Malaysia a Model to the Muslim Nations?
Khoo Kay Peng
Prime Minister Najib Razak said Malaysia has proven that its system of governance, based on moderate Islam, has worked and can be a good model for other countries in the world to emulate, especially Islamic countries.
He said in view of what was taking place in the world today, it was important to ensure that the system of administration adopted was working.
The key consideration, he said, was that “if you have a system, would it work to produce good and effective governance?”
No one should blame Najib for being overly excited to position Malaysia as a model Muslim nation amidst the socio-political chaos in some Muslim countries. Oddly, Malaysia has been using the Middle East as an example in managing its own Islamic affairs.
Moreover, the Muslim community has been going through the ‘Arabisation’ process for decades since the 1980’s. The government had sent a few hundred thousands students to receive their higher/tertiary/Islamic education in several Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain etc. Thousands of them are still being send there to receive their education.
On the other hand, how many Middle Eastern students are studying in Malaysia? How influential is Malaysia among the Middle Eastern governments or regimes?
Najib should be cautioned not to use the word ‘moderate’ too loosely. How can Malaysia be a moderate Muslim nation if Shiite followers are banned in the country? Islam in Malaysia is heavily regulated and controlled by the government. Islam in Malaysia has become a state-led religion. Islam is not only politically intertwined but it has been racialised too. Muslim rights are synonymous to Malay supremacy. In fact, Najib has suggested that Islam cannot be seen as an equal to other religions.
How can Malaysia be a moderate Muslim country if the word ‘Allah’ can be used by others to describe god when the term has been widely used by Christians in Arab countries freely?
How can Malaysia become a model nation when the freedom of press is being curtailed, oppressive laws such as ISA are still being used to detain government critics or when separation of power is being compromised?
It is pertinent for the PM to ask himself the same question: does the Malaysian system produces good and effective governance?
