A Talk in New York: Education and Cultural Change

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Alif Ba Ta 2009

A Malay view of Biro Tata Negara and ‘Ketuanan Melayu

A Malay view of Biro Tata Negara and ‘Ketuanan Melayu’
by Azly Rahman



‘O people! Your God is one and your forefather (Adam) is one. An Arab is not better than a non-Arab and a non-Arab is not better than an Arab, and a red (i.e. white tinged with red) person is not better than a black person and a black person is not better than a red person, except in piety. Indeed the noblest among you is the one who is deeply conscious of God.’ – a saying of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him)

‘Malaysia – to whom does it belong? To Malaysians. But who are Malaysians? I hope I am, Mr Speaker, Sir. But sometimes, sitting in this chamber, I doubt whether I am allowed to be a Malaysian. This is the doubt that hangs over many minds, and … [once] emotions are set in motion, and men pitted against men along these unspoken lines, you will have the kind of warfare that will split the nation from top to bottom and undo Malaysia.’ – Lee Kuan Yew, now Senior Minister, Republic of Singapore

Instead of defining Ketuanan Melayu as ‘Malay superiority’ which is quite meaningless, philologically inaccurate, and philosophically arrogant, I think the word ‘dictatorship’ is closer in meaning. As you read this piece, please refrain from value judgment and from bring trapped in the prison-house of language pertaining to the word ‘dictatorship’.

To dictate connotes to tell, which connotes to narrate. To narrate means to weave a story based on an ideology. To ideologise means to encapsulate. To encapsulate means to be trap. Dictatorship, here might also mean an entrapment. Instead of acknowledging one’s freedom to rule, one is acknowledging being in an entrapment – and to rule out of that condition. This is a form of false consciousness.

Words, as a literary theorist Raymond Williams might say, must also be contextualised/situated within the economic condition they emerge in. Marx’s famous dictum that human beings’ existence is defined by the economic condition they are in and that this condition is already predetermined. This is a deterministic view of human history.

I first read heard the phrase Ketuanan Melayu in the mid-1980s from a book by one Malik Munip. I was reading his work, at the same time reading Lim Kit Siang’s ‘Malaysia in the dangerous 80s’, to get a sense of the argument. I was an undergraduate reading Literature, Education and International Politics.

I also heard that Malay students were discouraged from reading Kit Siang’s work and encouraged to read ‘Ketuanan Melayu’. I love banned books and books that others tell me not to read. There is a sense of intellectual challenge to be able to read banned books.

I read Mahathir Mohamad’s ‘The Malay Dilemma’ and Syed Husin Ali’s ‘Malays: Their Problems and their Future’ and Syed Hussein Alatas’ ‘The Myth of the Lazy Native’ at the same time. Again, to get a sense of balance.

I read Malaysian official publications on economic outlook, juxtaposing them with a close reading of analyses on the political-economy of the Malaysian capitalist state.

I read the work of Freud and Marx to see where some of the major authors of the Frankfurt School of Social Research are going with their arguments on totalitarianism. I read the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata to see where the arguments on race superiority lie and what the fate of humankind will be.

The idea of social dominance and racial superiority might all be primarily about economics, if we are to read the history of the development of ideologies of superiority. But my question is – who has the right to claim that this or that land belongs to this or that group of people. At what point does culture and citizenship meet and negotiate the issue of egalitarianism? When does ‘the truth of one’s culture’ reach its limit and the question of ‘the truth of citizenship’ dominate?

This is a very complex question Malaysians must answer after 50 years of Independence. We must open up the dialogue on this issue.

Lyrical propaganda

Let us look at how the idea of ketuanan Melayu is disseminated to the young. One way is through indoctrination camps in which songs are used.

Over the decades, perhaps millions of Malay students like me were taught the dangerous propaganda song, ‘Anak Kecil Main Api’(A Child Plays with Fire). One verse concerns the power of the Malays::

… kini kita cuma tinggal kuasa

yang akan menentukan bangsa

hasil mengalir, ke tangan yang lain

pribumi merintih sendiri…

My loose translation of this 1980s propaganda song by the Biro Tata Negara reads:

… political power is what we are only left with

one that will determine the fate of our nation

wealth of this nation flows into the hands of others

sons and daughters of the soil suffer in solace…

I do not think we have a clear understanding of what the lyrics mean. I doubt if the songwriter even understands what a ‘people’s history of Malaya’ means. It is a song based on racist intents; its lyrics penned by one who does not have a good grasp of the political economy of Malaysian history, let alone the latest advances in the field of psychology of consciousness.

The training programes that encapsulate the theme of this song are meant to instill fear of the Malays, not of others but of themselves and to project hatred onto other ethnic groups without realising who the enemy of the Malays really are.

Using relaxation techniques to bring the brain waves in the alpha and state (conducive for suggestive and subliminal messages), trainees were put under ‘half-asleep’ conditions to get the Ketuanan Melayu message to colonise the consciousness. The technique pioneered by Russian brain scientists Barzakov and Lozanov in the1970s, called ‘suggestopedia’, is used to instill the deep sense of fear for oneself and hatred of others.

History is a complex syntagmatic pattern of interplay between technology, ideology, culture, inscription and institutionalisation not easily reduced to simplistic lyrics as such sung to the tune of pre-war German-nationalistic-sounding compositions.

History is about the complex evolution of the ruling class which owns the technologies of control. As Marx would say, at every epoch it is the history of those who own the means of production that will be written and rewritten. The winners write history, the losers write poetry or study anthropology, some would lament.

Back to the lyrics. After 50 years of independence, who is suffering in Malaysia? Who has become wealthy? Who has evolved into robber barons? What has become of our judiciary system, our universities, our city streets, our sense of public safety and security, our schools, our youth, and our entire socio-economic arrangements at the eve of the 12th general election. How has the idea of ketuanan Melayu contributed to this state of affairs?

Language of power and ideology is at play in those lyrics. The definition of ‘bumiputera’ is at play. It has become a problematic word in this age of deconstructionism; an age wherein as the poet WB Yeats said, “the centre cannot hold”.

Rock musicians will recall the Scorpions’ famous song ‘Winds of Change’ to serenade the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) and the beginning of the breakdown of the Soviet Empire. We have to face the ‘wrath’ of the world.

