The Malaysian Insider

JAN 29 — One of the most infuriating things about this “Allah” debacle is how little back-and-forth there has actually been between the different points of view. All we have had are bomb-throwing, paint-throwing, stone-throwing, and flame-throwing (the latter being primarily on websites like The Malaysian Insider). We need to make a sincere effort to understand where we are all coming from — to talk with, instead of to talk at, each other.

JAN 10 — Attacks on places of worship as we’ve seen over the past few days are unprecedented in Malaysia — but they offer an unprecedented opportunity for Malaysians. The government cannot solve the Allah issue; only the rakyat can. We have the power to see this through to a peaceful conclusion — all we need is faith in each other.

Overbearing optimism is not my thing, but we have no other option. Who really thinks the government—any branch of it—can bring resolution and closure to this issue? Who really believes that if someone, be it the Federal Court or the Cabinet, issues an open-and-shut “this is who can use ‘Allah’” edict, that everyone will decide to quietly abide by this imposed ruling?

It’s a trite thing to say, but dialogue is necessary more than ever. There are genuinely concerned Muslims who do not understand the Christian perspective, and vice-versa. The only possible way we can understand each other is if we talk to each other.

DEC 13 — I often wonder if ketuanan Melayu proponents can even comprehend the illogic of their position.

They say ketuanan is rooted in the rulers’ prerogatives, but the rulers rule over all Malaysians — they are Malaysian, not Malay rulers, and they acknowledge this. Ketuanan advocates want non-Malay Malaysians arbitrarily deported to their “country of origin,” when for the vast majority of non-Malays, Malaysia is in fact our country of origin.

Unlike the typical non-Malay, I have every sympathy with Article 153 and the New Economic Policy, even though I don’t think them ideal — but I have zero sympathy with the bigots who stand for ketuanan.

DEC 8 — Virtually overnight, ketuanan Melayu has become a dirty word in Malaysian politics. It was not so long ago that — as mad as the idea of racial supremacy may be — a politician could get away with denouncing the rights of other Malaysians.

And I think it is clear that March 8 is responsible.

Let’s review what things were like before March 8. We had the annual spectacle of politicians lining up at the Umno general assembly, ready to call for the blood of other races and proclaim the supremacy of their own. Members of Parliament casually told fellow MPs “kalau you tak suka, you boleh keluar dari Malaysia!”

DEC 1 — Amid this renewed scandal about the Biro Tata Negara’s propaganda programmes, tucked away is a little scrap of news: our human rights commission, Suhakam, is poised to retain its “A” grading from the United Nations.

We have one of the best human rights commissions in the world — the UN says so. Our human rights commission comprises men and women from every part of the establishment — if they don’t know what law and order is, nobody does. And they have always been unequivocal: our repressive laws, from the Internal Security Act to the Sedition Act, need to go.

The government is always dithering about our human rights, saying that we need to oppress our people because if not, our society will collapse. Beyond teaching public servants and scholars that the Chinese are the “Jews of Asia”, BTN also teaches them that the ISA is necessary to repress unruly minorities and protect the government of the day.