Umno and the nons
It will take a lot of work to convince non-Muslims that the strengthening of the shariah legal system will not affect their lives.
So far, Umno has been sending out something of a mixed message regarding the strengthening of shariah courts as sought by PAS.
While overtures are being made to PAS, Umno seeks to assure the non-Muslims that they will not face dual punishments under this more muscular system. This would be fine if Muslims and non-Muslims in Malaysia were groups isolated from each other, but we are all Malaysians and we mingle at all levels of society. Sooner or later, there will arise the question of whether it is the secular or the Islamic legal system that will take primary position.
With non-Muslims being excessively suspicious of PAS’s so-called “hudud bill”, it will be hard to strike a balance between support for stricter and more punitive punishments, especially for social crimes, and the more secular and liberal inclinations of the nons as a whole. Convincing non-Muslims that the passage of this bill will not affect their lives will take a lot of work. But perhaps the greater fear is that small, incremental steps will eventually lead to a religious dictatorship, a cultural imperialism that would see the nons being forced to conform to Islamic teachings and values.
Nonetheless, there are other equally pressing things on the minds of the nons. Having spent the better part of this year being harassed by the gangsterism of Jamal Yunos, the non-Malays are not seeking reassurance from the party Jamal is affiliated to. Umno has played a cheeky game regarding Jamal and his allegiances, but since he runs around calling himself the Sungai Besar Umno division head, he does represent the party. He has in fact become one of its loudest voices.
Jamal must be punished in some way to disassociate the party’s brand from his virulent strain of right wing extremism. Without action against him, the non-Malays , disillusioned though they are by the infighting of the opposition, will not look to MCA, MIC and Gerakan to represent them as these parties have exposed themselves as toothless tigers whose role these days seems limited to taking pot shots at DAP – when they are not too preoccupied with infighting, that is.
The other question is whether or not the DAP remains shorthand for “Chinese” in the Umno lexicon. The point has been made that DAP’s coming to power will be the end-all of Malay special privileges, including perhaps the Malays’ right to practise Islam the way they see fit.
The religious framing of the current Umno assembly is clearly seen in the attacks on “liberalism” and “secularism”. This framing posits liberalism, secularism, equality and the need for human rights to be respected as tantamount to blasphemy. That’s a very dangerous framing that could lead to more radicalisation.
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There is still another day to go before the assembly concludes and we can assume that the complete narrative will be told only tomorrow, when the party’s luminaries will have their day in the sun. Nonetheless, what has transpired so far inspires little confidence.