| Entering the Malay mind |  |  |  |
| Posted by admin | |
| Monday, 03 November 2008 15:56 | |
| Azly Rahman [Lecture notes of a recent speech given to some American Malays, upstate New York] In this digital age of postmodernity, hypertextuality, alienation, and of chaos and complexity in which the historical march of capitalism has dictated the way nations think, it is becoming difficult for us to understand how the mind of a people work – unless we build a metaphysical chariot (like the one Krishna prepared for Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurusektra) to journey into it, through the eyes that will also bring us through their soul. At strategic points in that much the soul is corrupted by the material condition created by those who own the means of controlling the march of "progress" and the definition of "history". At every epoch in the history of nations, there will be those who will be clueless of what they exist for and who they exist for; marginalized by those who have a better command of the art and science of social control and in the art of war. I realize that the above sentences, for some, are dense and complex and require clarifications through simpler language; but like the monologue of Colonel Kurtz in Francis Ford Coppola's classic, "Apocalypse Now," we ought to try to understand the meaning of such a statement. Like James Joyce's stream of consciousness, sentences may flow gracefully with intensity. The subject of our inquiry is the Malay mind in this time of chaos and complexity, cynicism and uncertainty. These are the times that try the Malaysian soul and it is through cognitive science and the archeology of the mind, and through deep probing questions alone that one may accomplish the task of entering the mind of the Malay. How do we do this? Interpretations of what the Malay is – from the time of Frank Swettenham, Munsyi Abdullah, Tun Sri Lanang, the Sumatran Sufi scholars of ancient times, and others paid or unpaid writers of Malay history or from scribes who do not know the meaning of neutrality – all these are useful to a certain extend for us to understand what exactly the mind of the Malay. Because we are rooted language and language constructs one Inner sensibility and determines how we construct our social reality and next, because we then use language to define how we create our economic condition, educate our tribe, govern each other, and work and play, we will need to define how the Malay mind works through the use of definitions. But however we define what a Malay is, we will have linguistic difficulties and we will have problems determining from what and from whose historical perspective we are defining it. Each definition of what a Malay is is contingent upon premises that are rooted in culture as some point and the Constitution in modern times. The world "Malay" is elusive, as argued by many a Malay and non-Malay cultural analysts trying to justify this or that rights and privileges. At every argument in history, conflict either bloody or bloodless may happen – because we are trapped in the prison-house of language. Only philosophy may free us from this shackle. Only by consistently attacking words and definition and demanding for their clarity may we be liberated. Connotations and denotations arise not only out of history but also out of the class divisions and antagonisms as a result of the evolution of who gets to own the tool of domination called "literacy". Malaysia has prepared herself to enter the Age of Deconstructionism in which in every sphere of our lives we are experiencing rupture and waning of affect; an age in which relationships have become meaningless and power is used to set fire to the voices in the wilderness. Consider these in we enter our very own "postmodern condition" wrought but the "cultural logic of our own brand of late capitalism". We are experiencing rupture in our Judiciary, Executive, and Legislature. We know we want justice for all but we may have none. We know we want power to be executed the good of all, but we may have power concentrated in the few to let evil prevail. We want to be governed by the rule of law but we may end up seeing our lives governed by the iron fist of lawlessness. How do we enter the Malay mind? What set of questions do we need? What will our metaphysical chariot look like? We need the following questions: * What is a Malay? Herein lies the need to consider the idea of "Constitutional versus cultural" aspect of the definition * What shapes the Malay mind? Herein lies the need to consider the idea "The Historical material condition" * How has history define Malay culture and consciousness? Herein lies the need to consider the idea of " social construction of reality" * How has economic condition create the Malay mind? Herein lies the need to consider the idea of "technology and culture" * How has globalization affect the consciousness of the Malays? Herein lies the need to consider the idea of "border crossings and heteroglossia" * How has modernization and hypermodernity shape the newer character of the Malay mind? Herein lies the need to consider the idea of "the neo-feudalistic cybernetic capitalistic Malay Herein lies the beginning of the phase of self-refection of the Malays as a people who has arrived at a historical juncture in which more and more rhetoric and words left undefined are used to construct the meaning of the word "Malay". Entering the postmodern Malay mind is a complex journey worth taking. It will be a journey like the poems of T.S. Elliot or Rilke. But to engineer this Copernican Revolution, we must take the first step.
