Republic of virtue, 4/09

A divisible 'One Malaysia'? PDF Print
Posted by admin
Tuesday, 21 April 2009 04:56

While we hear the ‘One Malaysia’ slogan being trumpeted, we have also seen the evolution of structural violence in our economic, educational, cultural, and legal systems.

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Azly Rahman

http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/

I grew up hearing slogans, as each regime passed power to its successor.
In the 1960s it was Bersatu teguh, bercerai roboh. In the 1970s it was Bersekutu bertambah mutu. In the 1980s we were serenaded for 22 years with Bersih, Cekap, Amanah.

There was a song Demi Negara that went along as soundtrack. Next came a new leader with Kepimpinan Melalui Teladan and Islam Hadhari. Now we have One (1) Malaysia.

Malaysians saw the chronology of sloganising as ‘unity increases quality’, ‘clean, efficient, trustworthy’, ‘leadership via good example’ and finally ‘Malaysia as one’.

Nice slogans. We have created branding in governance. But if we are to lift the veil and look at what is behind these words, we will discover the complex interplay between political-economy and hidden agendas, between political bribery and hegemony, and between ethnocentrism and hedonistic capitalism.

Malaysians are not as excited as Americans when Barack Obama took control to create a ‘One America, indivisible with liberty and justice for all’. Malaysians have a long way to go in terms of translating slogans into data-driven system of governing.

For Muslims, Malaysia in this age is like Mekkah circa the emergence of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) - hedonistic, tribalistic, with multiple demigods of materialism, contradictory and hypocritical.

Like Mekkah during the reign of Abu Sufyan, when power rested on the display of signs and symbols of wealth and little concern for the plight of the poor, Malaysia has evolved into a country in which the disparity between the rich and the poor has become too wide and that those in power use any means to ensure that divisions in society are maintained. Thus we have a country in which homes of the poor are bulldozed to build yet another shopping mall.

While we hear the ‘One Malaysia’ slogan being trumpeted, we have also seen the evolution of structural violence in our economic, educational, cultural, and legal systems.

We have Acts that imprison the body, mind, and spirit of our citizens. Using the state ideological apparatuses, the powerful among us have used power not to liberate, but to cage the powerless.

Structural problems

But as in many a renewal processes, we must continue to work towards dismantling the very foundation of race-based politics; from the psychological to the ideological. The problem is not necessarily in the leadership that moves from one hegemonic phase to another; the problem is deeply structural.

The structure can no longer hold the weight of the masses that are demanding for justice to serve all and not to enrich the few. The violence that need to be eradicated is inherent in the system; a system that is build upon slogans and feel-good messages trumpeted across ages through the media controlled by those who own the means of intellectual, economic, and perhaps moral production.

I propose that the beginning of a successful goal of a ‘One Malaysia’ nation should begin with the dismantling of all race-based political parties. As long as we are organised along racial lines, we will continue to protect each others' interest using the idea of might is right.

Our institutions will continue to be built along these lines and our culture will continue to evolve in ways that will enable and disable each other. Our children will continue to learn about better ways not to tolerate each other and how to build walls and cages around us. We will, as citizens, continue to see race and ethnicity - rather than class or caste - as obstacles to progress.

I propose we pry through the slogans and make the government of the day accountable. If the regime says that is one of ‘clean, efficient, trustworthy’, we must demand proof that it is so.

If the regime of Najib Abdul Razak wants to see a One Malaysia, we must demand that the One-ness of Malaysia be rebuilt on the foundation of politics, economics, culture, and education that will ensure that a humane system of regulative and distributive justice is installed, made transparent and always evolves to deal with the challenges of globalisation and multi-culturalism.

In One Malaysia we are seeing merely systemic change; a fine-tuning of a system that is breaking down. Those who created and run the machine are also breaking down and plagued with a political pathological condition that exacerbates the problem.

In One Malaysia, what we need is a truly revolutionary process of transformation that will bring back the dignity of the poor and the dispossessed of all ethnic groups, punish the robber barons, bring back freedom of inquiry in all our educational and cultural institutions, create a God-fearing law enforcement system.

Most importantly, it must create a cadre of leaders that will explore what humane capitalism means rather than sloganise on human capitalism that create a newer form of indentured servitude.

In short we need to explore the primacy of ‘spiritual capitalism’ rather than continue to become capitalists evolving into merely spirits in a material world.

Let us make our slogans meaningful. Like a living holy scripture.

