Where has Malay Nationalism gone to?
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On July 22nd we lost some of our country's most precious assets: our youth. But we kept our dignity as a nation. Now we will find our way back to normality. But there will be new tests that are just as demanding as the ones we have passed.
I am proud of the way the Norwegian people faced this first big test. We were hit with a brutality that threw every one of us into emotional chaos. We could have gone astray. Instead, our people responded with roses and promises of more democracy and a more open society.
We passed the second test too. We bid farewell to our loved ones in an atmosphere of tranquility and respect. Every last goodbye requires strength. We stood together with those who mourned and needed a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold.
Our third test is yet to come. It will also require a great deal of us, but in a different way. Slowly we are finding our way back to our everyday life again, but July 22nd has changed Norway forever. Yet, in time, we will again focus on work and school, TV shows and the weather. Some are already there, others need more time.
Remember that when everyday life resumes, some people will still be struggling. Those who have lost a family member or close friend. Young people who survived the shooting on Utøya and who in a few weeks' time will again have to focus on solving mathematical equations. Government employees who relive the explosion over and over again. Volunteers who are not finished telling their dramatic story. Others who are unable to rid themselves of the images of violence and death.
It is now that we must show that we are a nation that cares about each other. A nation where everyone is seen. Remember, too, that those who have no visible wounds are also suffering. They need our collective support. As a country we have built systems to provide services for people who are struggling. All those in need will be offered help from the authorities.
Just as important as our society as a whole are our small communities: our neighborhoods, workplaces and schools. In the surreal weeks we have just been through, we have truly learned what caring means. A mother and father watching over their young daughter were moved by friends mowing the lawn for them. When autumn darkness falls, what we will remember are the small acts of kindness: a cake, a hug, an invitation to talk, and every single rose. These are all expressions of a nation coming together and caring about its people.
The public debate and the private conversations will also find their form after July 22nd. From the rostrum of the Storting, I asked people not to start a witch hunt, not to go looking for things that should not have been said. I repeat this here. I hope with all my heart that the seeds of decent dialogue and tolerance take root. We have heard and read that more people are now taking the time to reflect on their own attitudes. To think about what they have said and written in the past.
With July 22nd in mind, some people may wish they had weighed their words differently, and in the future will express themselves with greater sensitivity. As I told the members of the Storting, this is understandable. We must all be allowed to learn from the tragedy. We must all be allowed to say "I was wrong" -- and be respected for it. It is a worthy response to the attack on democracy.
I also want to invite everyone who takes part in online debates to reflect on his or her choice of words and form. The Internet is a democratic asset. In blogs and debates, we can all participate on the same footing. At its best, the Internet is impressive. It enables us in principle to talk to the whole world, but this opportunity also entails responsibility.
By voting we add our voice to the chorus that forms opinions and the basis for actions. I ask each one of you to think about how you choose to express yourself. Do you speak anonymously? How could the words you use affect those you write about? Families should discuss these questions around the dinner table. They should be debated in classrooms. In media houses. All of us should reflect on these issues.
I hope that we can take with us the spirit of the days following July 22nd when the political work now resumes. I hope we can exercise the same prudence as that shown by the Norwegian people. We will not put a lid on opinions. On the contrary, it is more important than ever that political debates are open and free, even on the most difficult issues. Especially on the most difficult issues. The task is to encourage controversial debates in a form that strengthens democracy. This is an invitation to a debate about the debate. Out of respect for those who died, we choose to respond with dignity.
It is moving away from immovable UMNO.
The doleful and almost pleading wish of UMNO people generally is for all the nightmares affecting their political future will go away. As a self-reassuring measure, they tell themselves, things will be all right. The people will come back to UMNO because UMNO fights for Malays. So, UMNO leaders everywhere say, things will be ok. Zahid Hamidi says, UMNO will win back the Malay ground and it will do so overwhelmingly.
One word which is most often used in today’s times, be it in newspapers or on television, is CORRUPTION. Everyone is up in arms against the C word. Everyone wants change but the problem is nobody WANTS to change - whether it’s the corrupt politician or the corrupted public at large or the lowest rung police hawaldar or the high ranking official at Mantralaya.
Indeed the PM’s not so long ago war cry that UMNO will fight at all cost – even over crushed bodies and broken bones - to remain in power, is increasingly being observed to the letter. Today, Malaysians are being inundated with all kinds of threats, intimidation and strong-arm tactics to a point where we cannot anymore differentiate truth from lies.
And when truth and lies become clouded with political party priorities and ambitions, a society collapses into the trenches of socio-political and economic failures. The beneficiaries will of course be only those who wield control over the masses.
Murkier by the day
Where is UMNO’s main appeal? It appeals to the Malay ground that adopts the cruder form of Malay nationalism, the sledgehammer variety so enthusiastically expounded by organizations like Perkasa. But that variety of base and crude nationalism is dying. The new generation of Malay voters adopt different values and have different expectations.
You can see what form of nationalism they subscribed to- making out the case that Bersih march for example was masterminded by Malaysian Indians out to topple the Malay government. They thought that would turn the Malay ground xenophobic until they discovered the majority of the marchers were Malays. You get disappointed that you can no longer reduce the issue to a simple Malay- non Malay clash.
What’s the other important thing to the Malays? Their religion- comes the answer. So UMNO leaders came out accusing homely Ambiga as a threat to Islam. Still no go as that would assume the Malay faith in their religion is so fragile that even the appearance of Ambiga who is probably remotely interested in another person’s religious denomination, is sufficient to shake the religious fiber of the Malay ground. Still no one buys that argument as it died out as quickly as it was raised.
Hmm, let’s try communism, that godless creed. The Malay’s hatred for communism seemed to be a possible source to limit empathy from the Malay ground. So pictures of Shamsiah Fakeh a member of the Malay communist regiment of the 1940s were resurrected and given prominence. The idea was to say that Bersih marchers were communism inspired.
The feeble attempt was non impactful because the attempted association with communism goes against mainstream logic; no one country in the world is sticking around communism. Even China has gone free market. Why would a band of marchers, marched in the cause of communism?
Face it. UMNO can’t appeal any longer to the cruder form of xenophobic nationalism or group pride.
Let’s ask calmly, where has Malay nationalism migrated to? The answer to me is it hasn’t migrated anywhere. But Malay nationalism has mutated into the finer form of nationalism which finds expression in variegated forms of universal causes. Example. The abhorrence for corruption is one reconstituted form of the previously crude form of nationalism. Revulsion towards other races has tuned to a more universal revulsion for corruption for example. Because corruption cuts across and affects the interest no longer of distinct groups, but the whole country. It undermines the moral fiber of the whole nation.
Wasn’t the principal idea of the original nationalism was to inculcate one’s love for the country and one’s love for the country finds expression in a more universal desire to protect the country’s interest as a whole? The crude form of nationalism which is essentially irrational chauvinism exist as an insignificant subset to the wider and more universal nationalism. It exists among the inhabitants of the lunatic underworld.
Revulsion towards economic thievery and corporate pillaging is another example. The Malays despise their own kind for doing a sting on the country with equal vehemence as if economic con jobs are inflicted on them. I have in mind of course the lightning fast deal between MAS and Air Asia. I am left with the bitter after thought that all these so called Malay corporate chieftains should be sent to reeducation schools to be taught the meaning of nationalism. Where is that sense of overriding concern to put things right as a matter of probity and correctness without doing corporate shenanigans to profit from the man-made miseries of MAS?
MAS belongs to the nation as a whole, the pride of Malaysians. Appreciation of that alone is sufficient to preclude it being treated as a pawn in an elaborate corporate board game. More disturbing and unsettling, is the more malignant inference that the government is playing along with the game the business elite plays.
MAS belongs to the nation as a whole, the pride of Malaysians. Appreciation of that alone is sufficient to preclude it being treated as a pawn in an elaborate corporate board game. More disturbing and unsettling, is the more malignant inference that the government is playing along with the game the business elite plays.
Therefore if UMNO continues to peddle the cruder form of nationalism, while the Malay ground has shifted forward, how will UMNO justify its relevance? UMNO will go the Goklkar and LDP way not because some prominent bloggers will be masterminding cyber-attacks on its leaders. UMNO will be rendered irrelevant because it refuses to change its ideological format. You need to reformat or even reboot your, raison d'être
The shooting of 29-year-old Mark Duggan by armed police in north London on the evening of August 4 created a chain of riots, looting, and mayhem in London, and subsequently other cities. The first human casualties were three young Asian men of Muslim origin in Birmingham who were defending their property. According to the West Midlands Police Chief Chris Sims: "At some point, and in circumstances that as yet I can't fully explain, a vehicle has been driven into that group of males, which tragically has led to three of those men losing their lives".This wanton destruction up and down the country, caused by sections of our youth and aided by social media (such as Blackberry messenger, Twitter, etc), is a new phase in our social malaise. All sections of our society, from police to politicians to ordinary citizens, have unequivocally condemned this mind-boggling anarchy and nihilism. There is a genuine revulsion at this mindless criminality. There is also a soul searching going on: one columnist suggests that the moral decay at the top of society is as bad as it is at the bottom in our country.
While the dark side of these fateful few days was maddening, other inspirational things were happening. Local residents in some places fought back against the looters and vigilantes (or concerned citizens, depending upon your definition) joined police forces to help protect their property and streets. Much like the Tahrir Square Clean-up in Egypt, ordinary Londoners were seen cleaning their streets after a major disturbance. Some minority communities played inspirational roles in this national crisis: Muslims tackling looters and bigots whilst Turkish shopkeepers in north London were demonstrating exemplary community responsibility in protecting their stores. Britain's largest Muslim umbrella body, the Muslim Council of Britain, urged us all to clean up our cities. In the midst of the riot-led pessimism, one writer reminded us that faith-based youth work can give hope in this generation. Faith indeed played an important role for Muslims, as in the month of fasting (Ramadan, taking place across August) Muslims are reminded to restrain themselves from evil and criminal activities. In a powerful article in The Daily Mail 14 August,Legacy of a society that believes in nothing, one columnist eulogised the father of two dead young sons for his "solemn, peaceful message that will make everyone who stereotypes Muslims as terrorists and fanatics feel ashamed of themselves".