Put an end to Ketuanan Melayu

For Muslims in Malaysia, this saying by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is familiar: ‘Your descent is nothing to be proud of. Nor does it bring you superiority. O people! All of you are the children of Adam. You are like equal wheat grains in a bowl … No one has any superiority over anyone else, except in religion and heedfulness. In order to consider someone a wicked person, it suffices that he humiliates other people, is mean with money, bad-tempered and exceeds the limits…’

I would say that Ketuanan Melayu is a dangerous concept that is threatening race relations. It is an arrogant interpretation of selective history; of a history that is largely benefiting those who profits from the ideology.

Those promoting this concept are not well-versed in the matters of philosophy of history. I do not think thinking Malays these days subscribe to the idea of ‘Malay dominance and dictatorship’. If there is a ketuanan of one race, then the rest are ‘slaves’ and ‘serfs’ and ‘sub-citizens’, if we are to analyse it from the point of view of ‘Master-Slave’ narrative?

As a Malay wishing to see the withering of and an end to the concept of Ketuanan Melayu and the birth of a new consciousness that will respect the dignity of all races and the humility of all ethnic groups, I call upon Malaysians to continue to be critical of any attempt by any race to project their own sense of false superiority that would only breed dangerous ethnocentrism bordering on xenophobia.

We should work together to deconstruct all forms of race-based political arrangement and work towards establishing a new order based on a more egalitarian economic design that takes into consideration the basic needs and dignity of all races.

We should teach our schoolchildren how to deconstruct such sense of racial superiority, through the teaching of not only tolerance but social egalitarianism – via peace education strategies. We will have a lot to gain for generations to come.

READING ON THE MALAY SUBJECT:

ESSAYS ON THE MALAY SUBJECT

• A Malay view of "Ketuanan Melayu"
• A mind is a terrible thing to waste
• After apology over the keris
• An invitation to the Oxford Roundtable
• Brand new Malay dilemma
• Embrace kampong-ism, not feminism
• Entering the Malay mind
• From daulat to derhaka: A Malay Darwinist moment
• Ideology, idiocy, independence
• In search of a new Malay mind
• Is the keris a symbol of violence?
• Johor Malay congress on Ketuanan Melayu
• Machiavellis in Malaysian politics
• Malay matrix awaits its messiah
• Malay myth as colonizing strategy
• Mandate of heaven this nation awaits
• Memories of the colony
• Nationalism and tribalism
• Neo-feudalism of the cybernetic Malays
• Our 'remptized' education system
• Outside the matrix
• Sawojaya -- a new Malay race
• Slaying an immortal tiger
• Stop fighting, help the Indians!
• Stop glorifying the Mat Rempits!
• Who is our real father of independence?

MARA Science Colleges should take in these students

No MRSM for 817 flying colours and cream of Tamil school pupils.


The headlines in all there Tamil dailies today 20/11/2009 screams and boasts of 817 Tamil school pupils having scored 7As’. So did the Malay Mail sub headlines today “Flying colors” (Malay Mail 20/11/2009 at page 9) with a group of cheering high achieving Indian students in colour photo. New Straits Times sub headlines “ Tamil schools do well” (NST 20/11/2009 at page 13) and also in the Malay newspapers.

The No 1 UMNO Mandore party screams even louder but is unable to deliver or secure them places in the scores of elite MSRM and fully residential schools. We note that another leading UMNO mandore NGO also screams credit but diverts away from the next forward moving step ie place for these 817 Tamil school pupils in the said MRSM and fully residential schools. But what all these newspapers do not report is that all these 817 7As’ scoring Tamil school pupils are excluded to the fully residential elite schools Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) throughout the country.

We note that there are 6, 000 places in 54 (Utusan Malaysia 8/11/2008 at page 12) fully residential schools and another 5, 100 places in Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) colleges (Utusan Malaysia 19/11/2008 at page 10). But we are not aware of single Indian pupil in any of the aforesaid colleges and schools. Of course UMNO some years ago claimed that there are 10% non Malays in MSRM. But the name list of this 10% has never been made public because UMNO expects us to believe them. No more though after the 25th November 2007 Hindraf Rally! In any event why not publish the names and I/C numbers in the Education Ministry Website if it indeed is the truth. Why is there no transparency?

Article 8 of the same provides for the equal protection under the law.

This our request is in compliance with Article 8 and 12 of the Federal Coctitution which provides that:

Article 8

Equality

1) All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law.

Article 12

Rights in respect of education

1) Without prejudice to the generality of Article 8, there shall be no discrimination against any citizen on the grounds only of religion, race, descent or place of birth –

(a) in the administration of any educational institution maintained by

by a public authority, and in particular, the admission of pupils or students or the payment of fees; or

(b) in providing out of the funds of a public authority financial aid for the

maintenance or education of pupils or students in any educational institution(weather or not maintained by public authority and whether within or outside the Federation ).

This has been UMNO’s 52 year old rule through their Indian political and NGO mandores to keep the Malaysian Indians out of the Nation mainstream education system vis a vis the National Mainstream Development of Malaysia.

These UMNO mandore Indian political parties and NGOs’ get to make something for themselves in return for doing the “perfect” mandore job of highlighting, amplifying and creating a (false) feel good feeling and all round One Malaysia happiness in especially the Tamil newspapers, Tamil Radio and Tamil TV news propaganda. (Note the extensive coverage hereinbelow) and also in the other UMNO controlled print and electronic media.

In the end the Indians have degenerated out of the National mainstream development of Malaysia and thus the critical Indian problems today.

P. Utahyakumar

www.humarightspartymalaysia.com

Malaysia no longer "Tanah Melayu"

Malaysia no longer “Tanah Melayu”

By Azly Rahman



I dedicate these notes to Teo Beng Hock, a young Malaysian who ought to be an inspiration to many wishing to call Malaysia home.

Because we have agreed to become a country rooted in a social contract that ought to give equality, equity, and equal opportunity to all who have given up their natural rights in exchange for “citizenship” and the rights of the State to tax them (with or without representation), we must recognize that Malaysia is for Malaysians.

This will be the most humane perspective we ought to work towards in holding. What is needed is a system of check and balance that will ensure that each generation of Malaysians will progress without the trappings of mistrust, hatred, and institutionalized racism.

But first, we must all fight for the installation of this reality. Political will that will move this agenda of ethical liberalism must be harnessed and be made the driving force for social, cultural, educational, and psychological change.

The idea of “Tanah Melayu” must be reflected upon — of its relevancy and whether it is a kind of ideological thinking that will help develop a culture of peace or help nurture inter-racial hatred.