Comments (20)  ... written by Dongra Dude, November 03, 2008 18:19:30 Prof Azly, even the word Malay comes from Hindu (Tamil) word Malai (mountain). History speaks that the South Indian Chola Dynasty settlers at Kuala Kedah (Gunung Jerai) referred Kedah as Kadaram and the people of Malaya then as Malai People (People of the mountenous country). The present ketuanan don't even know their origin but laments and cry the supremacy of Ketuanan Melayu. They only know their history from the time of UMNO's formation in 1946. report abuse disagree 6 agree 40 ... written by MalaysianUnited, November 03, 2008 18:36:00 Dongra Dude, Malai=Melayu? macam mana bunyi 'ei' boleh bertukar jadi 'ou'? tak masuk akal! lagipula mana2 kaum Melayu adalah orang pedalaman bukan orang yang tinggal di pergunungan. Apa la nieh! mana cerita sampah yang ko ambik? kalau Frank Swettenham masih hidup lagi dan dia dengar cerita karut ini.sudah pasti dia ludah muka kau! p/s: Sir Frank Swettenham antara Residen yang berpengaruh dikalangan Sultan2 dan bangsawan Tanah Melayu. Beliau juga antara pengkaji institusi Melayu dan mengkaji bukan hanya setakat Kuala Lumpur tapi turut ke pedalaman kawasan kampung2. Bukan macam orang2 Malaysia sekarang. tengok mat rempit, tengok beberapa melayu yang malas bekerja terus label orang melayu pemalas la. oppppsss..lupa, kebebasan bersuara kan?..walaupun cakap benda mengarut? report abuse disagree 45 agree 8 ... written by magickriver, November 03, 2008 19:02:48 I feel I must answer to "MalaysianUnited" on Frank's behalf. When Swettenham arrived in Malaya as a cadet officer with the Colonial Office seconded to the British East India Company (the close ties between business & politics pre-existed the current era, to be sure), he wasc an adventurous young man with romantic, swashbuckling notions of empire-building. He mastered the Malay language to the extent that every local chief was impressed with his silver tongue (he was especially good at pantuns and could match even the best in the Perak royal household). Naturally, right from the start, Frank Swettenham found himself charmed by the very gracious, subtle and sopan Malays he encountered - especially in Perak. The Chinese that Swettenham met, in sharp contrast, were recent migrants who came to cari makan in the tin mines. They brought with them their clan feuds and their rough-and-ready ways - and did not mingle with others outside their own tongs except to do business. Swettenham was repulsed by the coarseness of the Chinese coolies and dealt only with their Kapitans, out of sheer necessity, though he secretly despised and mistrusted them. In effect, he found the migrant Chinese quite charmless. As for the Indians, they fell into two loose categories - the English-educated were mostly Ceylonese clerks and Tamil-speaking mandors who knew how to say "Yes-sir-no-sir-three-bags-full-sir" to the White Tuans and order their workforce around. The clerks were efficient enough but way too obsequious and toadying for Swettenham's taste. Is it any wonder, then, that Swettenham was dead against allowing the Chinese & Indian equal rights as citizens. The Brits needed migrant labor to develop the country - but failed to figure a graceful way to ship them home afterwards. After a couple of generations it became impossible to boot the migrant communities out, they were firmly rooted in Malayan soil. This explains Swettenham's strong recommendations to the Colonial Office that political power be retained by the Malay aristocracy. If he were to come back to Malaysia today, he would definitely kick himself for having been so shortsighted in his thinking. report abuse disagree 8 agree 45 ... written by Motherchell, November 03, 2008 19:16:33 Dear Azly! what a gem of analytics. Reading each sentence of your sublimity of reason--- Malaysia has lost a wonderful limitless being in you to the US. Your words,""At every epoch in the history of nations, there will be those who will be clueless of what they exist for and who they exist for; .....and science of social control and in the art of war. One example of the weakness you mention is a Man who was given that opportunity for 25 years , exemplified A man who claimed he was a Malay , but debilitated the growing years of so much A True Malay could have learnt. This is the tragedy!! And when you say the art of war! A golden chance lost into that wilderness!! for that True Malay! ""'MANY HAVE STOOD AGAINST MAHATHIR; NONE HAS PREVAILED… ...........