Mulling over Kajang
Zaid Ibrahim
The upcoming by-election in Kajang is giving me sleepless nights: should I contest or not?
I am tempted to offer myself as an independent candidate because running in the election would enable me to address the numerous political and economic issues the country is facing. Writing this blog is fun but it would also be good to talk to real people face-to-face, listen to what they have to say and, of course, have satay with them. Talking to Kajang voters would also test the acceptability of some of my ideas, which in turn could be useful feedback for our policy-makers.
We are now plagued by an atmosphere of lawlessness. Prayer houses have been attacked and perhaps in retaliation, a Christian has vented her anger by making insulting remarks against the Selangor Ruler. A footballer from Terengganu was reportedly assaulted by no less than a senior member of the Johor royal family.. There is now even a public bounty for someone to slap Teresa Kok, the Seputeh MP.
Besides Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin no one has said anything, not even Opposition leaders who say they champion the rule of law. There seems to be a climate of fear about speaking out, even though it is their political responsibility to do so. But our leaders either say nothing or say stupid and dangerous things.
I would like to speak to the people about the issues that are weighing on all our minds, like the “Allah” controversy. I think the Selangor 1988 Enactment (and similar pieces of legislation in other states) which banned non-Muslims from being able to use 35 Arabic words (regardless of context) should be repealed. Honestly, it is a useless law as it misses the point it seeks to address, i.e. preventing Christians from converting Muslims. What it has instead done is send the entire country into a convulsive panic and bring religious tensions between Muslims and Christians to a breaking point.
We should have a federal law addressing the larger issue of the conversion of Muslims. This law must spell out clearly what constitutes the act of conversion and what punishment can be meted out to those who violate it. Muslims must be assured that this law effectively prohibits anyone from converting Muslims out of their religion, and this in turn may help them drop their objection to the use of the word “Allah”.
I believe peace and solidarity between Muslims and non-Muslims must be preserved and the present tension and discord cannot be allowed to fester any longer. Something must be done where the voices of reason and moderation will prevail. If leaders are afraid to deal with these so-called sensitive issues because they fear losing the election, then let me do it!
On the campaign trail, I would take the opportunity to talk about why we desperately need a Race Relations Act to battle the roots of the racial polarisation we now face. We need Malaysians to be united again and to stop hate politics from destroying the country. Laws must be enforced strictly on anyone who violates the principles of mutual respect, racial equality and human dignity.
I would explain why we need a new Attorney-General as I think Tan Sri Ghani Patail has been there for far too long. The longer you remain in that position the more compliant you tend to be towards the political masters. This is not good for the proper functioning of the AG’s office, which must enforce the law without fear or favour.
I would alert supporters of the Pakatan Rakyat to the dangers of changing the current Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. I believe it could lead to the breakup of the coalition and if that happens, there goes our dream of a two-party system. The BN hegemony would continue as it has for far too long already.
I would talk about why the Federal and State Governments should focus more of their economic and educational programmes on building skills and changing attitudes among our young. The present generation is so different from mine – their skill levels are low, they shun hard work and they expect everything to come from the authorities for free. That’s why we are so dependent on foreign workers, which cannot continue without serious consequences to the country’s future. This situation is not entirely the fault of young Malaysians, not when the Government has been too busy building tolled roads to give them the proper training and motivation.
I would tell UMNO supporters that Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Razak is more sensible and moderate than the other leaders they have, so there is no need to oust him. I would tell them that the extreme politics being championed by other UMNO leaders are counter-productive to the wellbeing of the Malays. The country would also suffer.
