A good friend of mine in Kuala Lumpur forwarded me a YouTube about a talk by James
Chin (Chin) at the IPS Forum in Singapore about a year ago. At time of his
lecture, he was serving the Tasmanian University. Chin had served many private
universities in Malaysia among others Swinburne, Monash and Sunway. I believe
Chin is a Sarawakian. His expertise seem to be in the area of Governance in
South East Asia (ASEAN). My good friend seek my view over Chin's Talk.
(2) This writing is
not about Chin. I also need to declare, I never knew Chin until to the moment I
finished listening to his talk and browsing many more. The whole text of his Talk, as I see it, is
full of misconceptions of Islam, Muslims and Malays politic of Malaysia. If the
talk is a mere street opinion, then such I would believe, I should spare no
time to listen and even to have a look at it. Since the talk was introduced to
be made by a renounce Professor, an expert in South East Asia Governance, then
I believe I have my responsibility as Muslim and Malay to put his perspective
to the truth.
(3) Islam is Islam.
Islam must only be seen from the Islamic perspective, and none others. Without
going into unnecessary polemic, let me put my point this way; to understand an
apple one must see it from the perspective of an apple and nothing others. Thus
the definition and whatever matters about Islam must never be sort from other
than the Al Qur'an, the very doctrine of Islam. Any other doctrines are mere
supporting and or reinforcing facts and practices vis Hadith and Ijmak. On
contrary Chin looks at Islam from the doctrine of the Malaysian Constitution
particularly wrt the position of Islam within the doctrine. He named it then as
Malaysian Islam.
(4) Firstly, there is
no such thing as the Malaysian Islam. Islam is race-less and stateless-based.
Islam owned itself to Allah the Al Mighty Creator. Islam has never own itself
to Malaysia. But yes, Malaysia owned itself to Islam. The birth of Malaysia was
due to the majority Muslims citizen interest of the pre-Malaysia states to
uphold to the Islamic values. Islam had come to the pre-Malaysia region
(Nusantara) between 700-1400 BC. Prior to the formation of Malaysia, Muslims
were the majority residents and state governments of the pre-Malaysia. They
knew, their past mistake for not uniting into a larger state, so much so they
were colonized. Islam unite the Malays to form a larger nation called Malaysia
(and Indonesia). Malaysia then only exist on 16 September, 1963.
(5) Be one a Muslim
and worst if not, the misconception about Islam is mainly due to linguistic and
cultural bearers. Islam was reborn and reinforced within the Arabic culture.
The Al Qur’an is written in a very classical high standard Arabic. Not all
Muslims and or Malays (and even Arabs) can understand the Qu’ranic Arabic to
the best. Thus for any person whom is not cumbersome with the Arabic language
and culture definitely one could never be able to grasp the true meaning and
interpretation of the Al Qur'an, the very doctrine of Islam. Chin and even the
general Muslims and Malays are no exemption. Analogically, not all Chinese can
speak, read and write in Mandarin. Just as not all English speaking person can
understand the Shakespeare’s Play.
(6) Thus as a Muslim,
I can’t agree with whoever, not only Chin, to localize and or stratifying Islam.
Islam is holistic universal. Allah the Al Mighty sent Islam for the whole
mankind not only for certain race or region. Islam is for all, including even
the Corona Virus. But I have no issue when Muslims being associated with
locality and or races. Muslims by nature, their characters and values are
greatly influenced by their ecology of domicile. Thus the Muslims practices
definitely will defer from region to region and among races or ethnicity. Muslims
similarity is mainly with regard to the basic tenets called Fardhu Ain (compulsion)
and they will defer in areas of worldly matters (Fardhu Kifayah). Thus differences
in Islam is well provided so much so there exist multi-cultural among the
Muslims which being confused as the multi-facial of Islam. Thus non-Muslim
confusion about Islam then I would say, not only they are not acquaintance with the
core Islamic tenets and values, Arabic languages, but most profounding they are
confused on which is Muslim cultural values and Islamic real values. Not many
Islamic critic has the approach taken by personality such as Lesley Hazleton. Most critic are made based on superficial understanding of Islam, Muslim (and Malay).
(7) Muslims by loose
definition indeed, are those who practices Islam. But one must always having a
caveat, when one try to judge a Muslim vis-a-vis Islam. A Muslim is not
necessarily a true Islamic person. In today “world peaceful” sense, I bravely
can say, it is very rare and or almost to none for one to come across a truly
Islamic person. Who indeed is truly Islamic person? To me, after Muhammad SAW
and his big companions (about 300 of them, but mostly killed in the battlefields,
if I’m not mistaken), to this day, there will never again be any body to attain
such a position of truly Islamic person. Muhammad SAW is the benchmark of a
truly Islamic and or Muslim person. After his era, almost all I would say are
convenient Muslims and or Islamic persons. Just as an analogy, America is a
democratic Nation. Would all American be a truly democratic person? Even after
Mao Tze Dung, there probably none truly Communist Chinese in today China.
(8) Chin as an academician, he should see things
from pure academic when he especially wanting to prejudge Islam, Muslims and
worst the Malays. As I guess, Chin may be is a Sarawakian, thus his understanding
about Islam, Muslim and Malay I would say is very superficial. Lim Swee King
(UPM Serdang), Khoo Kay Kim (UM), or even Tan Seng Giaw (DAP) to name a few, to
me their understanding about Islam, Muslim and particularly the Malays are much
deeper than Chin. Anthropologically, human characters and values changes with
space and time. Chin for instance as a Sarawakian Chinese, is very must different from a San
Francisco Chinese, despite they are Chinese in blood and origin of space and
time. Thus to equate and place Islam, Muslim and Malay into a basket is not at
all an academic sense of work. Indeed Chin recognition that Sarawak and Sabah Malays
are very much different from their Malayan Malay brothers, is a fact that
indeed Islam allows for differences based on space and time. Thus it is not
merely Islam that shaped a person, his overall environments indeed play a
greater forceful influent. An Afghan definitely will be very much different than the Malays though both are Muslim due to ecological divide.
