A rite of passage for moderate Malaysia?

The past year has been filled with more instances of intolerance and acrimony between Malays and non-Malays, and Muslims and non-Muslims, than has occurred for many years.

Many of these events centre on the prohibition of non-Muslims from using the word “Allah”, while others concern the special rights of the Malays, jurisdictional issues between the civil and shariah courts, the position of the Malay rulers, and so on.

All said, it has been a bruising time for inter-racial and inter-religious relations among Malaysia’s diverse communities.

Amid the gloom, however, some initiatives shine like beacons, offering hope of an alternative narrative for the Malaysian people, where mutual suspicion is replaced by warm acceptance of our colourful diversity and hard-line sentiment is eschewed in favour of mutual respect for a plurality of views.

The first is the Negara-Ku movement, which was launched in July, with the aim of healing the nation and restoring hope in the future, as its charter proclaims. The five-point declaration sends out a strong message that in order to reclaim the nation, the people must stand up to those who are spreading intolerance, hatred and extremism; oppose discrimination, oppression and persecution; press the authorities to uphold the rule of law and demand for accountability, transparency and good governance.

But, it is the third point in the charter that holds the key to sustaining the spirit of nationhood in our people, namely the determination to strive for an inclusive society. It is obvious that a house in which the inhabitants are constantly quarrelling is doomed to fall apart. So too, a nation in which the disparate groups cannot let go of their narrow self-interests will soon run aground.

To get to that idyllic place where our diverse communities can live in harmony and well-being, we must first embrace the idea that everyone deserves to have the chance to pursue their dreams, to share in the nation’s wealth and to live a fulfilled life in peaceful coexistence with their compatriots. Without a deep belief in the inherent dignity of our fellow human beings, forging an inclusive society will prove to be an illusory goal. Instead, we will have disaffection, mutual suspicion and strife as our constant companions.

The idea that gave birth to the Negara-Ku movement is certainly shared by a significant segment of civil society. This is evident from the support it has obtained at its inception, when some 60 organisations aligned themselves to its goals.

The public-spirited figures who are at the vanguard of the movement have been expending much effort to bring their message of hope and amity to people all around the country. Clearly driven by a sense of mission to create a better future for all Malaysians, they must succeed in awakening the people to the need for the active engagement of the citizenry to define the public discourse in inclusive, respectful and wholesome terms.

Thankfully, Negara-Ku is not alone in recognising the urgency of creating a healthy environment for inter-communal harmony. Soon after the launch of Negara-Ku, progressive political leaders from Umno and PAS began to cooperate in another initiative to combat racism. Led by Datuk Mujahid Yusof Rawa of PAS and Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah of Umno, the movement for unity and peace was welcomed by the leaders of Negara-Ku as an additional platform to promote their common objectives.

A refreshing development earlier this month has lent much weight to these efforts. When a group of 25 high ranking former public officials came together to call for rational dialogue on the position of Islam in a constitutional democracy, much of middle Malaysia must have heaved a collective sigh of relief.

At last, enough prominent moderate Muslims had found their voices to counter the vitriolic rhetoric of extremist groups and individuals that is causing grave harm to the Malaysian psyche.

Speaking on behalf of the 25 signatories, Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin, former Malaysian Ambassador to the Netherlands, said: "It is high time moderate Malays and Muslims speak out. Extremist, immoderate and intolerant voices as represented by Perkasa and Isma do not speak in our name.”

From the enthusiastic response that the letter generated, she almost did not need to have called for other moderates to stand up and be counted. Just 10 days later, 93 non-governmental organisations had declared their support for the 25 retired civil servants.

Just as encouragingly, two days after an online petition “I am #26” was launched in support of the 25 public figures, more than 2,000 people, mostly Malays, had added their signatures to the initiative. Furthermore, another group of 33 prominent Malaysians from the public and private sectors as well as civil society have expressed support for the group of 25, who have been dubbed the G25.

To be sure, the G25 have come up against opposition from Muslim figures too. The opponents, who include Perak mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria, former Universiti Malaya lecturer Datuk Sulaiman Abdullah and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka director-general Datuk Dr Awang Sariyan, criticised the moderates for their view that some of Malaysia’s shariah laws were in conflict with Islamic legal principles and constituted a violation of fundamental liberties.

In their open letter to the G25, the opposing group asked the moderates for proof of their view and also called for a review of the Constitution, citing a survey which showed that the majority of Muslims wish to live under shariah law. In their view, the Constitution should be amended to incorporate the needs of Muslims while entrenching the rights of minorities.

In the debate that will ensue, it is crucial that the tone of the discussion be tempered by understanding, maturity and a universal vision. It will surely be a severe test of our cohesiveness as a society to negotiate the many intractable issues that will surface when religious authorities face off with secular institutions.
Could 2015 bring a rite of passage for Malaysia’s democracy? Moderate Malaysians may want to say something about that. – December 20, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.