining a secular state which really is in the true interest of UMNO (if they wish to remain in power for much longer), is for them to defend the idea of a secular state and have the political will to maintain this stance and challenge PAS. Sadly, UMNO is pandering to a vocal minority within their main constituents. I don't have any statistics but I suspect a majority of Malays in this country prefer a moderate approach to religion and politics. Coupled with a huge non-muslim population that would be heartened by such a pro-secular stance, UMNO would win this battle with PAS and prolong its hold over power for a longer time.
Looking at the current batch of UMNO politicians, my hopes are pretty dim on this front. They seem pretty fond of playing the race card whenever they get a chance, and trying to hoist the flag as a defender of the religion, to the discomfort of many - muslims and non-muslims alike. This goes on, while PAS plays the role of the more moderate political party which in the long run, if current developments continue, will be its ticket to achieving its main goal of rewriting the Constitution to one of its own choosing. ¶ 10:58 AM