“Whether they were institutions or individuals, their defeats have been total, crushing, humiliating. They have been consigned to political oblivion; reduced to non-existence. Think, my friends, of those who have been felled by this man’s career. Not just politicians & nationalists, but businessmen, managers, technocrats, administrators, academics, educators, intellectuals (even, dare I say journalists?). Think of those who have languished in the wilderness, spending the best years of their lives in limbo. Include all those whose development and maturation have been stunted and constrained by the way things are done in this country. And ask yourselves: how much longer will such Malaysian talent go to waste, torn out by the roots, nipped in the bud, left to wither on the vine and rot in the fields? Ah, but according to Mahathir, it seems we were never a very talented lot in the first place, so it’s no great loss.................."""" http://sjsandteam.wordpress.co...-and-team/ So is A True Malay really interested in what he cries for--- Yes !! he is " ....HE MUST TAKE THE FIRST STEPS " , looking away from the triflings,-- to seek the truth from focused ignorance! Thank you Azly! -- you are a limitless being! report abuse disagree 1 agree 12 ... written by Motherchell, November 03, 2008 19:30:25 apologies-- typo-=-- It should read .......,-- to seek the truth! away from focused ignorance! report abuse disagree 0 agree 2 ... written by advocatusdiaboli, November 03, 2008 21:21:06 Bro magickriver I think our fren MalaysianUnited is reading the wrong history books written by the Ketuanan Melayu UMNOputras. He seems hell bent in repulsing anything said about the origins of the word Melayu. Hmmm... do we have a cybertroper here? report abuse disagree 1 agree 8 ... written by MalaysianUnited, November 03, 2008 22:50:17 advocatusdiaboli, Prove me wrong!!! 1) sebutan bahasa boleh bertukar secara drastik dari bunyi 'ei' ke 'ou'..???...'malai' jadi 'melayu'??.. 2) Orang Melayu = 'orang pergunungan' atau tinggal di pergunungan??..mana ketamadunan Melayu yang tinggal di pergunungan??..nak kelentong pun agak2 la.. Semasa serangan Raja Chola ke atas kerajaan Srivijaya..banyak kerajaan kecil di Semenanjung adalah kerajaan maritim..apa kaitan dengan 'pergunungan'?.. lawan facts la bro..baru jantan!!..kalau takat nak condemn aku cakap 'oh, malaysianunited ini cybertropper, orang UMNO..'..sorry la. aku tak layan orang yang tak intelektual macam ko..sebab dah ramai sangat orang macam ini BERSEPAH dalam MALAYSIA TODAY..aku dah tak hairan.. semestinya ko tak tahu apa2pun pasal Malaysia..betul tak?.. report abuse disagree 23 agree 3 ... written by lovemalaysiarakyat, November 03, 2008 22:59:55 MU, you must be a Malay who have not mixed with other races. They refer to Malays as "malai". Ask the other non-Malays, especially the older ones. Melayu just came about in the new Bahasa Melayu or is it Bahasa Malaysia? Katak di bawah tempurung. report abuse disagree 1 agree 15 ... written by Spear Bing, November 03, 2008 23:14:21 For the sake of argument and intellectual exercise, is there an English mind, American mind, Philippino mind, Chinese mind? Arab mind? No, we don't. We have only one mind - an ancient mind evolved over thousands of years ago. This mind feeds on time and EGO thrives on time. The cultural and historical development over the years may have shaped the shades of the Malay mind. The post-modern era may pose great challenges for the Malay mind to evolve, to rid itself from the past delusional baggages that are being bundled to claim itself as the Malay supremacy. That's the beginning of the egoic ostentations that will tear the very fabric of the Malaysian political landscape. report abuse disagree 1 agree 4 ... written by ASK4u, November 03, 2008 23:35:57 Hmm, Dr Azly, Greed, lust and fear veils the narrow passage into the 'soul' of man. This is a universal phenomena faced by many nations which has tasted equally many civil wars before being liberated from their cocoon, only to taste true freedom from the clutches of their own mind. It's the natural process of the evolution of the human mind, that undergoes many agony in its march towards perfection. It's not only the dilemma of a 'Malay Mind'. I applaud you for the subtlety in your writing, touching many issues of late, deemed sensitive by the "sons of the soil", whilst urging them at the same time to take the first step forward. Dr Azly, the caterpillar cannot remain in the larvae stage