Communal politics is an old school thinking that cannot survive the wave of cosmopolitanism; just like the any idea that could not survive the inevitability of historical change propelled by changes in material condition and consciousness.

In Malaysia, the days of communal politics are numbered, however well it is packaged and propagandized. Multiculturalism, and in fact radical multiculturalism, or better still radical marhaenism is the next wave. Institutions that promote racism must be deconstructed and abolished; institutions that are funded by the ruling regime to ensure the hegemony of this or that race. Dismantle them before they become yet another layer of complexity in our consciousness; a layer that hides the structural violence inherent in a system of racism and false consciousness called “nationalistic history”.

The only permanent thing is change, as the Chinese philosopher and mystic Lao Tzu said. Man has no nature, what he has is history, said the Spanish philosopher Ortega Gasset.

And there will be beauty in this change if we know how to destroy the beast within.

I am reproducing an essay I wrote sometime ago on “Ketuanan Melayu”

——————————————————–

A Malay view of ‘Ketuanan Melayu’
Azly Rahman | Feb 4, 08 2:51pm

‘O people! Your God is one and your forefather (Adam) is one. An Arab is not better than a non-Arab and a non-Arab is not better than an Arab, and a red (i.e. white tinged with red) person is not better than a black person and a black person is not better than a red person, except in piety. Indeed the noblest among you is the one who is deeply conscious of God.’ – a saying of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him)

‘Malaysia – to whom does it belong? To Malaysians. But who are Malaysians? I hope I am, Mr Speaker, Sir. But sometimes, sitting in this chamber, I doubt whether I am allowed to be a Malaysian. This is the doubt that hangs over many minds, and … [once] emotions are set in motion, and men pitted against men along these unspoken lines, you will have the kind of warfare that will split the nation from top to bottom and undo Malaysia.’ – Lee Kuan Yew, now Senior Minister, Republic of Singapore

Instead of defining Ketuanan Melayu as ‘Malay superiority’ which is quite meaningless, philologically inaccurate, and philosophically arrogant, I think the word ‘dictatorship’ is closer in meaning. As you read this piece, please refrain from value judgment and from bring trapped in the prison-house of language pertaining to the word ‘dictatorship’.

To dictate connotes to tell, which connotes to narrate. To narrate means to weave a story based on an ideology. To ideologise means to encapsulate. To encapsulate means to be trap. Dictatorship, here might also mean an entrapment. Instead of acknowledging one’s freedom to rule, one is acknowledging being in an entrapment – and to rule out of that condition. This is a form of false consciousness.

Words, as a literary theorist Raymond Williams might say, must also be contextualised/situated within the economic condition they emerge in. Marx’s famous dictum that human beings’ existence is defined by the economic condition they are in and that this condition is already predetermined. This is a deterministic view of human history.

I first read heard the phrase Ketuanan Melayu in the mid-1980s from a book by one Malik Munip, whose book Tuntutan Melayu was read by many a Malay student. I was reading his work, at the same time reading Lim Kit Siang’s ‘Malaysia in the dangerous 80s’, to get a sense of the argument. I was an undergraduate reading Literature, Education and International Politics.

I also heard that Malay students were discouraged from reading Kit Siang’s work and encouraged to read writings on ‘Ketuanan Melayu’. I love banned books and books that others tell me not to read. There is a sense of intellectual challenge to be able to read banned books.

I read Mahathir Mohamad’s ‘The Malay Dilemma’ and Syed Husin Ali’s ‘Malays: Their Problems and their Future’ and Syed Hussein Alatas’ ‘The Myth of the Lazy Native’ at the same time. Again, to get a sense of balance.

I read Malaysian official publications on economic outlook, juxtaposing them with a close reading of analyses on the political-economy of the Malaysian capitalist state.

I read the work of Freud and Marx to see where some of the major authors of the Frankfurt School of Social Research are going with their arguments on totalitarianism. I read the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata to see where the arguments on race superiority lie and what the fate of humankind will be.

The idea of social dominance and racial superiority might all be primarily about economics, if we are to read the history of the development of ideologies of superiority. But my question is – who has the right to claim that this or that land belongs to this or that group of people. At what point does culture and citizenship meet and negotiate the issue of egalitarianism? When does ‘the truth of one’s culture’ reach its limit and the question of ‘the truth of citizenship’ dominate?

This is a very complex question Malaysians must answer after 50 years of Independence. We must open up the dialogue on this issue.

Lyrical propaganda

Let us look at how the idea of ketuanan Melayu is disseminated to the young. One way is through indoctrination camps in which songs are used.

Over the decades, perhaps millions of Malay students like me were taught the dangerous propaganda song, ‘Anak Kecil Main Api’(A Child Plays with Fire). One verse concerns the power of the Malays::

… kini kita cuma tinggal kuasa

yang akan menentukan bangsa

hasil mengalir, ke tangan yang lain

pribumi merintih sendiri…

My loose translation of this 1980s propaganda song by the Biro Tata Negara reads:

… political power is what we are only left with

one that will determine the fate of our nation

wealth of this nation flows into the hands of others

sons and daughters of the soil suffer in solace…

I do not think we have a clear understanding of what the lyrics mean. I doubt if the songwriter even understand what a ‘people’s history of Malaya’ means. It is a song based on racist intents; its lyrics penned by one who does not have a good grasp of the political-economy of Malaysian history, let alone the latest advances in the field of psychology of consciousness.

The training programes that encapsulate the theme of this song are meant to instill fear of the Malays, not of others but of themselves, and to project hatred onto other ethnic groups without realising who the enemy of the Malays really are.

Using relaxation techniques to bring the brain waves in the alpha and state (conducive for suggestive and subliminal messages), trainees were put under ‘half-asleep’ conditions to get the ketuanan Melayu message to colonise the consciousness. The technique pioneered by Russian brain scientists Barzakov and Lozanov in the1970s, called ‘suggestopedia’, is used to instill the deep sense of fear for oneself and hatred of others.

History is a complex syntagmatic pattern of interplay between technology, ideology, culture, inscription and institutionalisation not easily reduced to simplistic lyrics as such sung to the tune of pre-war German-nationalistic-sounding compositions.

History is about the complex evolution of the ruling class which owns the technologies of control. As Marx would say, at every epoch it is the history of those who own the means of production that will be written and rewritten. The winners write history, the losers write poetry or study anthropology, some would lament.

