Concerns of division this Raya
SELAMAT Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Batin!
The open house at the palace in Seri Menanti – or Stano Terbuko – was festive as usual. Thousands of families came from across Negeri Sembilan and beyond to enjoy delicacies in the royal capital, and it was especially pleasing to see such diversity among the attendees.
In the queue for the salams and duit Raya were plenty of non-Muslims, many of whom took the effort to dress up in baju melayu or other traditional dress.
The most insightful observations – and words of praise – as is often the case, came from students among a delegation from Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), which is in Nilai. Wearing attire from their homelands, they hailed from Palestine, Uzbekistan and Nigeria, and they all marvelled at the community spirit and relaxed attitude of the event. They enjoyed the food, of course, but still observed that religious rites and cultural traditions could continue to co-exist in a peaceful and even optimistic way amid the many problems facing our nation and world.
Indeed, it is such a common phenomenon to see visitors or foreign observers – whether physically or online – cherishing our authentic diversity, whereas all too often we see Malaysians, usually politicians or their proxies, destroying it for their own political ends.
Indeed, Ramadan saw our country deal with hideous episodes of entirely unnecessary division. Unnecessary because even if stupid mistakes were made; other people then seized the opportunity to sow division and hatred.
In such a toxic environment, no amount of contrition will suffice. There are, in this world, individuals who look for ways to take offence, because they see benefits in being outraged, especially on behalf of other people. It enables them to become heroes, which is especially useful when they or their party are being attacked.
When religion comes into the picture, the outrage becomes even more indignant. The terms of engagement become more exclusive, discourse becomes more polarised, and society becomes more divided.
Unfortunately, political leadership in overcoming these problems has been severely lacking.
While decent Malaysians yearn for clear actions to quell the instability, provocateurs on both sides seize the opportunity to control the narrative with compelling viral videos on social media. The distrust and animosity spirals even further downward, leaving other institutions to pick up the pieces.
The lack of trust spreads to those other institutions too, of course: the police are criticised for going too hard on some people and too soft on others; the judiciary is criticised as being too slow or having the wrong ideology altogether, challenging the very foundations of our Federal Constitution.
Thankfully, there is another institution in our country that is able to help bridge the divide, with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong notably bringing together parties that were at loggerheads with one another, with an assurance that they would calm down.
But applying such bandages when wounds happen should not be the way forward. We need more resilient, comprehensive and courageous long-term planning that embeds national cohesion into policymaking.
Sadly, I am not convinced that this is a high enough priority for the people in power, and so the role of civil society and private organisations in protecting our diverse Malaysia becomes more important.
Once again, Hari Raya has provided an opportunity, with corporate greeting videos universally spreading the message of forgiveness, tolerance and cooperation. I am particularly fond of ‘Apo Kono Ni, Alip?’, set in Negeri Sembilan (and coincidentally directed by my cousin Adriana). While these videos will remain online probably forever, the underlying societal impetuses may not.
Over time, the many beautiful scenes of multiracial merriment we enjoy throughout open houses in Syawal may become more and more rare, unless current and future generations are taught that these are precious.
During Ramadan I came across one news item that may dismay some Malaysian Muslims. In Abu Dhabi, a recently opened Hindu temple decided to host an Interfaith Cultural Evening. It included sahur – the meal that Muslims eat before beginning the daily fast at sunrise. The food was fully vegetarian, and in attendance were several ministers – all Muslim – together with leaders of different faiths, including a rabbi, a vicar, and of course Hindu swamis.
The event was celebrated as uniting people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds for spiritual reflection, dialogue and community bonding.
I shared the link with some friends, and I was sent back similar stories in Malaysia, notably mostly in Sabah and Sarawak, where non-Muslim communities would prepare buka puasa for Muslims, or lend their premises to host them.
This was comforting, but unless this becomes more normalised and mainstream, we may become an irreversibly divided country in decades to come.
Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin is Founding President of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS)