MGG Pillai Commentary View

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The National Front is caught in a dilemma yet again

THE NATIONAL FRONT IS caught between two stools. The Islamic establishment, unelected but wants its say in how the country is run, on one side, and the empowered people on the other, who see they are not members of the Malaysia the National Front has created. Malaysia is now a nation of exclusion. As the widow of Corporal Moorthy's widow, found out she had no claim on his body, and no court would hear her complaint. Under the Federal Constitution she can get the courts to hear her complaint. The National Front has amended it unconstitutionally so that she cannot. It has created three courts: the civil courts, which hears all matters except those in the preserve of the Syrariah courts, which only hears matters raised by Muslims. They rank pari passu with each other. There is a third court, which only tries Sultans, to which of course Malaysians have no access to. There is now talk of a fourth court, a Constitutional Court, which would hear cases the other three would not.

This is clearly unconstitutional, as the National Front now feels. It has passed laws which turned Malaysia into an Islamic state, allowed its civil servants in its IRD to do what it liked, and if the non-Muslims and others protested, they are told to shut up. The National Front came a cropper in passing these laws because it assumed that since it had won election after election since independence with more than two-thirds majority, it could do as it liked. The non-Malay party leaders in the cabinet are there to feather their own nests, not look after the community the represent. They become willing henchmen to UMNO, the lead party in the National Front, plans. In the early days of independence, the UMNO president, then as now also the prime minister, would not pass any law that the MCA or MIC leader did not agree; today these leaders, and others, would make sure UMNO would have its way. Every unconstitutional act passed by UMNO had their support.

Ten non-Muslim cabinet ministers have sided with the people, against the National Front government. It has been widely reported. It is the first time since independence they have rebelled in public. It is one way to divert the issue at hand. After all, they should have objected in the cabinet when the bill was discussed, and when the non-Malay was marginalised by illegal amendments to the constitution and the laws written into law as a result. Now even they are in trouble with their people, and this is an attempt to get their support by being in the forefront of the debate. But their opposition now is seen as an attempt to save UMNO by diverting the main issue, which is bothering UMNO. These non-Malay leaders kept quiet when the laws were passed, and are interested now because they are being marginalised by the people. But many are in the National Front solely so that they do not join the Opposition.

The People's Progressive Party is an example. It joined the National Front in the 1970s, after its leading light, D.R. Seenivasagam, died. And it began its downfall. An MCA minister became its president so that he could remain in the cabinet. Its president after that became a senator, but was not allowed to contest elections. When Mr Kayveas, who was known as K.V.S. (for K.V. Sundaram) which he transliterated after his conversion to Catholicism, became President, UMNO negotiated with MIC to allow him to contest Cameron Highlands. He will remain president so long as he remains in the cabinet but whether his successor would be is doubtful. To remain in power and UMNO support, he will do anything. He has acquired many of the bad habits of ministers: he would arrive late at functions, would not go to his stomping ground, does not know his former friends. UMNO could get away with such behaviour, but not the non-Malay partners in the National Front.

The Islamic religious department officials, who are civil servants, are a law into themselves. Jawi, as the IRD in the Federal Terrority is known, has said it would have the snoop squad to work only with Islamic couples in lovers' lanes. The Prime Minister is ignored. It has defied Malaysians to say the snoop squad will be formed. Two previous religious affairs department heads – Ustadz Dahalan in Selangor in 1969/70; Ustadz Ngah in Trengannu in 1979.80 – is known to Malays and Muslims, for they set up snoop squads, who later became licenced extortionists. They would take the jewellery or have sex with lthe women so that they are not reported. It is happening today in the University of Malaya campus. The guards find young undergraduates in lonely places, are told they would not be reported if the girl had sex with him. The University authorities take a harsh line on the students, because they students often do not support the National Front. No cabinet minister go to the university campus. When Pak Lah went there, the unversity authorities told the students they would be expelled if they went out of line when Pak Lah arrived.

PAS, which had used National Front legislation to push forward its agenda of an Islamic state, today held a demonstration after Friday prayers at the National Mosque. It accused Pak Lah's administration of weak kneed response to make Malaysia an Islamic state. National Front MPs now say that Islam cannot be downgraded, dividing the Muslims and non-Muslims in a country where it is not provided under the Constitution that gave Malaya, as it was then known, its independence. UMNO cannot escape this taunt, particularly the PAS claim that the syariah court is downgraded in Malaysia because there is no Attornety-General for syariah matters. The general assumption is that only those who can talk about Islam are those learned in it. The non-Malay is forbidden to talk of it, and take a subservient role.

This National Front plan of excluding Malaysians in laws and policies has gone awry. The Muslim women are on the warpath to plans to make them second class citizens. They have got the Hindus, and now the other religions, upset. It has ignored its own ruling of the primacy of Islamic law. It has given all money due to Corpal Moorthy's widow, offered her a job which she refused because it was too far, has asked the private sector to give her a job. He was ignored after the climbed Everest in 1997. But after the furore following his death, he was given a posthumous promotion, and given all due denied when he was living. But the issue has become a cause celebre among the other religions. The National Front realises it can lose if the opposition were the women, and the other religions. So it has ignored the Islamic laws it passed. But it has in the meanwhile allowed the country to be divided on racial and religions grounds. What it should worry is that it has done all this by ignoring the Federal Constitution.

M.G.G. Pillai
pillai@streamyx.com