Back to the lyrics. After 50 years of independence, who is suffering in Malaysia? Who has become wealthy? Who has evolved into robber barons? What has become of our judiciary system, our universities, our city streets, our sense of public safety and security, our schools, our youth, and our entire socio-economic arrangements at the eve of the 12th general election. How has the idea of ketuanan Melayu contributed to this state of affairs?

Language of power and ideology is at play in those lyrics. The definition of ‘bumiputera’ is at play. It has become a problematic word in this age of deconstructionism; an age wherein as the poet WB Yeats said, “the centre cannot hold”.

Rock musicians will recall the Scorpions’ famous song ‘Winds of Change’ to serenade the fall of the Berlin Wall and the beginning of the breakdown of the Soviet Empire. We have to face the ‘wrath’ of the word.

Put an end to Ketuanan Melayu

For Muslims in Malaysia, this saying by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is familiar: ‘Your descent is nothing to be proud of. Nor does it bring you superiority. O people! All of you are the children of Adam. You are like equal wheat grains in a bowl … No one has any superiority over anyone else, except in religion and heedfulness. In order to consider someone a wicked person, it suffices that he humiliates other people, is mean with money, bad-tempered and exceeds the limits…’

I would say that ketuanan Melayu is a dangerous concept that is threatening race relations. It is an arrogant interpretation of selective history; of a history that is largely benefiting those who profits from the ideology.

Those promoting this concept are not well-versed in the matters of philosophy of history. I do not think thinking Malays these days subscribe to the idea of ‘Malay dominance and dictatorship’. If there is a ketuanan of one race, then the rest are ‘slaves’ and ‘serfs’ and ‘sub-citizens’, if we are to analyse it from the point of view of ‘Master-Slave’ narrative?

As a Malay wishing to see the withering of and an end to the concept of ketuanan Melayu and the birth of a new consciousness that will respect the dignity of all races and the humility of all ethnic groups, I call upon Malaysians to continue to be critical of any attempt by any race to project their own sense of false superiority that would only breed dangerous ethnocentrism bordering on xenophobia.

We should work together to deconstruct all forms of race-based political arrangement and work towards establishing a new order based on a more egalitarian economic design that takes into consideration the basic needs and dignity of all races.

We should teach our schoolchildren how to deconstruct such sense of racial superiority, through the teaching of not only tolerance but social egalitarianism – via peace education strategies. We will have a lot to gain for generations to come.

Malaysian Prime Minister in New York: On Brain Gain

Handball soccer? Why not!

Multiethnic Malaysia -- a required reading for all

UCSI University’s Contribution to Celebrate the Nation’s Multiethnicity
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Belinda Chee Suat Boey Manager, Corporate Communications belindachee@ucsi.edu.my Tel: +603-9101 8880 ext 3095
Kuala Lumpur, 16 October 2009 - UCSI University launched the book Multiethnic Malaysia, Past, Present and Future edited by Dr. Lim Teck Ghee, Alberto Gomes and Azly Rahman, published jointly by the Malaysian Institute for Development and Asian Studies (MiDAS@UCSI University) and Gerak Budaya. Yang Berhormat Mulia Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the Member of Parliament for Gua Musang was the guest-of-honour at the event. The book featured a compilation of essays and writings that captures the critical thinking and research of leading Malaysian social scientists and historians. The book Multiethnic Malaysia : Past, Present and Future is launched by (from right) Dr. KJ John, Director of MiDAS@UCSI University, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri (Dr.) Musa Mohamad, Chairman of UCSI University Foundation, UCSI University President, Peter T. S. Ng, Yang Berhormat Mulia Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Dr. Lim Teck Ghee According to YBM Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh, “We need to have a rebirth of the ideals of the Rukun Negara; of diversity and unity. We need a movement of peoples, intellectuals and political parties for a national consensus or compact. Therefore, I welcome the birth of this book, as it is a contributor to the open debate towards the formulation of new national objectives and to the new progressive movement aimed at a national consensus.” En. Zaine Bujal, a hearing-impaired participant from the Malaysian Federation of the Deaf “listens” to Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh’s keynote address through a translator Dialogue panelists immersed in discussion about Malaysia’s multiethnic society In his speech, UCSI University’s President, Peter T. S. Ng said, “As a university, it is also our responsibility to encourage the search for truth and knowledge and to provide a platform for intellectuals and scholars to discuss issues such as discussed in this book – multi-ethnicity and its ramifications.” He added, “The book is the University’s efforts to celebrate the nation’s diversity, and looks into Malaysia’s past, present and future. The book also resonates with the Prime Minister’s call for a 1Malaysia.” Also present at the event was co-editor of the book, Associate Professor Alberto Gomes from La Trobe University as well as Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan, Dr. Hamidah Marcian, Ms. Tricia Yeoh, Dr. Helen Ting and Dr. Beth Baikan who engaged in a lively dialogue on this very pertinent and interesting topic of multiethnicity in Malaysia.
"Without prejudice to the rights of UCSI the information herein is correct at the time of printing and UCSI reserves the right to make amendments without prior notice." Kuala Lumpur, 16 October 2009 - UCSI University launched the book Multiethnic Malaysia, Past, Present and Future edited by Dr. Lim Teck Ghee, Alberto Gomes and Azly Rahman, published jointly by the Malaysian Institute for Development and Asian Studies (MiDAS@UCSI University) and Gerak Budaya. Yang Berhormat Mulia Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the Member of Parliament for Gua Musang was the guest-of-honour at the event. The book featured a compilation of essays and writings that captures the critical thinking and research of leading Malaysian social scientists and historians. Read the press release here: http://www.ucsi.edu.my/news/latest/20...

Culture reinvestigated

Azly Rahman
Oct 6, 08
11:58am

The festive season brings me to this argument I am having silently with myself: Must core values of a society be preserved, through the rites and rituals and pomp and pageantry of that elusive concept called 'culture'? Race theorists would call for a debate between the 'Essentialist' and the 'Progressive' schools of thought on culture.

In looking at the question of Cultural Essentialism, the arguments for and against it, on whether adherence to this concept divides or unites, and lastly to offer my own view on this important concept, I begin with the general statement that “Cultural Essentialism” is the belief that in every civilised society or a cultural group, exists a core culture which governs the 'life sustaining' forces of that particular culture.

From the core, moral or religious doctrines are derived, cosmological views or metaphysical conceptions are drawn, knowledge bases are founded, principles and ethos are constructed, and socialising agents as cultural values transmitters are established. So that the core culture can continue to be passed down from one generation to the next in order for society to be maintained of its order and harmony although technological, political, economic, and ideological winds of change may be sweeping seasonally into the core culture's residence.

African cultural theorist Peter J. Paris called it "religious social ethics" in which whose "goal has been that of providing a framework for a moral theory that fits the relevant historical data." In summarising his work on the core values of the African people necessary to be rediscovered by the Afro-Americans, Paris called for a systematic transference of essential ideas about the culture; ideas which fit into the definition of a moral theory:

[A] moral theory of virtue requires a set of social conditions that will facilitate the realisation of its desired ends namely, the development of morally virtuous people. In other words, moral development is dependent on a community's capacity to facilitate it. If for any reason a community fails to provide an environment that is conducive for the development of moral virtues the converse will certainly occur. That is to say, the moral character of the community will be reflected in the moral development of its children.

We can discern through the quote above the Essential tenet of the core culture theory; a grand narrative to be passed down for cultural preservation. Paris' illustration of the core cultural theory above can also be equated with those of Canadian philosopher of ethics Charles Taylor's in Multiculturalism particularly in his the latter's view on the "politics of recognition" as in the case of the French Canadians.

This to a certain extent is American culturalist Harry Belafonte's view and prevalent in the preaching of many an Afro-American religious leader as such as Marcus Garvey and Dr Martin Luther King Jr (above).

Denying essence of ethics

If we construct arguments against Cultural Essentialism, we may be faced with a problematic spin. On the one hand, by rejecting entirely the value of tradition and grand narratives sacredly guarded by the elders, we may be denying the essence of the religious social ethics inherent in them.

On the other hand, by becoming an advocate of this concept, we may deny the ability of our postmodern self to utilise the power of our mind to deconstruct the excesses of traditional values and limit our ability to create newer paradigms; designing our own history and experimenting with personal narratives of the subaltern genre.

In summary, there are positive aspects of Essentialism which can be allowed to survive as much as there are excesses which must be made to die off.

My argument against core culture theory is that whilst values such as honesty, piety, religiosity, industriousness, peacefulness, and harmony must at all cost be guarded and transmitted, the ritualistic, paganistic, and "linguistic gatekeeping' aspects of Cultural Essentialism must be deconstructed and reconstructed in order for irrational strands in the core values be withered away.

If Cultural Essentialism means taking in faith and practice the ritualistic, ultra-denominational, racist, communitarian, and ideological aspect of religion for example to the extent of breeding hatred against others in the world we ought to share as living space, then the religious/cultural texts or doctrines of Essentialism must be re-analysed and deconstructed.

If core culture means bowing down to rulers and leaders – religious and political – however corrupted they may be, then such Essentialism must be demystified so that rulers as such can be overthrown. If Essentialism means bowing down to man-made objects mistaken as god's representation whereas worshipping must first be made onto oneself wherein the Forces within reign, then Paganistic Essentialism as such ought to be rejected. Did not god create human beings in god's own image which means that whatever the image we carry as human beings must contain god's attributes to be "rediscovered", "reconstructed, "re-destroyed" and continually reconstructed then?

In such a conception of the Self, should not the case be that one need to worship one's Inner Self which contains Inner Beauty, Love, Harmony, Peace, and the message of Sages and prophets within culminating in the so-called Image of god? I believe in this postmodern metaphysical concept of essentialism; that there are never-ending cycles and veils of interpretation of the Essence in oneself, the Inner Conscience, beyond any cultural and archetypal symbols to be passed down from one generation to another.

Einstein's conception

If Jesus is Love and Moses is Deliverance and Adam is the Father, how do we find meaning within these concepts and bring them "closer to our jugular vein" so that we may not merely in the pure Essentialist tradition, continue to believe that the stories in the Torah, Bible, and the Quran are stories of the peoples who live in times uncharted by modern history. We can then find the beauty in the story of Creation as it will be unveiled to us by the day in front of our eyes within our own conscious self in a subaltern narrative form – and not of one story of creation which is at odds with Einstein's conception of the birth of the universe.

By bringing ourselves to such an understanding of Essentialism thus - one which is beyond cultural domain and ritualistic-paganistic advocacies – we may find that it ought to unite more than divide for the question then, must no longer be differences in some tribalistic "religious moral ethics" but one which is living, growing, and life-affirming within the universe of personal existence called "The Self".

If there is the belief that we begin with Adam and Eve, we as a family of human beings must return to Perfection. Between Adam and such Perfection, in my conception of Essentialism, must lie the Evolving Self – one which lives not solely in the past nor in the future, but imperatively in the ever-changing present!

WATCH NEW YORKERS PLAYING THE GAMELAN:

Is Malaysia's single stream schooling good?

