Portrait of a confused hero

By Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
Dec 15, 2014

We are familiar with the expression, “Behind every great man, is a woman”, but in Ibrahim Ali’s case, the expression which best fits him was said by the comedian Jim Carrey, “Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes”.

Yesterday, Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa declared himself a hero of the Malay community. He lashed out at the group of 25 former civil servants and academics who had penned an open letter to Najib Abdul Razak to halt the spread of extremism. Malaysians affectionately dubbed this influential group, the ‘Eminent 25’; however, an irate Ibrahim called them “cowards”.

For the 25 people to “come out” means that a point of no return has been breached; but let us examine the profile of Ibrahim Ali, the self-proclaimed hero.

In June 2011, Ibrahim Ali warned the Chinese community to “stock up on food” and to stay away from Bersih’s July 9 Walk for Democracy. Ibrahim said that “anything could happen on that day” and that 30 other NGOs would challenge the walk by Bersih, by staging an even bigger march. He claimed that his “patience and tolerance” had been tested.

On the eve of the counter-rally, Ibrahim said that he had been unable to secure a permit. Then, he said that his wife had not given him permission to go out that Saturday.

Finally, he told the media that he had been unwell.

A man who requires a stamp of approval from his wife to go out sounds like a hen-pecked husband, not a hero!

In 2008, the former chief of Umno Baru at Bukit Bendera, Ahmad Ismail, referred to non-Malays as pendatangs (immigrants) and Malaysian Chinese as “squatters”. The prime minister then, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, slapped him with a three-year suspension and barred him from holding any political post.

As expected, the suspension was lifted early. In 2010, his supporters proclaimed him a Malay hero and he was conferred with two heroic titles: the Wira Bangsa Melayu and Bintang Perkasa Melayu Jati. A special function, with 150 delegates from 23 branches, was held in his honour.

Just like a Malay wedding, Ahmad was received with bunga manggar and a retinue of men beating the kompang. Like the conquering hero, Ahmad was entertained by a silat performance and the obligatory sheathing and unsheathing of the keris.

What do these supposed Malay heroes have in common apart from intolerance, the spreading of fear, and the ability to divide? They also undermine national security.

In Ahmad Ismail’s case, the journalist who reported his comments was detained by the police under the Internal Security Act (ISA), ostensibly for her personal safety.

Ibrahim Ali who urged the burning of the Bibles, has escaped prosecution. He said that philandering husbands should blame their wives for neglecting their responsibilities. He has urged that history be rewritten by erasing any record of Chin Peng. In 2012, he distributed white ang pows to members of the Chinese community in a deliberate insult.

Name-calling the best form of debate?

Ibrahim attacked his critics in Umno Baru, from Khairy Jamaluddin to former Umno Baru supreme council member Saifuddin Abdullah; he termed them “bangsat”. Two weeks ago, Najib, who is also the Umno Baru president, referred to pro-Umno Baru bloggers as “bangang” (stupid).

Is name calling, the best form of debate which can be summoned by Umno Baru, Perkasa and Isma members?

Perkasa claims that it has 700,000 members in Indonesia and the United Kingdom, but omitted to say that Perkasa UK’s activities are being monitored by the Metropolitan Police.

Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman (right) called the ‘Eminent 25’ an “expired bunch” who were educated during the colonial era and were unaware of the importance of Islam and Islamic education.

In Zaik’s world, being a Muslim means riding roughshod over the people of other faiths and cultures. He probably believes that Muslims have the right to burn down other peoples’ houses of worship, or prevent them from reading their Holy Books.

If Ibrahim is prepared to erase Chin Peng from history, then how long will it be before all traces of other cultures are also wiped from our history books? Relics from the great ancient civilizations, like those in the Bujang Valley of Kedah have already been destroyed. In Afghanistan, the Taliban destroyed the Buddhist statues which stood for millennia in the Bamiyan Valley, all in the name of Islam.

The Islam which is practised in Malaysia involves the kidnapping of children and the snatching of dead bodies. Converts claim to have converted their elderly parents, thus depriving their other family members of their parents’ inheritance, as under syariah law, only Muslims can inherit.

The Malay community is not blind, and definitely not stupid. They can see through the sham performance, of the so called heroes like Ibrahim Ali and bigots like Abdullak Zaik.

The extremists are afraid of the power which the ‘Eminent 25’ can unleash. The good news is that the extremists are not the only ones who are afraid. The others who fear the ‘Eminent 25’ come from within Umno Baru.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO).