Remember Jebat?

I often wonder what the Malays would be like today if Jebat had won instead of Tuah. A cynical friend said, it wouldn’t have made a difference even if Jebat did win because history would have been rewritten in favour of Tuah anyway as being more politically correct. Loyalty to a ruler, however irrational and despotic, have always been a trademark of Malaysians or is it just Malays?  Blind, unquestioning loyalty is essential in preserving the status quo of the ruling elite.

But I digress – what if Jebat had won and /or was reported as such? After all history is written by the victors and if Jebat was victorious, it only stands to reason that he would make sure his victory over Tuah was known to all, far and wide to prove his point that injustice is unacceptable and the Sultan is unfit to rule. (Let’s not go into the nitty gritty of Jebat’s supposed actions and killings of court maidens which always seemed fishy to me. ..)  Better still what if they both stood up against Sultan Mahmud, and garnered the support of the Bendahara and the people? Maybe when the Sultan realised he was outgunned , outnumbered and definitely out of power  – he went  into exile. What then would the Malays be like?

Perhaps, they would have been more discriminating and stringent in  choice of leaders.  Loyalty would come only after leaders show  their readiness to be held accountable for their behavior and actions and demonstrate integrity, courage and an unstinting , unwavering commitment to the preserving the interests of the rakyat, regardless of race, religion and state of pocketbook. Such Malays would voice their disagreement and protests vociferously at policies or the lack of it to safeguard Malaysia’s interests. They would haul up the corrupt, not vote them in repeatedly. These Malays would be open-minded, tolerant and generous with all who choose to make Malaysia their home. After all the first Malays to beoame Muslim chose to do so  after witnessing the characteristics and experiencing the warmth of the Muslims from Pasai. These characteristics would then be reinforced as part of the national culture and consciousness.   Narrowmindedness and an obsessive compulsion to target women and emphasise rituals over values would not be in the vocabulary of such Malays.

A high premium  would be placed on integrity, excellence, tolerance and cooperation and Malays will be fiercely loyal to Malaysia and guard our interests and resources jealously. Malay leaders who do not make this grade, do not even get a nose through a crack, much less control or influence others. We would find Malay intellectuals,  academics, journalists , industrialists,  artists ,  writers and  directors competing comfortably on the world stage. The Malaysian education system would produce thinkers and doers that help propel Malaysia into the future,  not conformists and future supporters to maintain the status quo.

Is this stuff that dreams are made of? Can this be anything other than rhetoric and empty words?

When Tuah purportedly killed Jebat for being disloyal to the Sultan, even if Jebat’s intention was to avenge Tuah’s  unjust ‘death’, the message that reverberated for Malays in generations to come was that loyalty to the one in power must be unswerving and unquestioning, under any circumstances. They must live in hope that errant leaders will come around and correct damage wrought. They must continue to have faith in a flawed system that allows  leaders to implement policies that undercut and undermine the very institutions and people they were entrusted to preserve and protect. They should close their eyes to the root causes and main perpetrators of corruption amongst them for Malays do not rock the boat for change, even when the boat is visibly heading towards the rocks. They have to close ranks and remain loyal to their leaders especially when they receive favours and boons. ‘ We are obliged to follow and remain loyal for to be disloyal would mean jeopardising the future of the Malays and risk the loss of Malay political power’. So in the interest supposedly for the greater good, Malays remain loyal to flawed leaders and flawed systems.  Tuah made the choice that fateful day to remain loyal to a man who ordered his death on a whim and a rumour and kill his best friend as proof of that loyalty and belief in  the credibility of the Sultanate. Just as the Malays do today. Any possibility for change lies in the realization among the Malays that they are the ones who hold the balance of power in this country and therefore must exercise it responsibly – not just for themselves but for future generations.  If they persist in ignoring this responsibility ostrich-like, Malays may end in in a country depleted of resources,  weakened economically and mismanaged only to share it with the non-Malays who are too impoverished to migrate. For change to happen,  we Malays must be bold and strong enough to demand integrity and accountability of our leaders. If we don’t then  we will continue to get what we deserve  by our continued silence and loyalty to those who do not deserve it.

If anyone asks you, what can one man do, remind them of Tuah and Jebat.

A Sea of Yellow

 

I went for a walk yesterday, amid the pouring rain accompanied by my best friend and tens of thousands of Malaysians dressed in shades of yellow. A walk of less than three kilometres yet every step I took, striding determinedly side by side with fellow Malaysians  near (Petaling Jaya) and far ( Kelantan, Terengganu even Perak), able and disabled (wheelchair, on crutches  with one leg?? ) made me feel more of a Malaysian than any celebration of our Independence Day.