Single stream schooling: The bad and ugly side

Columnists

Written by Dr Azly Rahman Edited by Helen Ang for Center for Policy Initiatives

Thursday, 05 November 2009 11:53

‘Ideas move nations but indoctrinations remove intelligence’. According to government figures, only 7 percent of students in national schools are non-Malays. Parents fear sending their children from their past experience of the government indoctrinating young minds in the guise of an educational setting. Inciting racial sentiments in the classroom and boot camps (BTN, National Service, 1Malaysia) is in fact a big business nowadays. Language issues come to mind as we speak about identity formation, befitting the notion of “language as culture,” and “culture as the habits we acquire and the tools we use in a house we inhabit in order to create our realties.” This notion of language runs deeper than merely the need to ‘teach language’ in schools; it is to preserve and transmit culture for the continuing survival of the essential values of the peoples of the same language. Language, perceived from the social/linguistic anthropological point of view then becomes a political subject and a matter of concern. With this also comes the idea of education that is described by an American educationist Lawrence Cremin as – a “deliberate process of transmitting knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values”. As society progresses, tensions arise between the new and the old. In the case of Malaysia, the new consciousness signified by the idea of multiculturalism is seemingly in conflict with the idea that ethnocentrism still needs to be championed. Ironically the current Minster of Education [Editor’s note: This article was written when Hishamuddin Hussein held the post] is also the Chief of the Umno Youth which brings us to the question of value neutrality in policy-making. Can one separate the institution, the individual, and the ideology? The Minister of Higher Education too is appointed based on his loyalty to the ideology of Malay dominance. Unless radical changes are made to the governance of the country – and this will also mean a dramatic shift in policies relating to race relations, education, and cultural identity – we will still live with the reality of schooling in Malaysia as being “separate and unequal”. The task of bringing about an educational ideology that will pave the way for racial integration and genuine intercultural understanding continues to be daunting. The more the demands for racial equality and equal opportunity are made, the more the resistance to these will surface and the more violence – structural, symbolic, or real – may be the outcome. The fear is that Malaysia will see the Balkanization of its people in the emergence of ‘postmodern tribes’ that will fight for their own rights in an environment that may not be resolvable through dialogue. Education for multiculturalism could offer some hope for reconciliation. Not given the right info In an article first published in my blog ‘A Republic of Virtue’ in Malaysia Today (April 24, 2008) titled ‘Thumbs up or thumbs down for Biro Tata Negara?’, I argued for the need to look into the philosophy of the bureau and the dangers of indoctrination. Flaws in the arguments of the BTN supporters concern the nature of history and the structure of propaganda and mass indoctrination disguised as ‘patriotism’. I agree we must give credit to those, like BTN, working hard to improve the mental wellness of Malays. This is important. This is a noble act. The question is: in doing so, do we want to plant the seeds of cooperation and trust or racial discrimination and deep hatred? Herein lies the difference between indoctrination and education. Over decades, many millions of Malays and non-Malays have not been getting the right information on our nation’s history, political-economy, and race relations. History that is being shoved to us or filter-funneled down the labyrinth of our consciousness is one that is already packaged, biased, and propagandized by our historians that became text-books writers. History need not be ‘Malay-centric’. Special rights for all Malaysians should be the goal of distributive and regulative justice of this nation, not the “special rights of a few Malays”. History must be presented as the history of the marginalized, the oppressed, and the dispossessed – of all races. We toil for this nation, as the humanist Paramoedya Ananta Toer would say, by virtue of our existence as “anak semua bangsa ... di bumi manusia”. Malaysia is a land of immigrants. No one particular race should stake claim to Malaysia. That is an idea from the old school of thought, fast being abandoned. Each citizen is born, bred, and brought to school to become a good law-abiding and productive Malaysian citizen is accorded the fullest rights and privileges and will carry his/her responsibility as a good citizen. That is what “surrendering one’s natural rights to the State” means. One must read Rousseau, Locke, Voltaire, and Jefferson to understand this philosophy. A bad government will not honour this. The history of civilizations provides enough examples of devastation and genocide as a consequence of violent claims to the right of this or that land based upon some idea of ‘imagined communities.’ Back to BTN. BTN brainwashing students Courses devoid of critical treatment and sensibility, and ones that retard student thinking such as ‘Kenegaraan’ in our universities, are designed to tell our mind to live in an imagined past. BTN is playing this dangerous game of blind nationalism, still passing down packaged information that do not take into consideration the complexities of globalization and the promise of multiculturalism. We need to offer courses such as ‘Multiethnic Malaysia’ that will have students aspire to think like multiculturalists and help this nation evolve better. The ministries of education and higher education combined have hundreds of experts – many overseas trained and have tasted the ‘spirit of multiculturalism’ and the “beauty of intellectual freedom” in their classrooms abroad – who ought to have engineered a paradigm shift to help dismantle indoctrination agencies such as Biro Tata Negara. One-dimensional thinking prevails: the thinking that does not allow diversity of ideas and failed to develop cross-cultural perspectives. Ideas move nations but indoctrinations remove intelligence. Political masters, however corrupt to the core they are, dictate the work of our academicians. Whoever writes history and turns that into, say BTN propaganda controls the future (or at least they think they do). We must question what is taught during the sessions or during any history lesson. The BTN as an indoctrinating institution was conceived by ‘intellectuals’ who themselves are trapped in their own cocoon or glass coconut shell of wrongly-defined Malay-ness and in a paradigm that teaches a poor understanding of Malaysian history. These intellectuals are running around in our public universities promoting a more sophisticated and pseudo-intellectual version of racism. Inciting racial sentiments in classroom and boot camps is big business nowadays – profits made in the name of patriotism. But who’s monitoring the trainers? What Malay students are taught The mission statement of BTN reads: “Wawasan: Menjadi sebuah organisasi awam yang unggul dalam memupuk semangat patriotisme serta menjadikan rakyat setia kepada Kerajaan.” (Vision: To become the preeminent public organization that will foster the patriotic spirit as well as [train] citizens to be loyal to the Government.) My response is based on my personal experience in undergoing the indoctrination programme in the mid-1980s. Over the decades, perhaps millions of Malay students like me were taught the dangerous propaganda song, ‘Warisan’. One verse concerns the power of the Malays: Kini kita cuma tinggal kuasa yang akan menentukan bangsa Other lyrics include: Hasil mengalir, ke tangan yang lain pribumi merintih sendiri My loose translation: Political power is what we are only left with one that will determine the fate of our nation Wealth of this nation flows into the hands of others sons and daughters of the soil suffer in solitude This song composed by BTN is one based on racist intents. The training programmes that encapsulate the theme of this song are meant to instill fear in the Malays, not of others but of themselves, and to project hatred onto other ethnic groups without realising who the enemies of the Malays really are. Warisan Anak kecil main api Terbakar hatinya yang sepi Airmata darah bercampur keringat Bumi dipijak milik orang Nenek moyang kaya raya Tergadai seluruh harta benda Akibat sengketa sesamalah kita Cita lenyap di arus zaman Indahnya bumi kita ini Warisan berkurun lamanya Hasil mengalir ke tangan yang lain Pribumi merintih sendiri Masa depan sungguh kelam Kan lenyap peristiwa semalam Tertutuplah hati terkunci mati Maruah peribadi dah hilang Kini kita cuma tinggal kuasa Yang akan menentukan bangsa Bersatulah hati bersama berbakti Pulih kembali harga diri Kita sudah tiada masa Majulah dengan maha perkasa Janganlah terlalai teruskan usaha Melayu kan gagah di Nusantara (3x) ______________________________ Azly Rahman is a fellow with the Centre for Policy Initiatives. The above article is condensed from an introduction penned by Dr Azly for the chapter ‘Education, Culture and Identity’ in the recently launched book ‘Multiethnic Malaysia – Past, Present and Future’, and from his own essay in the volume on the work of Biro Tata Negara.