(9) Secondly, Chin
claimed, the Malaysian politic is dominated by the Islamic Malays paradigm. I
can’t agree Malaysian politic is an Islamic paradigm. I’m 100 per cents agreeable
that Malaysian politic is all about Malay paradigm. We indeed is not far from
being “apartheid” of the South African. I have written on this many years back
especially when I saw and experienced the modus operandi of PAS and UMNO
politic. To me either PAS or UMNO, their political struggle is nothing to do
with the true Islamic sense. Their struggle is to dominate the Malays. Islam is
their mere tools. They rode on Islam to gain the Malays support. Islam is not
their tenet of struggle. In Islam, no Muslim is to hurt another Muslim. Worst
in today “peaceful environment”, Muslim is forbidden to hurt Allah creations be
they man or even a pig. In the eyes of Islam, a Muslim is a khalifah. A
Khalifah is entrusted to manage Allah creations to the best justice and honour.
PAS and UMNO is a politic of chauvinistic, greed and victimization. Those
elements are what Islam is strongly against. And since Chin is a researcher in
character, I would believe he must have known, the Malays (the larger Nusantara
Malays), they would continue to be barbaric to this day, if Islam never come to
them. Islam had made the Malays moving fast into a civilised society. For such,
the younger Malays today are more comfortable to identify themselves as Muslim
rather being a Malay. Then again, there is nothing wrong for certain quarters of a society being a champion of their society. Probably the key issue is more toward how such championship being presented.
(10) Thirdly not all Malaysian Muslims are Malays.
Have not Chin came across the term Baba Nyonya, Mamak, Wan, Sharifah, Syed,
Shaiks and all those “Islamic ethnic brand-name in Malaysia”? In deed those
terms or group calling is the Malays cultural tolerance for those whom are
reverted to Islam and wanting to be within the Malays cultural circle, they are
free to carry on with their parental cultural practices. A Hindu Indian
reverted to Islam and marrying a Malay is never being force to be a Malay.
He/She can continue to practices his/her Indian parental culture, accept in
matter of Fardhu Ain; where in such areas he/she must follow to the strict
Islamic practices as the Malays, the rest of the cultural (worldly or Fardhu
Kifayah) are all theirs. Chin is wrong to say all Muslim in Malaysia must be a
Malay. Any revert who choose to be strongly associated with the Malay, then
only he must be a Malay culturally. The very trendy example would be Ridzuan
Tee, Professor. Tee, choose to live and be within the Malays custom, so much so
he must be a truly Malay. But if Tee prefer being a Muslim yet not wanting to
be customary known as Malay, he has all the freedom to be a Muslim of his
chosen values.
(11) Indeed, in tourism
sense, Malaysia is Truly Asia. Why? Such is the manifestation of the Malaysian
and the Malays great tolerance values indeed. In Islamic practices, the Malays I
can bravely say, they can be of equal tolerenace, and indeed today Malaysia is
also moving to b a Truly Muslims State. Malaysia allows and flourish a multi-cultural
Muslims’ practices.
(12) My only
contention, Chin should have been clear, as he comes from Sarawak, for instance
the displeasure of Sarawakian to the UMNO and or PAS politic, has nothing to do
with their differences in the understanding of Islam, but mainly due to unfair
distribution of national wealth. The Malays and any other race or ethnic, indeed
behaving as what they are behaving (unfriendly) as long as the Pareto Pyramid
of Dissatisfaction exist or in another words, Wealth Equality Gap is widening
among races and region. Thus as long as the Malaysian dichotomy society characteristic
prevail; then economic tenet normally is the main cause of whatever social
unrest. I believe, sociologically Chin knew about this. Malaysia (Sabah and
Sarawak) is not spared. Chin misconception view about Islam, Muslim and Malays
(of Malaysia), apart grounded upon those earlier mentioned matters, to me is due
to his frustration for not able to see the practice of ‘total equality across the
Malaysian”. For such, even in Singapore or even Australia, is there such a
concept of “equality for all”. Nonetheless, despite Chin “mistreatment” of the
Malaysian Constitution, I dare to say, indeed such constitution is to safeguard
“equality for all in the Malaysian sense”.
(13) Then last but not
least, why was Chin tone of Talk seem to undermine and or doctrinating the
Singaporean to look down upon Islam, Muslim and the Malays (of Malaysia in
particular). Is it Chin now feeling much convenient and comfortable to live in Australia; a First Class World state, that he began to look down upon his
birth place? To me such if so, is not academically correct. To me every
intellectual ASEAN of origin should work to make the ASEAN Dream. What is that
the ASEAN Dream then? As ASEAN we should be moving to from a formidable
economic block. An economic block is not a mere trading nations block. An economic
block requires us to be solidify in many angles, be it in ideology, cultural,
technologies, governance etc. To me, hopefully I’m greatly wrong, Chin is
mooting a divide among ASEAN (especially Singaporean), a very antagonistic to
the ASEAN Esprit DE core. My least expectation of his talk is a presentation of
“ASEAN shouldn’t be worried of what happening in their domestic politic, but to
focus on how to make ASEAN strong”.
(14) It is not at all intellectual, for Malaysian and or Singaporean to sustain the culture of "I'm much superior than you". Singapore and Malaysia must co-exist as strong harmonious understanding neighbor. Such spirit must be nurture at all time. We once had been a good great big family until colonization come into play.
Kuching, Sarawak
2 Dec., 2020
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