forever. It will be forced out of its cocoon and will emerge as a beautiful butterfly. The 'Malay Mind' will be liberated. I am very Optimistic about it.  report abuse disagree 1 agree 2 ... written by temenggong, November 03, 2008 23:58:13 Magickriver or Sungkai Sihir, Your recollection of history is quite accurate. But the Brits who served the Crown in its far flung mosquito infested colonies, expecially Malaya were the 3rd rated ones after their LCE/PMR, who were romantic idiots, in ways no different from the haughty malay aristocrats. Be that as it may, look how the the malays honoured him, how wrong he was in his judgement. Port Swettenham is now Port Klang. That is malay judgement for you. report abuse disagree 0 agree 4 ... written by KotaDamansara73, November 04, 2008 00:11:05 We, non-malays are not interested in taking away malay rights. We are not interested in stealing their land. We are interested in buying their land. Non-Malay business man buy land from Malays. Never have I come across a chinese or a Indian who stole the Malay land. We, non-malays do not question the "adat Melayu" and the "raja-raja Melayu". The Malays can do whatever they want. But I advise the Malay leaders to cooperate with the non-malays to build this nation call MAlaysia. Because at the end of the day, everybody will benefit from it. If UMNO leaders want money, give them money. Once money is run out, we, non-malays will migrate to another country and let the Malays build this nation all by themselves. And I very sure, by that time, they will be busy fighting among themselves. report abuse disagree 2 agree 15 ... written by MalaysianUnited, November 04, 2008 00:33:57 lovemalaysiarakyat, Maaf la..aku bukan campur dengan jenis2 manusia yang suka label diri mereka bagus, berpelajaran tinggi, tapi otak kosong.. Aku duduk dalam Klang Valley..kawasan bandar..kawasan campur..dan pula kampung di Melaka.. MAKNANYAAAA wahai lovemalaysiarakyat, Aku dan keturunan aku dah lama amalkan budaya 'Malaysia'..bagi yang keturunan yang baru datang kurun ke 19..janganla berlagak!.. Jap2..nak tanya..ko ada ker kawan dari suku Jakun, Semai??..hahaha!!! takde betul tak??..nak kata senang, aku dah bergaul dengan hampir semua suku kaum di Malaysia ini.. Sebab tuh aku berani pakai nama MALAYSIAN UNITED!! i do my research dulu bro!!..aku bukan datang ke sini dengan prinsip..tapi dengan pengalaman juga. ____________________________ berbalik kepada soal 'malai=melayu'..yea, saya tahu tentang orang lama dah lama guna perkataan 'malai'..tapi saya rujuk kepada Dongra Dude yang mengatakan melayu berasal dari perkataan malai dalam bahasa tamil.. 1) bunyi dah lain 2) malai bermaksud 'mountain'..so orang melayu adalah orang pergunungan..eh, anda lihat sendiri..berapa banyak kampung melayu di pergunungan??.. Kalau dah salah dari aspek geografi..kenapa masih nak pertahankan perkataan melayu/malay adalah berasal dari 'malai'??.. Pakailah logik!!.. saya beri persoalan di sini..kenapa perkataan melayu tidak dirujuk melalui sumber orang melayu sendiri?.. Jawab, Dongra Dude dan yang menyokong apa yang dia katakan..atau ini usaha untuk katakan bangsa Melayu adalah bangsa peniru seperti yang kebanyakan orang dalam M2day sibuk perkatakan?.. report abuse disagree 14 agree 1 ... written by tuahjebat, November 04, 2008 01:04:46 Entering the Malay mind - eee I don't want. It like the Matrix then. report abuse disagree 1 agree 5 ... written by businessman, November 04, 2008 11:21:27 Kepada MalaysianUnited, Saya juga pernah baca satu article tentang asal-usul Malaysia. Dalam article itu, memang pernah sebut seperti apa yang ditulis oleh saudara Dongra Dude. Tapi mana buktinya, saya not sure lar. Tapi kalau cuba fikir, ia mungkin ada sedikit kebenaran. Kalau tidak, mengapa orang melayu dipanggil 'malai ren' dalam mandarin? report abuse disagree 0 agree 4 ... written by ASK4u, November 04, 2008 11:30:14 Jawab, Dongra Dude dan yang menyokong apa yang dia katakan..atau ini usaha untuk katakan bangsa Melayu adalah bangsa peniru seperti yang kebanyakan orang dalam M2day sibuk perkatakan? MalaysianUnited, I respect you for your multicultural stand and what's wrong with copying someone else culture or language? Show me one language in the world that's not "adulterated". I bet nobody can. Putting down any particular race based on the etymology of a word that represent them is not an honourable thing to do either. The excerpt below taken from wikipedia is meant to be a compliment and should not be taken