South Street Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

We're in pain -- in this absurd world

Some writings on Malaysia -- 2008 to 2009

Inside Magic Gardens, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, late October 2009




SOME OF THE ARTICLES BELOW ACCESSIBLE THROUGH Malaysia-Today Archive
(see MT Column "Republic of Virtue)

The Asri problematique and the rise of denominational Islam?

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Thursday, 05 November 2009 kasee

But in all these and applicable to all religions, the question remains: at what point is innovation in religion allowed, acceptable, and tolerated? At what point is the "denominationalization" of Islam acceptable without the religion being demonized by those who think they have understood the Divine presence but actually clutched by the Devil's right hand?

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Azly Rahman

http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/

Read more

11 Comments

ON THE HISTORY OF MALAYSIA’S GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION WITH REFERENCE TO THE MRSM SYSTEM

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Saturday, 31 October 2009 kasee

The purpose of creating MARA Junior Science Colleges was clear, to screen the “best and brightest” among Malay children to undergo privileged training in science- and mathematics-based education. The vision was to create intellectual elites able to build the nation which was then in the process of modernizing.

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Azly Rahman

http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/

Read more

18 Comments

‘Reading’ the book of signs

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Tuesday, 27 October 2009 kasee

Such are regimes of truth we have created out of our political-economic conditions. We must learn to read the meaning of how our learning institutions have produced us, as well as the power structures that produce such regimes of truth.

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Azly Rahman

http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/10/essays-on-malays.html

Read more

3 Comments

Malay matrix awaits its messiah

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Thursday, 15 October 2009 St Low

Azly Rahman
http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/10/essays-on-malays.html

How will race-based political parties dissipate through the sands of time, dragged into the abyss by the undercurrent of corruption?

Read more

7 Comments

Landslide victory or political immorality?

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Tuesday, 13 October 2009 Super Admin

Azly Rahman
http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/10/winner-in-bagan-pinang-negeri-sembilan.html

Isa Samad's second coming - into Minangkabau politics - signifies the coming of a disturbing age of loosening morality. What does a landslide victory mean?

Read more

17 Comments

Sawojaya-- the soul of a new bangsa Melayu

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Wednesday, 07 October 2009 St Low

Azly Rahman

http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2008/09/thesis-on-cyberjaya-part-1.html

“History is bunk":

--- Henry Ford, American inventor

What if the Malays undergo a conscious and mandated name-change - from Melayu or Malay to Sawojaya? I believe this is possible as a preamble to a suggestion of a planned evolution of the name “Malay”.

Read more

15 Comments

The cultural logic of Najibo-nomics

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Friday, 02 October 2009 St Low

Azly Rahman
http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/

Fashionable it may seem to credit this or that "economic miracle" episode to this or that country to the name of its leader, economist, dictator, emperor, etc. - the larger picture of the historical march of "freakonomics" is neglected.

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...

1. The Asri problematique and the rise of denominational Islam?
(MT COLUMNS/A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE)
... of Islam acceptable without the religion being demonized by those who think they have understood the Divine presence but actually clutched by the Devil's right hand? A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Azly Rahman ...

2. ON THE HISTORY OF MALAYSIA’S GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION WITH REFERENCE TO THE MRSM SYSTEM
(MT COLUMNS/A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE)
... The vision was to create intellectual elites able to build the nation which was then in the process of modernizing. A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ ON ...

3. ‘Reading’ the book of signs
(MT COLUMNS/A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE)
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4. Najib speaks with forked tongue
(MT COLUMNS/GUEST COLUMNISTS)
... idea of Ketuanan Melayu and wariness of the other races? (For more on the BTN, read Dr Azly Rahman's chapter 'On the Problem of Ketuanan Melayu and the Work of the Biro Tata Negara' in the ...

5. Malay matrix awaits its messiah
(MT COLUMNS/A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/10/essays-on-malays.html How will race-based political parties dissipate through the sands of time, dragged into the abyss by the undercurrent ...

6. Landslide victory or political immorality?
(MT COLUMNS/A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/10/winner-in-bagan-pinang-negeri-sembilan.html Isa Samad's second coming - into Minangkabau politics - signifies the coming of a disturbing ...

7. Sawojaya-- the soul of a new bangsa Melayu
(MT COLUMNS/A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2008/09/thesis-on-cyberjaya-part-1.html “History is bunk": --- Henry Ford, ...

8. The cultural logic of Najibo-nomics
(MT COLUMNS/A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ Fashionable it may seem to credit this or that "economic miracle" episode to this or that country to the name of its leader, economist, ...

9. To ban or not to ban black/death/thrash metal music
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... up on the hill, rolling it back down the hill as a daily toil. Only in our case, the rock being rolled is Death/Black metal music. REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Azly Rahmanhttp://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ ...

10. De-school those suicide bombers!
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/09/michael-moore-returns-capitalism.html It is said that Muslims live and die for Islam, as emphasised by the following supplication read ...

11. Instead of plagiarising, teach critical thinking
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... the intellectual basis of change. Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind. - Plato I once taught Thinking Skills, ...

12. Malaysian malls and cultural imperialism
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-globalization-actually-means-china.html Hari Raya Aidil Fitri is coming up. Our malls are gearing up for those mega sales. Let us ...

13. From cow-headed to level-headed education
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/09/take-five-for-rock-guitar-fans-like-me.html How must we re-educate those who protested in such a style against the relocation of a Hindu ...

14. Rise above cow-head politics, help the Malaysian Indians
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2007/11/147-plea-fro-malaysian-indians.html#comments It is not the time to focus on how many of the Bersih or Hindraf protesters ought to be ...

15. Dream of a sincere merdeka
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/02/from-daulat-to-derhaka.html Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains - Jean Jacques Rousseau There is a natural aristocracy among ...

16. Merdeka or malapetaka? - A message to the Malaysian youth
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... maintaining power. Politics has lost its noble value. Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com This merdeka, are we celebrating a hidden catastrophe -- a malapetaka? Youth of Malaysia, ...

17. Cow-head politics: Fear not, those who misrepresent Islam
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/08/prophet-muhammad-pbuh-did-not-teach.html In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Compassionate 1. By Al-'Asr (the time). 2. ...

18. Ramadhan, Ramallah, reflections, revolution
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ "...O People, listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadhan, and give ...

19. Rethinking the Malay problem
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/08/finally-book-on-multiethnic-malaysia.html "…the scholar is not he who gives the right answers, but he who asks the right ...

