On the Malays

The Malays

The Malay identity was one of greatness. For a thousand years, empires were built by them. Srivijaya was the father of Malay empires, Majapahit unified the areas known as Nusantara, or the Malay world, Malacca was the first empire that carried the Malay name and identity, Johore continued the legacy of Malacca, Acheh sealed the Malay's identity with Islam. The seed of the Malay spreads across the world, from Hawaii to Madagascar.

And the Malay was not proud of his greatness. He considered himself equal, friends with peoples of other empires, and yet humble. Malacca was vassal to the Chinese Ming Dynasty, but still consider it as friends on equal footing. Host to the various Indian states, but still welcomed them to trade and served in the Malacca court, like Mani Purindam and Tun Mutahir. The Achehnese welcomed the Turk and the discussion of Islamic theology and philosophy flourished, and history was developed as a proper discipline by Nuruddin al-Raniri, long before von Ranke's idea was used.

The Malays were open to new ideas and new views. The so-called feudal loyalty to the Crown was not to the extent of forgoing common sense and reason. Did not Hang Jebat challenge Mansur Syah for Tuah's death? Did not Hang Tuah's son challenge Mahmud Syah in the balairung for committing adultery with his wife? And did not Mahmud Syah lose the support of the young warriors for his cruelty in killing his own son? Was Acheh not founded on the idea of Islamic ideals, the people deposing cruel rulers like they did Raja Buyong the Drunkard?

But the British came. And mischief was set. The Malays, long involved in trade and mining, was limited to the scope of farming and fishing. Swettenham, Winstedt, Wilkinson-they preserved the idea of the quintessential Malay in their heads, in their books, and in their policies, and the stereotype of the Malays was shaped.

We see the seed of this view today. The Malays, reduced to the level of a joke of a stereotype. The Malays are lazy. The Malays are stupid. The Malays are involved in drugs. And incest. And rempit. The Malays are too dependent on government aid. The Malays are idle, only prone to mindless entertainment. The Malays are stuck in a feudalistic view of the world. The Malays are superstitious, close-minded, racist to an extent, yet hypocritical and have no understanding of their own faith. Despite the fact that negative traits and its link to race is merely pseudo-science nonsense.

But who made the Malays this way? Who brainwashed the Malays to accept the stereotype blindly? The British are long gone. They can be blamed no longer. The Chinese and Indians for perpetuating this view? The Aaronic scapegoat is useless. Why condemn a whole people for the views of some idiots? And mind you, idiocy is colour-blind.

Did not Mahathir tell the Malays to shed the stereotype in the Malay Dilemma? Did not Syed Hussein Alatas argue that the stereotype does not exist in The Myth of the Lazy Native? Did not Anwar say the Malays could stand on their own feet?

So who is to blame? The politicians? Is it UMNO, who allowed some bigots to hijack the Malay identity and create the view of the kris-wielding racist? Is it PAS, who created the view of the religio-fascist, close-minded Malays? Is it DAP, who have nothing positive to say about the Malays, perpetuating the myth? Is it RPK, who seem to perpetuate the view of the self-hating 'liberal' Malay in his blog? Is it the whole monarchy system itself?

The main question here now. Who took the Malay identity from the Malays?

What My Mother Taught Me

Read this the other day. Really funny stuff.

1. My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION...
"Just wait until you father gets home!"

2. My Mother taught me about RECEIVING...
"You are going to get it when we get home!"

3. My Mother taught me to MEET A CHALLENGE...
"What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you...Don't talk back to me!"

4. My Mother taught me LOGIC...
"If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can't go to the store with me."

5. My Mother taught me MEDICINE...
"If you don't stop making funny faces, it's going to freeze that way."

6. My Mother taught me to THINK AHEAD...
"If you don't pass your spelling tet, you'll never get a good job."

7. My Mother taught me about ESP...
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold."

8. My Mother taught me HUMOUR...
"When the lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

9. My Mother taught me how to BECOME AND ADULT...
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

10. My Mother taught me about SEX...
"How do you think you got here? Stork, izit?"

11. My Mother taught me about GENETICS...
"You're just like your father."

12. My Mother taught me about my ROOTS...
"Where do you think you were born? In a zoo, izit?"

13. My Mother taught me about JUSTICE...
"You just wait when you have kids. I hope they turn out just like you...then you'll see what it's like."

Seriously, I love my parents. This is just a bit of laugh here...I hope I don't get disinherited or something...

Five Philosophies to Live By (since everyone else's compiling lists)

This is a personal list of philosophical rules of life that I compiled. Mainly because everyone else's doing it, and I think it's normal for people to jump into the bandwagon while it's still 'hipping and hopping'. :P

1. Always compliment yourself. Personally, I think masuk bakul angkat sendiri is an amazing philosophy. I mean, if you're not going to blow your own trumpet, who will, right? Of course, preemptively point out this fact to people before they point it out to you. This way, people will actually think you're humble.

2. Blame others before you blame yourself. Sure, sure, you can go through the whole 'muhasabah diri' thingy and it's ok, but seriously, it's not half as fun as blaming others when something bad happens. And then sue them. Hopefully the 5 UM law students I have as friends of Facebook can help me out here =D

3. Act as if you like intelligent books and films. Like Akira Kurosawa or Ingmar Bergman films, or Russian Nihilist books. Understanding this stuff is a different matter altogether, and is optional. Girls will think you're mysterious and attractive and fall for you. I have followed this 3rd philosophy for a while...oh, wait...now that I think about it, maybe I do need to revise following this one here. Hmmm...

4. Never, ever, EVER, invite preachers into your room. Not that I have anything against God or religion, but they will take too much of your time, telling you stuff you can read and then try to act as if they know more about your studies than you. And don't discriminate. Tablighs, PMIUM, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons...KEEP THEM ALL OUT!

5. When in doubt, recycle Garfield and Dilbert jokes in conversations to make people think you're smart. Unintended side effect: people may instead think you're a pompous twit and stay away from you. Unintended side effect 2: people may actually read Garfield and Dilbert as well, conclude you're unoriginal and stay away from you anyway...better stick to Baby Blues and Calvin and Hobbes then.

An Ode, to my Dead Bonsai.

Oh, woe is me,
And my absent-minded head,
Didn't care for my bonsai,
And now you're dead.

Bought you in a store,
In that place, Mid-Valley,
How could I say no to you,
When you cost only RM 9.90?

Brought you back to my room,
And named you Green Leafy,
For that's the name of my cat,
(Or was it Fluffy?)

I promised to feed you daily,
And give you the sun,
Expose for ten minutes,
Then water you once.

But then I got busy,
Way into the night,
So instead of the sun,
You get fluorescent light.

One day I got up,
And to horror I see,
You are no longer green,
You are brown, 'dah mati'.

I hope you are happy,
And in heaven somehow,
Where angels water you,
For eternity now.

In the future, in heaven,
I hope I take care of you well,
But until then, my dear bonsai,
This is farewell.

On Getting BAck on My Feet

For the past few months, I have not been myself. Something came over me, something which I cannot control, for I have no knowledge, or experience to handle it.

And I got burnt.

Honestly, it was the most painful event in my life, yet. The feeling of despair came over me, and I do not feel that I am worthy of anything at all. No one is to be blamed, but I did burden myself with it for a while.

But time passes. And the pain isn't that painful anymore. And a revelation came, where I realised that there is something beyond this. Life. My life.

Only now do I see that there is something in store for me in the future. The Japan Project. The opportunity to compete in international debate competitions. The chance to study in London. Or Tokyo. Or Lisbon. My career as a lecturer. Visit the world. Find new friends. Or anything else that the Good God has not revealed to me yet. And my worth is re-established.

For all of this, I have no regrets for the past few months. I'm back on my feet, and I will no longer show weakness.

Mere Thoughts on Me and Friendship

Good God, I am a lazy blogger. Not that that's something to be proud of, but still, just need to say it.

Over the past month, I have found out a lot of things about myself. Most importantly, that I am human. Unable to control the elements around me.

My relationship with my best friend is, to say the very least, on the rocks. Each day, it feels as if we're drifting away from each other. Not for lack of effort on my part. Honestly, I don't even know what could cause this. I mean, we used to share a lot of things and views with each other. We haven't had a proper conversation in a month. For the first time in my life, I fear the end of our friendship, dissolving like foam on the sea, with no reason.

And with my two Academic Exercises, seven assignments, tons of weekly homework, Project to Japan..I fear I may succumb to all of this.

But yet, I also felt happy. I found that I am surrounded by many a good friend. My friends from the debate team (and one really patient senior who spends her time listening to and advising me), have always been supportive. Also my friends from the East Asian Studies. They have taught me the meaning of true teamwork (while only a month ago, I detested that word). God willing, we'll succeed in our efforts, and have Japan as our reward.

And I am glad when I found out earlier this month that a friend of mine is already in a relationship. I am honestly happy for her. Love is so difficult to find nowadays, and for someone to get it, it's a good thing. I'm a bit jealous of that happiness of having that close a relationship, I must admit, but I won't be bitter. I'm just happy.

An for the best friend I mentioned above? All I can say is that I trust her. That's what good friends are supposed to do. The ball is in her court, and I trust that when she is ready, she'll return the serve.

So much for friendship.

What's In A Name?

