YOURSAY | ‘There is an insidious attempt to whip up siege mentality among Malays.’

Malays 'lost power' because they were not united, says ex-IGP

David Dass: The views expressed by former inspector-general of police (IGP) Musa Hassan and former Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) vice-chancellor Ibrahim Shah Abu Shah on Malays purportedly losing their grip on power are quite concerning.

Given their prominence and status in the Malay community, their statements will cause alarm among the Malays. So it is imperative for all to reflect deeply on what they have said.

Musa says that because the Malay community is divided, they have lost power. The first question is whether the Malay community is divided. There is no question about that.

The Malay vote in the last general election was divided almost equally between Umno. PAS and Pakatan Harapan. Umno and PAS are in the opposition now.

The second question is whether the Malays have lost power. Many commentators have given the statistics of Malay control and influence in all of the power centres in the country. All three branches of government are overwhelmingly controlled by the Malays.

In addition, the Federal Constitution is very clear on the position of Malay rights, the position of Islam, the national language and the position and power of the Malay rulers.

The majority in the cabinet are Malays, including the prime minister, deputy prime minister, economic affairs minister, home minister and the defence minister.

The Chinese and Indians know that without substantial Malay support they will never be able to form a government, and a party without substantial Malay support will be unstable. The Malays need never fear the loss of their rights.

The Malays must also understand, appreciate and accept the legitimate rights and expectations of non-Malays. These are all to be found in the constitution. All Malaysians are equal under the law and freedom of worship is a fundamental liberty.

So Malays should not fear a more inclusive government. The energy and talents of the non-Malays should be harnessed for the benefit of the nation.

The Malays should also accept that democracy brings with it open government, transparency, public debate and discussion. For instance, the protests about khat should not be seen as an insult to Malay tradition or to Islam or to the Malay language.

There are some non-Malays who are quite relaxed about it and some opposed to it. Some are concerned about its relevance and usefulness for non-Malays, and some see it as an essential language for Malays because it is the script for the Quran.

Debate and discussion must be seen as essential in a democratic system, so long as it is conducted with courtesy and civility. Remember the corruption and abuse of power by the previous government.

As for the former vice-chancellor – there is first a need to correct his ‘facts’. Malays are not 68 percent of the population. The Chinese are 26 percent, the Indians are seven percent and the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak are about 12 percent. Still, the Malays are the majority and will always be the majority component in government.

His allegation of a Christian conspiracy is interesting. Most of the Christians in Malaysia are in Sabah and Sarawak. They are an extremely poor community there. It is hard to believe that they are at the heart of a conspiracy to undermine the Malays or Islam.

As for the rest of the country, Christian worship is actually confined to churches. There is little or no instruction in faith in the mission schools. Of course, evangelisation takes place.

But there is no evidence of evangelisation among Muslims. Literature on all religions is available on the internet and in all bookshops and libraries in the world; we all choose the things that we want to read.

I am a Christian, but I read books on Hinduism and Buddhism. I find them useful in my spiritual journey. They do not dilute my faith in my Christian beliefs.

Prominent figures in each community must be extremely careful and circumspect in the expression of their views. We are a multi-religious society and we must co-exist peacefully and happily.

Raising fears of non-existent conspiracies is not a good thing. Mutual respect for one another’s beliefs is essential.

Kural: Sad to think that Musa was an IGP. It’s sadder still to think of hidden insidiousness in attempts to foster siege mentality within a majority community, which has for six decades and in substantive form held and continues to wield dominant political power.

Instead of seeing ghosts in every corner and precipitating strife, there should be genuine and responsible attempts to enlighten one’s lot as to the real reasons why the nation’s social psychology is in disquiet.

It’s surely not racial differences, as some would argue, but charlatans engineering all manner of racial plots.

Myviews: This was the IGP who flatly refused to accept the 2005 royal commission of inquiry recommendation to set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

And he even threatened the then-government by more or less saying that he will get his men to ‘work-to-rule’ should the IPCMC be implemented.

If he cannot or would not accept to live a happy life with full pension, then it is time for the present government to dig up all his past wrongdoings when he was the IGP.

FairMalaysian: Musa was characterised as a liar by a Sabah judge. No other senior police officer had earned that accolade in a court of law.

He and his ilk who believe that Malay unity has been compromised because of disunity among the Malays are sleepwalking.

Malaysia has become identified by two well-defined groups - one that believes and dwells on corruption and the other against it. It is no more about Malays, Chinese, Indians or other races. This is what the GE14 contest was about.

Foolish it is that a former police chief sees it fit to pander to a line that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang is infamous for – a corrupt Malay is preferable than an honest non-Malay. To imagine that such a person could have been a former IGP is detestable.

Malaysia has to walk on a steady path of zero tolerance towards corruption and hold its mantra of good governance as its primordial existence.

Taking that treacherous path that these pathetic losers believe is right will take this country into a deep pit, as it was almost there before GE14.

Non-Malays have, and will always, support Malay leaders who believe they are there to serve the people – not those out to fill their pockets and rob the country of billions.

For these ‘passionate’ Malays, they never gave a hoot to talk of those Malay leaders who robbed Malays of their trust in Tabung Haji and Felda.

Mahathir is the prime minister and Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is the deputy prime minister. Both are Malays. Do non-Malays have any problem with that? 

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