As we approached KL, yellow shirts tucked safely in a backpack and cover story intact in case we were questioned (” baru balik kerja kilang di Shah Alam, Datuk”),  traffic was  slow moving and only one road was closed . Then the first road block behind KTM – the police ignored us and we managed to park in Dayabumi. At the entrance facing the National Mosque, we put on our yellow shirts and looked around for compatriots – fellow yellows only to be disappointed.. It was almost 3 pm and rain poured steadily. We looked at each other and others sheltering from the rain, wondering whether this had all been hype and the anticipated crowd had dwindled when faced with FRU’s water cannons and tear gas when we caught sight of a straggly crowd in yellow  marching from Dataran Merdeka. We watched, awed as the crowd grew in strength , like an progressively fat yellow column of people of all ages, moving steadily towards the National Palace. Shouts of “Rapat, rapat” came from men dressed in maroon with the word “Unit Amal, Malaysia” written behind their shirts, as they sheparded the crowd along making sure the crowd didn’t obstruct traffic. It was this line of maroon shirts that I saw at the front line between the marchers and the police later in front of the National Palace. (I discovered that they were summoned from Terengganu).

We walked, oblivious to the rain that soaked us to the skin, and the threat of police, tear gas and what can water cannons do when we were already wet!  Ebullient and enthusiastic, we followed the chants of “Bersih, Bersih” and “Hidup, Hidup Rakyat”. I was more hesitant when it came to the takbir and “Hidup Islam” and BN or  UMNO taunts because they were out of place, I felt, in a non-partisan march representing the hopes of all Malaysians for clean elections.  I kept looking back to see how long did this column of people in yellow stretch – it seemed never ending and more seemed to be joining us. The march ended with all of us sitting on the roads that so recently we drove on – a crowd of at the very least 30,000 – not the paltry 4,000 crowd reported by the mainstream media.

We smiled and exchanged stories of how we managed to make it into the city – one drove from Perak, parked at Rawang and came to KL via the commuter train. Others came in buses the night before. Many came via LRT and those from out of town had to face police road blocks to get into the city. There were whole families (couples with siblings and mother in tow),  youths and children too young to vote and Makciks and Pakciks who had valiantly kept up with the crowd. Our stories were tame compared to what our fellow yellows went through in Masjid Jamek and Jalan TAR. The tear gas was fired upon them without any warning to disperse and chemical-laced water from the water cannons caught them full face. The marchers dispersed quickly, avoiding the shower and gas, only to converge again, from behind pillars and out of shops – bursts of yellows that gave heart to others until they converged again and moved towards their  goal, passing out salt among themselves to recover quickly from the gas. 

Twice  gassed and showered, thrice they came back, more determined and resolute, my sisters and brother-in-law among them.

 

Who are they, this group, this honoured few? After all, the memorandum was signed by only “a few thousand people” whose voices are unimportant to the ruling alliance. 30,000 people forming the sea of yellow are a drop in the bucket of 27 million Malaysians. Well, they are concerned citizens who want a better future for their children. Those who were there are disillusioned with the state of affairs of the country as well as those who went along riding on the wave of political rhetoric. Many were first timers – not Reformasi veterans. Many were supporters of the opposition and some were  even UMNO  members.- the middle-class silent majority have in essence spoken with their feet and their presence.  What we all share is a deep sense of urgency of the need to stop the rot that the current election system would reinforce. Even if the current government wins, at least it is by assuredly fair means rather than election results accompanied by a distinct odour of malfeasance.

 

I ended the day in hope only to discover to my dismay that those I met later were unimpressed with the sea of yellow march. What memorandum?  Malaysians are either unconcerned, apathetic or ostrich-like in their regard to swallowing the media version of the march uncritically and unthinkingly. Why should they bother? Their businesses / careers / families/lives are doing fine – in fact they benefit greatly from the current status quo. The fate of others struggling to live their lives honestly, safely and with integrity does not register on their radar. What is voting but an inconvenience to them? Malaysia is just a context for their lives – like a parasite living off their host. When times get tough – their catchword is “Let’s migrate!” I will be the first to wish them goodbye.

 

To those gassed, showered, arrested  and released – I salute your courage and I pray for your safety. Your sacrifice allowed others to see through the façade. I like to think that what matters to my fellow yellows is  the King’s commitment to us as his subjects and the hope that this has shown the powers that be that Malaysian have it within them to control their own destiny. We are not lemmings who will obediently and unquestioningly jump off a cliff just because we are told to do so. Please treat Malaysians with the respect and honour that we deserve as tax payers, citizens and patriots who have learnt the hard lessons of the past, are working to improve the present and will do what it takes for a better Malaysia. – we who choose to stay in this country of our birth..