Concerns surrounding new education minister

SINCE Dr Maszlee Malik was appointed Education Minister, I have received scores of calls, WhatsApp messages and enquiries about him. I have hesitated to provide any comments as I have inadequate knowledge and minimal interaction with Dr Maszlee. I am also worried about my own biases and may not do justice to both Dr Maszlee and the enquirers.

Perhaps I will share my biases first and propose some ideas to rectify the concerns.

Firstly, I might be biased because I was totally elated when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad first announced that he personally would take the position. Changing it was a downer, and I am still brooding over losing Dr Mahathir as the Education Minister.

Why? While the other ministries are important, I see the Education Ministry as the most crucial. In leading and managing change, we need to balance between managing today and managing tomorrow. In other words, we need to manage two time dimensions – the short term and long term.

Where values of the citizens are concerned, the Education Ministry is the portion that is most central and decisive in managing tomorrow – that is preparing Malaysia and Malaysians for the future, the real dawn of the new era! That is why I was totally ecstatic when Dr Mahathir was to lead the ministry.

Secondly, I see myself as an Islamist. In fact, I see Dr Mahathir as an Islamist too. I would not want to lump all Islamist into one box. I will not make my decisions based on whether someone is an Islamist or not. I also do not like labelling someone narrowly as it will not give a fair assessment of the individual. I would want to check their character and past performance.

There are good Islamist and there are bad ones too. In fact, I would choose a good Christian, or Hindu or Buddhist, over a corrupt Muslim as my leader.

But allow me to unpack a little about what I mean by a good Islamist within the context of why some segments in Malaysia are disagreeing with Dr Maszlee’s appointment.

A good Islamist to me is someone who does not try to monopolise God and the Heavens. A good Islamist has an undivided conviction that God’s mercy encompasses all – Muslims, non-Muslims and atheists too. He or she accepts and embraces pluralism in the way of life.

By pluralism, I do not mean equating each religion or way of life as the same. That would be an obvious error. No two religions are the same. In fact, one can find differences even within a religion. Pluralism represents the acceptance of a diversity of views or stands rather than a single approach or method towards life. It is the idea that we can agree to disagree, to you your religion, to me mine (Quran chapter 109). There is no compulsion in religion and way of life (Quran 2:256).

It is the ability to see reality, that is the universe and the earth we live in, is by design a diverse one. To go further, the availability of many religions and paths is by design God’s creation (Quran 10:99, 5:48, 64:2) and as such we need to learn to live with it.

We do not ignore the differences of various religions (and cultures). We try to understand the different “other”. Ultimately, we are willing to defend them when they are wrongly condemned or attacked (Quran 22:40).

To go further, a good Islamist practises pluralism within his own religion. In other words, he or she practises diversity and inclusion within the Muslim world. They prevent takfir (declarations of apostasy) between Muslims. This is perhaps one of the most critical concerns and worries about Dr Maszlee’s appointment among some Muslims, rightly or wrongly. Is he open to diversity and inclusion within the Muslim world?

Thirdly, I’ve had limited interactions with Dr Maszlee. My few interactions with him were pleasant. He was humble and, in his talks and presentations, he is open to differences and practised moderation. He seems willing to listen to the other side. His manner was not arrogant and he does not look like someone who will impose his position on others. Within the “spectrum of the religious scholars”, he is on the moderate side – at least that’s how I feel.

My little concern is my experience in a WhatsApp group I once joined of which Dr Maszlee and many other “Muslim scholars” were members – including a very popular mufti. As I always keep my discussions and evidence from the Quran and was critical to certain approaches on the collection of hadith, Dr Maszlee was quick to label me as “anti-hadith”.

I dislike being narrowly labelled and prefer healthy deliberations. Labelling someone is an easy way out (by the way, Dr Mahathir was also labelled as anti-hadith when he took a critical position on the collection of the hadith!).

So what’s next? I find it sad and unfair that Dr Maszlee is made to justify his appointment. I would not like it if I were in his shoes.

Like it or not, Dr Maszlee will need to nip this in the bud. He must remove the uncertainties. To lead successfully, a leader must be totally determined to remove uncertainties, failing which Dr Maszlee would lose power and influence and in the long run will fail and fall.

We cannot afford to let the Education Ministry fail. In other words, either Dr Maszlee clarifies the uncertainties and confusions experienced by his detractors and come out on top, or he can submit to the uncertainty and end up the victim. There is nothing more crucial in legitimate leadership and power than the ability to remove uncertainties.

To do this, may I humbly suggest that Dr Maszlee makes a clear stand to support and do the following:

1. That he unequivocally supports the ambitions of the Rukunegara especially items 2 and 4 that aim to “maintain a democratic way of life” and “ensure a liberal approach to the nation’s rich and diverse cultural traditions”? Some feel that there is a reluctance among certain groups of people in taking a strong stand towards the Rukunegara because of their wish to change the character of the country towards a more theocratic state and curb the liberal character of the nation. By standing firm with the Rukunegara, Dr Maszlee will disassociate himself from these groups. 2. That he explicitly stands by the Amman Message? The Amman Message is a statement calling for tolerance and unity in the Muslim world that was issued on Nov 9, 2004 (27th of Ramadan 1425 AH) by King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan in an international Islamic conference of 200 of the world’s leading Islamic scholars (ulama) and leaders from 50 countries. They unanimously agreed on three fundamental issues (which became known as the Three Points of the Amman Message): a. They specifically recognised the validity of all eight mazhab (legal schools) of Sunni, Shia and Ibadhi Islam; of traditional Islamic Theology (Ash’arism); of Islamic Mysticism (Sufism), and of true Salafi thought, and came to a precise definition of who is a Muslim. b. Based upon this definition, they forbade takfir (declarations of apostasy) between Muslims. c. Based upon the Mathahib, they set forth the subjective and objective preconditions for the issuing of fatwa, thereby exposing ignorant and illegitimate edicts in the name of Islam.

Among the Malaysians who signed the statements were former PM Tun Abdullah Badawi, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Khairy Jamaluddin and Professor Hashim Kamali. Should Dr Maszlee take this stand, he would remove any uncertainties among those who feel that he will not practise diversity and inclusion with the Muslim community.

3. Call for a dialogue with the detractors and deal with their concerns. I have seen Dr Maszlee in his presentations. I am sure he will be able to manage the detractors and find a justly balanced understanding and compromise.

Should Dr Maszlee take the above stand and act on them, I have strong convictions that he will be able to remove the uncertainties surrounding his appointment.

I wish Dr Maszlee the best and, God willing, he will consider my suggestions. To my dear Malaysians, let’s also practise this mantra.

May all of us guide ourselves with love, logic and wisdom: love, because love makes us fair with our hearts; logic, because logic makes us fair with our minds; and wisdom, because wisdom leads us to combine our love and logic in the way of God and for the benefit of Malaysia and mankind.