Last week, the Malaysian High Court had issued a ruling that allowed the Catholic Church weekly the Herald to use the word Allah in their Bahasa Malaysia publication in referring to God. The response by the Muslim community in Malaysia is, to nicely put it, disappointing. Not only did the Home Ministry filed an appeal to reinstate the prohibition, but the number and nature of demonstrations following the ruling is disturbing, to say the least, and it revealed the nature of intolerance among the citizens, even in using the name of God.

Let us move to the so-called 'problems' that they brought up with their opposition to the ruling:

1. Issue of sensitivity and fear. The Muslims went out and demonstrated, and showed their anger. Why? Because they fear that the non-Muslims will use the word 'Allah' to propagate their religions to Muslims, who will be confused by such usage. Does this fear have any bases? The obvious answer to that question would be in the negative.
Firstly, the idea of propagation made easier because the court allows the word Allah to be used by people of other faiths does not hold water, especially in Malaysia, where Article 11 (4) in the Federal Constitution already prohibited non-Muslims from proselytizing among Muslims. Especially, when the usage of the word Allah, in this case, is allowed in the Herald, a weekly newspaper only circulated among the Catholic community and not outside it.
Secondly, will Muslims really be confused? The education system in Malaysia compels Muslim students to take Islamic Studies since Standard One, for at least 12 years. Even Islamic schools were allowed to run in this system. These students would be taught the basics of Islam and the Holy Qur'an (with emphasis on the 112th Surah, al-Ikhlas-which affirms the strict monotheism of God) throughout this period. If indeed the demonstrators and detractors of this ruling felt that the entire Muslim community will forget what they have been taught in Islamic studies and schools for twelve years and fall into confusion just because one religion uses the name Allah, then the problem is with the education system, not the ruling.

2. Issue of the sanctity of Allah. The demonstrators asserted that it is impious for people of other faiths to use the name Allah, as it is the exclusive right of Muslims to use that name, and they fear that non-Muslims would misuse it. The question that should be asked is, misused to what end? For they could not provide any link between the word Allah being used by non-Muslim (or Catholics in this case) and the so-called misuse. If anything, the Muslims (I am sorry to say, for I myself am Muslim) are also guilty of misusing the Holy Name of Allah to commit atrocities (such as terrorist organisations like Al-Qaeda and the Taliban regime that oppresses women). If indeed the Muslims argue that they were denounced, then the same could be applied to the non-Muslims that misused the name of God. It is still not a good basis to deny them the use of Allah to refer to God in Bahasa Malaysia.
And we have to look at the effects of such demonstrations. The organisation Badan Anti Inter-faith Council (BADAI) has called upon the Malay rulers and the National Fatwa Council to take action to prohibit the use of such a name. This action, rather than keeping the sanctity of God's Holy Name, actually violates it, for it made His Name subject to the whims of a group of people, a grave blasphemy in any faith. Similarly, the organisation Perkasa (led by Ibrahim Ali) also committed a similar blasphemy when they linked the use of the word Allah to Malay rights, reducing God to an ethnic right.

3. Issue of the non-Muslims having no religious or linguistic right to use the name of God. This is not true. The demonstrators have mistakenly assumed 'Allah' to be the Arabic word for God, and therefore only Muslims have the sole right to use that name in their prayers and religious articles. Not so. It is well known that the Arab Christians use the word Allah when referring to the proper name of God.

When referring to 'god' as a common noun, then the proper translation should be 'tuhan' in Malay. But here is has been stated that Allah is the proper name of God. So the proper corresponding term to Allah in the Bible is 'the LORD'. Even Professor Dr Hamka, the learned Muslim theologian, used the term god/tuhan and Allah/the LORD in his book 'Pelajaran Agama Islam':

Kitab Keluaran, Fasal 20 (Book of Exodus, Chapter 20):

2. Bahwa Aku-lah Tuhanmu Allah yang telah membawa kamu keluar dari tanah Mesir dari tempat perhambaan itu. (I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.)

3. Janganlah engkau menyembah Tuhan yang lain daripada-Ku (Thou shalt have no other gods before me. )

4. Karena dalam enam hari lamanya dijadikan Allah langit dan bumi dan laut dengan segala sinya, maka berhentilah ia pada hari yang ketujuh. sebab itulah diberkati Allah akan hari perhentian itu serta diquduskannya akan dia. (For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.)
And if one looks at the New Testament, the word Allah is used even by Jesus Christ. In Matthew 27:46, Jesus cried upon the cross 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachtani', Eli being the proper name for God in the Aramaic language, a sister language of Arabic, corresponding to Allah. So it is untrue that Christians have no scriptural basis for using the term Allah to refer to the proper name of God in Bahasa Malaysia.

It is hoped that cool heads and sanity will prevail, and the Holy Name of God not be misused, or even reserved for a certain group of people.