Scholar sees weak political culture as the root of a faceless Malaysia

Malaysians are finding themselves at odds with each other due to a lack of trust in the country’s politicians and public institutions, an academic said today.

Dr Helen Ting of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Institute for Malaysian and International Studies said the problem was the weak political culture, where politicians do not care about how the public perceive them, even when they appear to be inconsistent.

"They are not shy to do that when they feel that their political survival is at stake. So, the priority is their survival, not principles, and not the feeling that ‘it is shameful for me if I am not principled or if I am not consistent’, she said today at the final phase of the 7th National Congress on Integrity in Petaling Jaya.

She added that when there was a debate about a political policy, which was taken to the courts for recourse, certain judgments delivered only made minorities feel that the arbitration had not been fair.

"For instance, one thing that makes us feel really doubtful about these institutions is when two retired high level judges openly made certain remarks which minorities see as detrimental to national unity.

"You wonder then what they were thinking when they deliberated on cases, these statements raise doubts in the minds of the public about neutrality."

She said that problem was also extended to cases where the police defied the court verdict in interfaith custody cases and cases of religious authorities intervening in non-Muslim affairs.

"Before we would have taken it for granted that if you have majority support in a state assembly, you can become the MB. But, now the rules seem to be changing.

"So this crisis and perceived partiality is not just about race and religion, but there is crisis of trust in political institutions," she said.

Ting said that this was even evident in the recent “Allah” issue, where a practice that has been done over decades had become a problem.

"So you see a situation where convention and predictable rules and procedures have been set aside, and, now, we cannot be sure what will happen anymore.

"And we have more and more elite in important positions who are taking this type of arguments to justify certain practices and legislation," she said.

Another speaker, Ahmad Fuad Rahmat of Projek Dialog, said that while Islam's position in the country cannot be denied, it was important to question the scope of shariah, which was expanding beyond merely labelling halal food.

He also questioned to what extent shariah courts should be allowed to grow, adding that a researcher had pointed out in 2011 that Jakim was the highest funded department within the Prime Minister's Department.

"They are so emboldened and so recognised over the decades as not only having power, but keep demanding power.

"The question is, where does it stop?" he asked.

Another speaker at the congress, activist Siti Kassim, who spoke on behalf of the Orang Asli, said often, the government had not respected the freedom of religion right for the community.

For example, the Alor Gajah municipal council which demolished a community chapel in November 2011 without giving the Orang Asli the right to be heard, adding that there were a few other such cases.

"But we have not heard of any surau or masjid being demolished in any Orang Asli kampung or settlement.

"So it means if they embrace Islam, they are going to be special Orang Asli. If they don’t embrace Islam, they are going to be neglected and not get any help from the Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (JKOA)," she said.

Siti said there have been Islamisation programmes with material benefits implemented by JKOA over the years, designed to change the identity of Orang Asli.

She cited an example of four Orang Asli schoolchildren in Kelantan, who were slapped by their teacher for not reciting the doa, or Muslim prayer.

"But these kids are not Muslim.

"They came to us and asked us for advice, and we told them no one can slap them like that for no good reason."

The speakers at the congress were giving their feedback on a policy document which was tabled for review by NGOs attending the final phase of the 7th National Congress on Integrity.

The policy paper had been prepared following a dialogue session in January co-organised by the Islamic Renaissance Front and Oriental Hearts and Mind Study Institute.

The dialogue was aimed at discussing the poser over the lack of a common national identity that everyone could subscribe to which superseded other loyalties and identities.

The policy paper will be amended to include the speakers’ recommendations and feedback yesterday, before it is submitted to the government. – September 13, 2014.