An Attempt at Rational Analysis

By batsman

I would like to address Farish Noor’s assertion that Malaysia’s problems have no rational basis.

I agree to a large extent. Man is both rational and emotional. Any theory that uses the assumption that man is wholly rational is incomplete. Man’s rational mind is specialized for technological, engineering, war, and conspiratorial issues as well as problems with short term solutions. Man’s emotional mind is specialized for personal, spiritual, social and political issues as well as problems with no real solutions. Looking at things this way and Malaysia’s problems start to make sense. They are a result of Malaysia’s particular historical conditioning as well as global conditions. 

Looking at it is another way, why should there be a solution to certain things? In complex personal and social issues, I think the best we can hope for is to try our best to manage in the least destructive and cruel way where suffering for the majority is minimized. This goes in direct contradiction with capitalism which uses pseudo reason and military might to impose democracy on weak sovereign states for the “good” of the majority. It also just buttresses the egos of the top honchos of the strong capitalist states that they have a perfect solution for every problem on earth. It is called great power chauvinism. 

In mathematics and languages (most subjects in fact) if one’s foundation is weak, one cannot develop well or go on to more complex and difficult issues or concepts. Why should it be any different for nation building? 

Malaysia has a relatively short history and even then our experience in democracy is an even shorter one. This means our foundation in democratic nation building is extremely shaky. In particular, we have not developed the necessary democratic institutions as well as attitudes that make it possible for our experiment in democracy to be really successful. 

This is where lots of struggle and misery is necessary. We still need to pay the price for a successful democracy. We need to build strong foundations. 

Just because we are technologically comparable to western countries, just because we have adopted western systems of economics, education and science does not mean our foundations of democracy can be made strong. Good highways, fast cars, expensive tolls, teaching science and mathematics in English and large numbers of universities do not a democratic nation make. (For those who are apt to jump to conclusions and make accusations, what I have just said goes against the teachings of Marx.) 

A simple but honest comparison of our technological abilities wrt to those of western countries is sufficient to expose our weak foundations. We only have the façade of a civilized advanced country, just as we have the façade of a democracy. Looking deeper, our attitudes, values and foundations are clearly rotten. No amount of shouting “Merdeka” or “1Malaysia” at the top of our voices is going to change this fact. In reality, people with power shouting very loudly are just a form of bullying. It is a form of making threats against those who are more sanguine. It drives us even further away from a successful democracy. 

As far as the global situation is concerned, capitalism which turned into imperialism and which is now super imperialism creates a situation in most underdeveloped countries where it is impossible for weak local capitalist forces to survive independently and become strong enough to take control of the country. Those who do become strong enough are compradors reliant on super imperialism for their bread and butter. 

Countries like Japan, Korea or China may have a chance to develop strong and independent local capitalist forces, but for small countries like Malaysia, it is impossible. Even Japan with all its financial and technological strength likes to play the agreeable puppet or lap dog of the US. China seems no different. Strange as it sounds, it is only Malaysia with its famous ex-PM which makes a façade of being independent and critical of the US – in terms of economy and trade, we are just as puppetish as Japan or China may be even more so. 

This just means there is no possibility for an independent capitalist class to emerge in Malaysia. It is different though for the petty bourgeoisie. In most underdeveloped countries, there is a strong possibility for small and miniscule traders and hawkers to appear. These are relatively independent and are not directly dependent on big foreign businesses or local comprador companies for their well-being. 

Unfortunately, they are acutely dependent on the overall economic climate. They are also not a truly homogeneous group or class. Almost everyone who is not a proletarian or a big capitalist is classified as petty bourgeois. They range from peasants to hawkers to academics. 

This makes them quite a unique group with extremes of character. On the one hand, some can be dangerously and aggressively violent and fanatical. On the other, some can be completely passive and cowardly (some might say without any balls). There will also be those who will swing from one extreme to the other. Do these characterizations sound vaguely familiar? 

This situation makes it difficult to predict and classify the behaviour patterns of a large section of Malaysians. This is why Farish Noor says Malaysian issues have no rational basis. 

Just because it is difficult to fit reality into standard theoretical moulds does not mean there is an absence of rationality. Either theory has to be changed to describe reality more accurately or one has been careless in analysis or both. In particular, theory has to take into account man’s emotional character as well as his rational character. Further the petty bourgeoisie has to be more accurately described in its various components and the role it is likely to play in Malaysia’s development and nation building. 

I hope the above is a contribution in the debate to understand ourselves better.