20. New book on multiethnic Malaysia
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... Alberto Gomes and Azly Rahman. The editors have collated various perspectives from eminent historians, economists and sociologists such as Khoo Kay Kim, Terence Gomez, Johan Saravanamuttu, Diana Wong, ...

21. Ethnic Studies in our universities- is it colour-blind?
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/08/ws-rendra-last-poem.html ...

22. Multimedia Super Corridor vs. Multicultural Supra Conquistadora
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/08/plight-of-rohingyas.html There is an ongoing and intensifying war between Barisan Nasional and the Pakatan Rakyat. And the country ...

23. In Malaysia, can the Internet be disciplined?
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... of government-produced print media. Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ Welcome to cyberspace. Malaysian cyberspace. Think of two cybernetic landscapes – Malaysiakini and Malaysia-Today. ...

24. Malaysian government promises no Internet censorship
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... to leading companies willing to use the MSC Malaysia as their regional hub. 10. Provide an effective one-stop agency - the Multimedia Development Corporation. http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/08/malaysian-government-promises-no_06.html ...

25. Utusan Melayu ... or Ugutan Melayu?
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... from the shackles of feudalism, superstition, and neo-feudalistic and urban-superstitious beliefs. Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ What is the function of a newspaper in a multicultural ...

26. Malay nationalism a historical accident?
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ What is a Malay? What is a Malaysian? What is a nationalist? What is a 'nation'? How are we becoming "re-tribalised" in this ...

27. OneMalaysia -- a new meaning
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/08/not-wall-street-rally.html I grew up hearing slogans, as each regime passed power to its successor. In the 1960s it was Bersatu teguh, ...

28. Must we (still) become a bio-tech nation?
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/07/malaysia-no-longer-tanah-melayu.html Sometime ago, at the height of the Abdullah Administration's fascination with bio-technology, ...

29. Malay Rights for English - Demand a New Deal NOW
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... to English,even if it be only in Maths and Science as is presently the case? As succinctly argued by Azly Rahman “Reliving the myth of the lazy native: the PPSMI issue and the denying ...

30. Reliving the myth of the lazy native: the PPSMI issue and the denying of success to the poor
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2008/12/malaysian-education-can-be-fixed.html The refusal to teach Mathematics and Science in English is not just an ideological position but an ...

31. I.S.A. -- The Institutionalization of Senility and Amnesia?
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ Melayu mudah lupa (Malays are prone to forgetfulness) ...

32. Malaysia no longer a "Tanah Melayu"
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/07/rest-in-peace-beng-hock.html Today is July 19, 2009, 40 years after the May 13 1969 tragedy. I dedicate these notes to Teo Beng Hock, ...

33. PPSMI Study : Findings wrongly reported?
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/07/ppsmi-please-verify-if-this-is-true.html I would like those who have more information on the PPSMI study findings to verify the claim ...

34. Chaining The Children of the Poor
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... dependent on the government, just as ancient Chinese women with tiny feet were on their men. My friend and fellow commentator Azly Rahman has a more apt and colorful local metaphor; we are condemning ...

35. An independence day monologue
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... have plundered the land since time immemorial. A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Azly Rahman Another Independence day in America. Another year of reflection – for America and myself. Yes, America is an ...

36. PPSMI -- 20 questions on the UPSI study on the teaching of Maths and Science in English
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Below is a Bahasa Melayu version of the UPSI (Universiti Perguruan Sultan Idris) study on the teaching of science and mathematics in English Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/07/ppsmi-20-questions-on-upsi-study-on.html ...

37. English can be a language of Malaysian unity and teach Sejarah and Agama in English
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
By Azly Rahman Contrary to many an opinion of Malaysian linguistic nationalists, I do believe that English language can be a powerful force of revolutionary change -- and a language of Malaysian unity ...

38. Relegated to a Pekan Rabu economy?
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... they are and intellectuals they necessarily are not. Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2006/11/93-our-rempitised-education-system.html We are reverting to teaching Maths and Science ...

39. The mantra of meritocracy
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/07/i-think-therefore-i-perish.html#comments Do we really understand what ‘meritocracy’ means? Do we know what ‘intelligence’ ...

40. A brief thought on God
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... language and truth is embedded in the particularity of language; in the "Babeli-ism" of the tower human beings are incarcerated in. A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ ...

41. How to speak about Islam
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Of late the debate on who should or should not speak about Islam continues to be an interesting topic especially in Malaysia. A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Dr. Azly Rahmanhttp://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/Non-Muslims ...

42. Radical change and cultural freedom
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... equitibility, equal opportunity, and empathy as philosophical elements of change. A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ “The only permanent thing ...

43. Seeing beyond those religious debates
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... OF VIRTUE Dr. Azly Rahmanhttp://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/06/empire-of-reason-part-1.html Here are my thoughts on what is possible: I have faith that we will one day be ready to appreciate ...

44. 'Ketuanan Melayu' dari pandangan seorang Melayu
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... kira kata 'kediktatoran' lebih dekat pada pengertiannya. A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Dr. Azly Rahmanhttp://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ (Terjemahan daripada bahasa Inggeris oleh Centre for Policy ...

45. Understand Chin Peng, Study Maoism, Marxism
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman Chin Peng and the struggle of the Malaysian Communist Party need to be understood to the fullest extent. It should be a good opportunity for the younger generation to learn what Marxism, Maoism, ...

46. Zen and the art of blogging
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
... of falsehood, that we can see the Zen and the art of blogging at play. A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Dr. Azly Rahmanhttp://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ When I was growing up, I wanted to be Grasshopper, ...

47. Was May 13, 1969 a natural occurrence?
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ Perhaps it was. That would be the answer to the event that has become embalmed as a semiotic of racial conflict. Perhaps it wasn't planned. ...

48. Azly Rahman on the metaphysics of blogging
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
When I was growing up, I wanted to be Grasshopper, the character in David Carradine's TV series Kung Fu. Grasshopper was a child imbued with immense interest in learning about what life means and how ...

49. Preamble to a Penanti proclamation
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/ Two scores and ten years ago, our forefathers and foremothers brought forth in this kampong the plan for a just republic that never materialised. ...

50. Our real father of independence
(ARCHIVES/ARCHIVES 2009)
The French thinker Voltaire once said: “There is no history, only fictions of varying degrees of plausibility.” Azly Rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/05/notes-research-strategies.html ...