negatively. It can be studied on a purely academic ground and its authenticity can be disputed and challenged. In the History of Jambi, the word Melayu originated from a river with name Melayu River near to Batang Hari River of today's Muara Jambi, Jambi province of Sumatra, Indonesia and even a Melayu Kingdom existed from the record of Yi Jing (a Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk) and archaeological research of Jambi, large numbers of ancient artifacts and ancient architectures of the Melayu Kingdom have been found with photo evidence. However further tracing the root of the word, a small town in Tamil district appeared called Malai Yur which means "Land of Mountains" (malai means mountain and yur means land), a reference to the hilly nature of the Malay Archipelago. Other ancient Indian sources , the Purana text, claimed "Malayadvipa" on Sumatra with the meaning 'dvipa' land surrounded by water, while the ancient Sanskrit word Himalaya means 'snow mountain'. "Maleu-kolon" was used by Ptolemy which was also derived from Sanskrit 'malayakom' or 'malaikurram', according to G. E. Gerini that was to refer to Tanjung Kuantan while Roland Bradell claimed it on Tanjung Penyabung, both in the peninsula. The word Melayu began in use during the time of Sultanate of Melaka, founded by the fleeing prince Parameswara, from the declining Melayu Kingdom of Srivijaya in Palembang. And the word was in popular use in 17th century onwards. During the European colonization, the word "Malay" was adopted into English via the Dutch word "Malayo", itself from Portuguese "Malaio", which originates from the Malay word "Melayu". ..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malay_people report abuse disagree 1 agree 16 ... written by Zephyr, November 10, 2008 10:34:17 All the writers up here only explain and elaborate what said by Dr Azly, no one have ever taken in the account of what should be done its is CHANGE we rakyat seek, CHANGE the way what is now, it doesn't take another RPK to do CHANGE but we ourselves have to show, Wheter it is now or the coming GE, Yes i i may chant the word CHANGE like what Barrack Obama said, but just as today situation is required to do so. Can the next GE be different, or can we the rakyat be any less difference by the way we think. Im not here to lament on the writers above, just feel that we have to lessen the word and more action. What at least we can do, is try to change the minds around us first, starting from our own home, because there are so many different thoughts than the same mind we have. What we the rakyat really need right now besides arguing religion, facts and proof is to be CHANGED.CHANGE in our mentality, CHANGE our family thoughts, CHANGE our friends and our family, CHANGE the race divide, CHANGE our spirits. And God bless, one day we can look back and say hey i have CHANGED the way Malaysia thinks and today there is liberty for all of us. God bless Malaysia. AND oen more thing, i would like to congratulate Pete on his release report abuse disagree 0 agree 0 ... written by NIDZOM, November 13, 2008 03:50:58 mu ada point bagus. zephyr pun cantik. our country is being taken away from us, cops are at their worst attitude, and here the least that people are with each other just saddens me. shall we begin to take the effort and responsibility to actually take the time and comment each other here with respect and "adab"? saya percaya semua mahukan perubahan yang elok maka cara dan jenis perkataan yang dipilih pun haruslah yang elok. nothing good ever comes from an explosion. that is why i don't believe in the big bang theory. everyone who took the time to comment here started with the sincerity of wanting to get involved with a movemment that would bring good. So i plead to you guys to come and share your discussions and debates with respect!!i salute you heroes of mine!! report abuse disagree 0 agree 0 ... written by panca, November 13, 2008 14:36:29 written by magickriver, November 03, 2008 19:02:48 "If he were to come back to Malaysia today, he would definitely kick himself for having been so shortsighted in his thinking." That was why IDIOT right before 916 sent BN walk-overs away to Taiwan to learn from the abORIGINAL Malay "A-MEI" singer on new agriculture technology. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leVvZ4rX-lU report abuse disagree 0 agree 1 |
(2).jpg)
"What has become the Malays after being screwed-up by UMNO, BTN (Biro Tata Negara), Utusan & Berita?"