The man with a long keris

“Every miserable fool who has nothing at all of which he can be proud, adopts as a last resource pride in the nation to which he belongs; he is ready and happy to defend all its faults and follies tooth and nail, thus reimbursing himself for his own inferiority.”

- Arthur Schopenhauer, ‘Essays and Aphorisms’

I have no idea what goes on in PAS these days. I do not think even PAS members know what is going on in PAS these days. Long-time members who consider me a friend (as I them) tell me that there this strong whiff of “nyanyuk” going on in the PAS leadership council.

PAS friends of mine were sniggering when party leader Abdul Hadi Awang cut that cake in the form of a PAS flag because to them it symbolised the balkanisation of PAS. Members carving out little fiefdoms or sultanates if one is so inclined, with Amanah the big orange elephant in the room.

Meanwhile, PAS vice-president Idris Ahmad said, “If our delegates came wearing shorts, our women came without wearing the headscarves, our leaders shaking hands between men and women, only then PAS can be accused of being deviant,” which just goes to show you that only PAS could describe normal behaviour as “deviant” within their ethos. This was the ‘PAS for all’ that we were told would usher in a new Malaysian dawn? I bet the vice-president thinks he has a long keris too.

Only in the mind of a Malay supremacist would a weapon (keris) be used as an ornament to liven up the political landscape. The keris is a dog whistle for non-Malays who understand the agenda behind those waving it around. When was the last time the keris was extended as a symbol of good faith?

Just recently non-Malays were reminded of Malay supremacy during the Red Shirt rally where our prime minster said, “Malays too can show that we can still rise up, rise up when our dignity is challenged; rise up when our leaders are insulted, ridiculed, embarrassed. Malays say enough, let no one repeat evil acts like that again.”

I wonder if he was talking about The Wall Street Journal. Or the numerous other Western publications that are mocking his regime and his lame responses to the barrage of revelations coming his way. But alas the defence of Malay dignity is confined to scaring the non-Malays, well the Chinese actually, rather than defending the office of the Malaysian prime minster overseas. Malay supremacy is local, I guess.

Look at the pictures from that rally and you would see politicians dressed to the nines in ‘Malay Warrior’ costumes. It would not surprise me if there are a few displays of the keris, too. I am sure most of the participants there believed they had long keris, too.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and Najib’s nemesis, remarked that the length of the keris is in proportion to displays of nationalism. Understandable. There is this Umno or Malay supremacist perception that waving a long keris about trumps responsible leadership. PAS now in bed with Umno may have caught something, which is why some PAS members feel compelled to act like Umno members.

The former prime minister also offered up his unique take on Islamic justice. The Umno strongman (most people dismiss him as a former strongman or that Najib has him on the ropes but I think differently) said when addressing the manufactured hudud controversy, "Is that (duality of punishment) justice? I don't think you will say it is justice. Justice can only be achieved if the punishment is the same for both. In this case, the punishments are different, they are not just, and therefore not Islamic."

More money stolen through corruption

Would it be true Islamic justice if it was a Malay man and another Malay man who did the hypothetical robbing? Let us assume that Malaysia was not a multiethnic/religious country. Would it be just to cut off a man’s hand for committing theft? By the way, what is the punishment if a man commits rape? Some kind of dismemberment one hopes.

Furthermore, what of our dual system of justice when it comes to Muslims and non-Muslims with regard to the syariah system of justice here in Malaysia? Surely, laws are not solely about punishments and why should certain aspects of Malay life be determined by Islamic jurisprudence?

This dual legal system has caused so many problems when it comes to the social and religious lives of Malaysians. And to be perfectly clear it is not the fault of the non-Muslims although certain non-Muslims have maliciously taken advantage of the system, especially in conversion cases.

A million, maybe even billions of ringgit, has been spent pushing the Islamic agenda and what has it done for the majority of the Malay community? Has it broadened their minds? Has it facilitated a sense of belonging between the various communities here in Malaysia? As the “religion of the federation”, has it proven effective is forming a sense of national identity?

No, what it has done is produced a UiTM lecturer who offers us these words of wisdom, “I don't trust females, because we believe men should lead women. They are not even the head in families, so how can they lead bigger things," and gentle readers, who do you think he means by “we”?

Perak PAS commissioner Razman Zakaria said, “Do you want your money stolen? Of course you don't, that's why you put up grills and alarms. In Islam, we don't have to do this; those who steal will face the music.”

Except more money is stolen through corruption than people breaking into houses. More money is stolen from the coffers of religious organisations. More money is stolen through government agencies. Yet nobody, certainly not from PAS, is interested in chopping off Malay/Muslim hands that have been pilfering from federal and state coffers.

Perhaps if Muslims from PAS do not like their wives and daughters harassed, maybe they should start a curfew for Muslim men (because they are the ones subject to hudud) instead of being obsessed with the attire and behaviour of their women.

However, all this is a show. A farce concocted by craven politicians in Putrajaya, enabled by opportunistic politicians from across the political divide, dressed up as serious political theatre. As one Umno insider told me, “Do you really think that hudud is going to happen here in Malaysia?” She continues, “Hudud and Hadi are convenient fillers to break the news cycle. Nobody takes them seriously. How could anyone take them seriously?”

The problem is that the world is littered with Islamic regimes formed by groups that existing power structures did not take seriously.

At the end of the day, never trust any man who wields a long keris.

S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy



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