Platform to showcase moderation
Malaysia has the credentials to speak up on diversity, difference and tolerance, but we need a concrete action plan.
Moderation begins at home. We must prove ourselves capable of handling the concept here before we can sell it to others.
IT is the brainchild of the Prime Minister, no less. At the United Nations General Assembly on Sept 27, 2010, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak espoused the idea of a “Global Movement of Moderates” (GMM).
GMM is now a foundation, inaugurated five years ago. It is a well-funded outfit with great ideals and hopes. The report card so far isn’t stellar, but at least the new man at the helm is committed to doing what he is supposed to do.
It is the best vehicle to showcase our position on moderation to the world. It is supposedly the single most important intellectual export for the nation.
We now have the platform to speak up, give suggestions, address and counter perceptions pertaining to Islam, Islamophobia and many other issues bedevilling humanity.
We can speak up on diversity, difference and tolerance. We can argue on the need to respect and to tolerate “Others”.
We can take a strong position on violence, terrorism and even ill treatment of refugees and immigrants. We must be firm on bigotry and racism too.
After all, GMM adopted the principle that “acceptance of diversity, more than tolerance, is the key to peaceful coexistence”. It applies to Malaysia and the world.
We have the credentials to do so. We are a multicultural, multireligious mix. Our forefathers envisioned a nation of many colours – the key to existence is muhibbah (harmony) and perpaduan (unity). No two ways about that.
Moderation begins at home. We must prove ourselves capable of handling the concept here before we can sell it to others.
At the rate things are going, “acceptance” and “respect” are notions that are eluding us of late, which is a pity. Yes, occasionally we need sports to unite us, as the recent SEA Games has brought out the true spirit of unity. But beyond sports, we are still grappling with our differences and diversity.
As I have argued in my piece “Why Moderation Matters To Us” (published in the collection of essays, Moderation), moderation is an attitude. It is not just a concept, but a way of life.
We need more than just an idea, an ideal or a pronouncement. More importantly, we need a workable attitude pertaining to understanding and respect.
GMM should not be anyone’s pet project. It should be a state commitment or else it will die a natural death like Islam Hadhari.
We are good at creating institutions and foundations, but have a dismal record in ensuring their continuity. Each leader has his own gagasan (ideal), only for it to be marginalised and forgotten when he leaves office.
Has GMM lived up to expectations? Judging it is almost a cottage industry among the thinking public.
There are those who believe it is a spectacular failure, for it is neither global nor moderate. There is even talk about how moderate the current chief executive officer Datuk Nasharuddin Mat Isa is, which to me is unfair.
There are those who are giving the benefit of the doubt, saying that GMM needs time to make its impact. Then again, time is not on its side.
It isn’t easy to address the seven key areas GMM has identified in understanding and creating a moderate world today. That alone needs more than the audacity of hope, it needs action plans.
Selling the idea to Asean is perhaps easier for a regional grouping which upholds decorum and courtesy more than substance. But the challenge is to make an impact on the world stage – the very notion of the word “global” in GMM.
The world is getting more dangerous by the day. Extremism is, sadly, fast becoming a norm rather than an aberration.
Extremist thinking begets extremist attitudes and extremist actions. It has to be contained from the roots.
The cause of discontentment, disenfranchisement and anger must be addressed. We must not just speak up against violence but understand the underlying cause as well.
At the rate things are going, GMM has a long way to go. It has to put its house in order first.
It needs a strategic plan to move forward in tandem with the current demands. It needs new approaches to be effective.
Intermittent noises emitting from its new headquarters make little difference. At the discourse level, it has to find its voice via respectable journals and publications and, more importantly, via eminent individuals as spokespersons.
GMM must first reflect the true face of moderation in its set-up, words and deeds. That was how the Prime Minister envisioned the movement to be.
We must not fail him on that.
Johan Jaaffar was a journalist, editor and for some years chairman of a media company, and is passionate about all things literature and the arts. The views expressed here are entirely his own.