Amid all this mayhem in our cities and tough talk by politicians, the question remains; what is it that caused this sheer criminality and nihilism in certain sections of our youth? The issues are complex and deep, and opinions widely divided. We cannot look for a simple answer to a complex problem. Many causes have been thrust forward: the widening of social and economic inequality, the decline of trust in established authority (such as politicians), the gradual waning of a moral compass with a 'me-first' philosophy of life, the influence of unrestricted commercialisation of our lives and the weakening of family structure giving rise to a lack of basic discipline at home, in schools and our streets - all are relevant.
However, a skin-deep analysis and playing the blame game do not help us in solving this crisis of ours. Tough talking and robust policing are certainly necessary in the short term. We have the Olympics when the world is coming to London next year and the media will be focused on our small island. Imagine if a fraction of this chaos happens during the next summer - disaster!
We need to go deep into this social issue in order to find a long-term solution. Youth are the makers or breakers of any society. A society where family structure is robust, will more likely turn youthful energy to nation building. Where it is weak, however, that is a recipe for the kind of disorder we have seen on our streets recently.
Children are by nature inquisitive, adventurous and prone to rebellion. They are idealist, impressionable and often vulnerable. Without a strong moral 'mooring' and an anchor in the community - anchors which come from family and community, from those also at the top of society - they may enter the world without a moral compass. The tendency to rebel against the status quo is embedded in their nature, and without strong discipline (there is a fine balance between freedom and discipline in childhood), young people may turn towards antisocial activities. Schools are often at the sharp end of this indiscipline and delinquency. With rising family problems, such as domestic violence, and mixed messages on parental rights, parents are often at a loss what to do. A blame game amongst parents, schools and society makes the situation worse.
According to some studies, Britain's young people are not faring well in their behaviour compared to other developed countries. The UN's first ever report on the state of childhood in the industrialised West also tells us how Britain is eating its young. This seems to be in line with the UNICEF Report on Children's happiness of 2007, where Britain came last among industrialised countries. This does not bode well for our country.
As a behaviour support teacher and community activist for several decades, I believe that the root cause of our young people's delinquency and criminality lies in our homes. It then spreads: community and society consists of families first and foremost. But this is not about pointing fingers at parents; they are not solely responsible. By talking to any parent who is struggling with their 'behaviour-problem'child, you will find that the finger would point back to the society.
The only way we can build our society is to build our homes. Home is a place where a child starts life. A warm and caring stable family environment is essential for the healthy growth of a child. Call me old-fashioned, traditional or even judgemental, but a society cannot sustain itself by weakening its family structure. Human society stands on the shoulder of families. Strong families create strong moral values, such as love, respect, loyalty, care, patience, sacrifice, fairness, integrity, compromise and openness. They also nurture an ethos which is open to consultation and problem solving. All this depends on assertive, proactive and positive parenting, from the early stage of a child's life. According to a survey by YouGov for Channel 4/ITN, 'Poor parenting to blame for UK riots, British people think poor parenting, criminal behaviour and gang culture is causing unrest in cities across the UK.
When we fail to value the importance of family and positive parenting, they will come back to haunt us. And, dare I say, in my view marriage-based family life is the answer to raising our children as better human beings. To say marriage is problem-free will be arrogant, but marriage teaches us to be less selfish with the spirit of compromise and a sense of responsibility that no alternative system, in my opinion, can provide.
Violence, neglect or abuse in a family has always had adverse effects on children. Sadly, over many decades, the institution of family has been undermined by the pressures of extreme materialism, alongside increasing numbers of domestic violence cases resulting in parental separation. With a more dominant and unrestricted consumerism and the arrival of modern technologies, such as mobile phones, computers, TVs and other gadgets decreasing the need for physical communication, people are being kept apart. The loss of childhood innocence and loneliness is becoming the norm. Its impact in schools, in terms of discipline and poor performance, is causing concern in the world of education. With the weakening of family values and discipline and lack of proper direction from society, drugs, sex and criminality are becoming prominent. The cost to the nation in terms of NHS, police and social services is enormous.
As children grow and their formal education starts, schools and neighbourhoods should gradually play a vital role. But by that time their home education and environment has given them a good anchor to withstand any social challenge: schools, community and society can build upon this.
We have been overwhelmed with scandals involving corporate greed in the banking systems, MPs' expenses and phone hacking over the past few years. But, to me, these mindless August 2011 riots on our streets are worse and a wake up call for us as a nation.
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