NOVEMBER 8 ― The newly-minted Menteri Besar of Selangor’s call for moderation and upholding justice is timely advice, and certainly something the majority of Malaysians would agree to.
However, it must be said that the word “moderation” has been overused ― and in many ways misused as well ― in recent times. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, for example, has adopted the term as something of a tagline, culminating in the establishment of the Global Movement of Moderates, an initiative attempting to apply “perspectives and frameworks of moderation to realise world peace and harmony.” In fact, Najib goes so far as to declare that global conflict is not between religions or between socio-economic classes, but between moderates and extremists.
His effort would actually be commendable, if it weren’t for the ironic fact that all his rhetoric on moderation is actually a façade that conceals his government’s less-than-moderate preoccupation with fanning ethno-religious divisions.
I wonder, Mr Prime Minister, if you would consider it an act of moderation to publicly threaten to burn religious holy books? No moderate in their right mind would condone such an inflammatory act, yet your government has not only declined to charge the perpetrator and worse, actually defended him by stating that his threat was merely done to protect the sanctity of Islam.
If that’s moderation, I cannot imagine what extremism is.
Having said that, I would also like to implore the real moderates of Malaysia to stand up and be accounted for. To paraphrase Edmund Burke, the triumph of evil men is only possible when the good ones do nothing. Thus, we, the peace-loving majority of Malaysians, cannot ignore this cancer of bigotry and extremism. If we don’t stand up for what’s right, who will? Certainly not our prime minister.
Why is it important to speak up, again and again?
The last few weeks have certainly been rough. Not just for me personally, but also for our country, as the nation watched Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim being dragged through the mud during his sodomy conviction appeal at the Federal Court. Lurid accusations of sexual debauchery were once again hurled about in court in a clear attempt at character assassination.
Turning as I often do to music when times appear bleak, I had David Cook’s rendition of Billie Jean in the background when I suddenly recalled what my mentor, Lim Kit Siang, once said to me.
He told me that the reason why we must state our stand, over and over again, even though we may end up sounding like a broken record player, is because we need to remind ourselves and the people out there over and over again of our message, our struggles and what we believe in.
When lies begin to outweigh the truth, people will begin to believe the lies. Hence, this is why it is important for us to keep standing up for the truth, over and over again. However, a lone voice would not be strong enough to drown out the lies. This is why we need all the moderate voices to do it, together.
The power of “disobedience”
Some may question whether their voices would make any difference, especially if they were young and barely of voting age. The truth is, it can, as the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong has proven.
Massive protests were sparked in the Chinese special administrative region as more than a 100,000 people gathered to speak out against China’s decision not to allow civil nominations in the electoral process.
Most interestingly, this “revolution” was initiated by an 18-year old student leader, Joshua Wong.
Another example, closer to home, is the protests that took place against the inauguration of the Malayan Union, which saw masses of Malays opposing the British proposal for a unitary state through means of civil disobedience.
In Kedah, principal Malay organisations held protest meetings and rallies where the father of our country, Tunku Abdul Rahman, would address the crowds, firing them up but also cautioning control and non-violence. A young schoolteacher by the name of Khir Johari would also gather his students to attend such rallies, in defiance of his British superiors.
The long and short of it is that without the mass protests, rallies and acts of civil disobedience in 1946, we would not have inherited the Federation that we have today. It is because our forefathers spoke out that we finally achieved independence and a peaceful country.
And so, I once again appeal to all right-thinking Malaysians. Speak up against the extremists that seek to divide us. Speak up on behalf of your family, friends and neighbours who share your beliefs. Speak up, or forever lose Moderate Malaysia.
*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
