Letter to editor

Dear fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK): From your bunker hideout somewhere on earth, you posed a loaded question: why can’t all citizens of the minority community accept the fact that Malaysia is not a secular state? 

From my unconcealed site, I would like to turn around the same question and ask: why can’t all citizens recognise the reality that Malaysia is a country of many races, religions and cultures?

You want a straightforward answer from the people who are in the minority and who profess faiths other than yours. You are scratching your head to find an answer to this most intractable problem.

I am afraid you will not get what you want. This is not a simple matter. There is no quick-fix solution.

How you wish you had a magic wand so that with a wave of your hand, you could make the rest of the communal groups disappear into thin air.

But the stark reality is that the train of history had brought many people from other countries to our shores and their descendants are here to stay for all time.

These immigrants didn’t come here for a vacation on the sunny beaches but they came here to toil and sweat to earn their keep. Through the decades they had built up the country together with the native population.

Melting pot

Today, we have inhabitants of different faiths and cultures co-existing peacefully - bonded by the cords of mutual respect and understanding.

Throughout the decades, they lived happily as one citizens of a same country they now called their only home. There were no barriers dividing the nation. They have put their roots deep down in the Malaysian soil.

But the long peace and harmony had been shattered by the rise of ethnocentrism, which preaches and advocates an unpalatable doctrine. This is closely followed by the upsurge of religious fervour with some putting all their trust in the doctrine of the sword.

Suddenly, the air is now charged with tension as waves of emotional outbursts hit the country in response to perceived insults to your religion.

You think all the ethnic minorities are to be blamed for rubbing the dominant race the wrong way. You give the impression that every one of the minority communities is collectively responsible for denigrating or challenging the status of your religion.

And you came up with a simplistic solution: every member of the minority group should recognise and accept that Malaysia is an Islamic country because it is “originally Tanah Melayu“.

You ardently believe that unless and until they acknowledge the religious status of the country, there will be no peace.

You even pointedly mentioned the likelihood of bloodshed if the temperature reaches bursting point. You could only think of resorting to violence to get what you want.

Tut-tut, this is most disappointing. You are not helping to turn down the heat in your quest for the supremacy of Tanah Melayu. You are actually pouring more oil into the fire with your disingenuous arguments.

You are providing more ammunition to the forces of extremism and fanaticism to go on a warpath with those whom you want people to think are promoting secularism.

Time bomb

I believe you, too, have joined the chorus calling for the eventual establishment of a system of government based on rules and laws that emphasise the pre-eminence of one race and one faith.

You choose to ignore the rich diversity that had so long cemented the country. You only want to pursue a course of action that would inexorably lead to the undermining of national unity.

It is true that the rights of all minorities are protected under the Federal Constitution and therefore they need not fear a state based on religion.

But time and again, we see religious laws being applied that invariably intrude into the lifestyle of the minorities. And time and again, “outsiders” are warned not to poke their nose into the affairs of the paramount religion even though there were legitimate fears over their implications on people of other faiths.

The Federal Constitution may be the supreme law but there is no guarantee that it would not lose its pre-eminent place with the passage of time, and with it the erosion of the rights of the minorities.

So, you ask why are your fellow citizens courting trouble, especially when passions and emotions have captured the minds of your brethren bent on taking revenge in the name of religion?

All right-minded citizens have recognised the official status of your religion which is also enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

We have sufficient laws to deal with those who insult your religion or any religion for that matter. You cannot condemn wholesale all ethnic minorities for the irresponsible acts of a few individuals or companies.

Your approach - essentially submit or pay a heavy price - is inimical to the hope of a united, prosperous Malaysia. A nation divided by race and religion cannot stand on its feet for long.

You are imitating the methods of some countries where the minorities are subject to violent attacks because they come from different religious and cultural background. In many instances, coercion is used to make them give up their faith.

You warn of a ticking time bomb if the racial and religious tension is not defused. But you cannot use threats to get your way. If the bomb explodes, there are no winners. The biggest loser is Malaysia. - April 19, 2024

Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.

https://focusmalaysia.my/rpk-why-cant-all-citizens-accept-and-celebrate-the-diverse-beauty-of-malaysia/