--
OUR USUAL REMINDER, FOLKS:
While the opinion in the article is mine,
the comments are yours;
present them rationally and ethically.
AND -- SET ALL I.S.A. DETAINEES FREE]

Comments (9)Add Comment
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written by educationist, April 21, 2009 06:16:48
Finally, I get an interpretation of 1Malaysia that makes sense!!
But sadly, it's from you Dr Azly!
No disrespect meant and I embraced your views fully.
The point being that the UMNOputras are not interested in substance but form.
The slogan is meant to be another means to hoodwink the non bumiputera Malaysians in particular , that Najib's regime will make the necessary changes to governance that have alienated a large segment of that electorate.
But they have not contended with people like Dr Azly who are able to tell them what precisely needs to be done.
Why? Because they have no intention of doing anything!
Period!
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written by ahmadneil, April 21, 2009 07:15:54
A failed leader always have tons of slogan to divert people's attention.
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written by commonfolk, April 21, 2009 07:37:50
People are fed-up with these slogans each time a new leader emerge. They just shout, shout and shout with the new slogans and in the end never implement. They are just LAIR leaders.
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written by penangboi, April 21, 2009 08:04:15
Malaysia BolehLand is reknown for many things and one of which is none other than a perchant for slogans.

The Latest is One Malaysia. Ah, sounds good, no? Before you start clapping consider all those which were trumpeted in the past and rate them according to their successes. These are the ones I can think of at the moment. I am sure I've missed out plenty. Feel free to add.

Islam Hadhari
Malaysia Gemilang, terbilang...
Wawasan 2020
Cekap & Bersih
Saya Anti Rasuah
Bangsa Malaysia
.....

Beautiful, aren't they?
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written by banjarbp, April 21, 2009 08:50:14
Only one slogan that fit current government, Cakap Tak serupa Bikin ...
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written by cruzeiro, April 21, 2009 10:33:31
Let us make our slogans meaningful. Like a living holy scripture.
========================================

Make slogans "meaningful"?
Sorry - But I beg to differ.
Actually, I do not believe that we need any slogans in the first place. Slogans are meant to hoodwink the masses while they hide a more sinister agenda. It is meant for idiots who cannot think, and idolize their perceived "leaders".
Slogans are meant for the likes of those who comment on CheCet.cc.

What we need is a ethical & viable philosophy to guide the nation-state to true "nationhood". As of now, all we have are racists and bigots who cater to those who make the most noise - the potentially most violent ones. We have BTN which is designed specifically to sow racist (supremacist/fascist) arrogance among the Malays, while drumming in the feeling of alienation among the "nons". This does no less than breed discord and hatred among the citizenry.
This hatred is in turn used to manipulate the unthinking into a siege mindset, which in turn encourages the majority to willingly surrender their rights to the elite out of fear.

Fear of the unknown, dispossession, violence, hunger and death.
Politics of fear - That is their ultimate weapon. Not the C4, truncheons, not the army, not Kamunting, not Sungai Buloh. Just Fear.
The propaganda machinery and everything else at their disposal (including all the institution of state) at the disposal of the powers that be is designed towards this end. This politics of fear is very much alive and kicking, along with Mahathir bin Mohamed - the much idolized and worshiped icon of Umno.

In order to change this, they need to change the education system and free the media. We need to disband BTN, Umno, quasi-religious NGOs and all other pseudo democratic fascist organizations.
The children need to be taught the philosophy/ virtues of "Egalité, Liberté, Fraternité" from a young age, and not the slogan.
We cannot "give meaning" to slogans, nor do we need them anyways- unless of course, there is a need to rally the people for a war.
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written by born2reign, April 21, 2009 11:21:21
Our schools are dying.
Our judicial courts are prostitutes to UMNO.
Our human resources are waiting for handouts, unequipped with updated skills.
Our human resources are blaming each other for their plight.
Our leaders are gangster tai-ko's, shooting the messengers of bad news and criticisms.
Our police are on payroll from gangster syndicates
Our democratic country has turned into communist country.

That is the meaning of 1Malaysia. All your freedom and wealth and resources belong to the state.
smilies/angry.gif
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written by Barking out loud, April 23, 2009 02:10:37
Very well written. So it shall be, we shall demand a One Malaysia and I shall support you all the way.

I for one will declare that I am a Bumiputera from today onwards. I believe that all citizens born in Malaysia should be considered Bumiputera. All my application forms will from now on be filled with Bumiputera status as my family has been living on this land for 3 generations.
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written by Loh, April 25, 2009 14:27:46
The architect of divided-malaysia is TDM. If najib intends to return to 1Malaysia, he should distance himself from TDM. To do that, he needs only to be close to AAB minus his son-in-law. Najib did well in excluding Khairy from the cabinet. he would have done a perfect job had he excluded Mukriz Mahathir. Najib might not have realised that mahathir stands for all the evils and ills in this country. To allow Mahathir as a deputy minister shows that he is not far from TDM's pocket; other think that he is in fact inside TDM's pocket.
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