Malays are afraid of themselves

Mariam Mokhtar | Feb 21, 11
Malaysiakini

The BTN or National Civics Bureau is divisive, racist and politically-motivated. Most people are aware of this except for BN politicians. Despite the serious allegations made about the BTN, their main coalition partners, MCA and MIC have not been effective in condemning the BTN.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin denied claims that courses run by the BTN were a form of political indoctrination. He said, “BTN is to inculcate nationalism and unity among the people in line with the 1Malaysia concept”.

Talk of nationalism smacks of the supremacy of one race over the other races. If he had said that the mission of BTN was to promote patriotism, this would be more in line with the spirit of Malaysian unity.

After a media blitz on the BTN in late 2009, the cabinet decided that the BTN would be revamped as it had run counter to its aims of instilling a united Malaysia. When former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad disagreed, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz described him as racist.

Nevertheless, the task of revamping the BTN was given to Ahmad Maslan, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, who is also the BTN chief. As is common with most BN politicians, he flip-flopped and said that he was not going to revamp the curriculum but would merely ‘upgrade’ it.

In the last few days, we have heard that the BTN is indeed thriving.

The Pahang BTN assistant director, Ahmad Shah Jamlus, said on the bureau’s blog that “to reject race was un-Islamic”. He also stressed that “the religion and Malays are inseparable”.

Ahmad Shah then said that “the creation of Adam and Eve implied differences in mankind as we are made of distinct races”. He opined that the “Quran says Allah has created nations and tribes and the most honoured are those with the most piety towards Allah.”

Malays and Muslims are indistinguishable?

He said, “Therefore Malays and Islam cannot be separated. The first step in reaching a higher level of God-consciousness is established in the country’s constitution whereby Article 160 stipulates that a Malay must be a Muslim.”

Few people will understand what Ahmad Shah is trying to say in his article entitled “Rejecting race or ethnicity is rejecting human nature”. Is he saying that Malays and Muslims are indistinguishable?

His comments give an insight into the man. How does he equate the rejection of race or ethnicity as rejecting human nature? It is clear that he has a warped view of the Quranic teachings, and that is my being polite.

If Ahmad Shah is the assistant director of the Pahang BTN, then what sort of outfit does he lead? How many hundreds of thousands of minds has he polluted?

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is from Pahang. This is happening in his own backyard. What does he intend to do about this serious failing of his minister, Ahmad Maslan, and the Pahang BTN? Clearly, Ahmad Maslan has failed to do his job properly and should be sacked.

It is obvious that the BTN is not a tool to unite the people. It is only a propaganda machine to unite one race – the Malays.

One Malay man told me, “The Malay spirit is threadbare. Malays are fencesitters and support those who hold the gun. They have no pride and have become shoe lickers of the Japanese, British and the communists. Malays are not concerned about power and do not want to be united. They are willing to work with the devil as long as their livelihood is protected.”

Another said, “Past Malay leaders realised that the Malays are stupid and allowed themselves to be colonised for 500 years without a fight. They preferred to be ruled as long as they led an easy life. That is the reason that today, Malays are still slaves to the Chinese and Indians.”

It is disturbing that some Malays think like this in 21st century urban Malaysia.

Pakatan Rakyat will have to do much more to engage ordinary Malays – urban and rural. The Malays have a misconception that if Pakatan were to take over Putrajaya, non-Malays will rule and over-run the country and take away their rice bowls.

Malays are traditionally conservative and 53 years of brainwashing by Umno has corrupted their minds.

Strangling the ideals of all Malaysian peoples

The greater damage is that BTN has strangled the ideals, aspirations and uniqueness of all Malaysian peoples, not just the Malays.

These Malays will have to be made to understand that if Umno were to lose power, the Malays themselves would not lose power.

What BTN did not tell them was that they can be progressive, innovative, united, creative and excellent, without Umno’s crutches.

The fear these Malays have is a fear of themselves. They do not want to lose their identity. Indoctrination has made them become dependent on Umno for a place in society. Indoctrination has led them to believe they are who they are, because of Umno.

It is up to us to strip them of their insecurities and make them realise that with Pakatan in power, the Malays will flourish alongside the other races.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

8 Replies to “Malays are afraid of themselves”

  1. //The BTN or National Civics Bureau is divisive, racist and politically-motivated.//
    That’s for very sure.The enormous harm it created for malaysian society.

    //The fear these Malays have is a fear of themselves. They do not want to lose their identity. Indoctrination has made them become dependent on Umno for a place in society. Indoctrination has led them to believe they are who they are, because of Umno.//
    As i had said before,nep or tongkat must be removed to save malays from being trapped in this dire situation or mentality dependent.To save all and once,kick out this evil umno for good.A child will never grow up if you still keep on lending him the tongkat or aid him in everyway.As he grows gradually he has to be independent for his own benefit to gain experiences and be stronger in every of his steps taken.Otherwise he is bound to doom.A man will thrive in everyway to overcome his hunger.Don’t be like cintanegara,stand still in particular one location,eyeing the same fruit,can’t move forward nor backward(being polite of me),just waiting for his old age to take over him when the soil is out of nutrient and covered with bushes or lalang.

  2. The Malays will wake up one day and will take to the streets when they realise that they have been brainwashed and cheated by the UMNO elite for the past 40 years. News of the RM 889 billion of illicit fund outflows, the property empire of Taib Mahmud, the mansions owned by UMNOputras in Sydney, Perth, London and elsewhere will one day make the Malays realise that they have been conned by their own kind.

    Then Tunisia and Egypt will repeat themselves in our own backyard.

  3. if UMNO believe the way to protect malays is to create a siege mentality and scare of own shadows approach, it would be highly unsuitable in this 21st borderless, highly competitive environment.

    Nobody in the real world owes the Malays of Malaysia a living except inside Malaysia.

    Can’t BN administration aspire something higher like making Mara qualification recognisable at world stage or making Malaysian Malays able to take on anyone on equal terms?

  4. ///These Malays will have to be made to understand that if Umno were to lose power, the Malays themselves would not lose power.///– Mariam Mokhtar

    Mamakthir told them the exact opposite. That is hwy Mamakthir is a liability to the country. Yet many Malays still believe Mamakthir is Malay and hence he cares for the Malays.

  5. Look at the middle east. Change can be swift and when it happens it will be unstoppable. One joker, namely gadaffi, is attempting to stop the process. Of course, he will fail. And for him change will still sweep accross the nation no matter what.

    So umno, beware. Then again he who has tower-power believes that malaysia is unlike middle-east.

  6. Having been put under the “turtle shell” created by the NEP 40 years ago, the Malays have not been able to stand up straight anymore! They are dependent on government aid and they only look forward to being spoon fed by the BN government! Just wait till the BN government falls and see if these people will learn to stand on their own feet or not!

  7. Very soon we may C plenty of nouveau Malays who hv Middle East/African looks
    As d domino effect ripples through Middle East n Arabic nations, some of their Muslim dictators n family members n relatives may head 2 1M’sia as their 2nd Home (frens of MMK, NR, RM n relatives of some UmnoB members mah)
    They bcome instant Malays n UmnoB members; n increase UmnoB pool of voters
    UmnoB/BN happy, plenty rich corrupt new blood, sure win 1 in d next GE

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