When Racism is Applauded and Democracy Outlawed

“Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?”
Galatians 4:16

Diligently poring over the newspapers and online news portals in a post-709 frenzy, I am completely appalled and disgusted by some of the reports that I read. Before I can even fully comprehend how a coalition that calls for a clean and fair electoral system can be declared illegal, I also find myself dumbfounded by the proposal to offer an award to those who excel in “uphold[ing] their race.” Since when is racism applauded and democracy outlawed in Malaysia?

Some of those who are in authority have attempted to politicize recent events, portraying them as the political gimmicks of opposing parties. Yet, such a claim cannot be any further from the truth. Malaysians from all walks of life did not march for a political cause on July 9. In fact, that would not have been worth the while. Malaysians are not waging a political war against the powers-that-be. Instead, the war transcends a mere political cause. Malaysians are caught in the middle of a moral war, trying to defend the values that we as a people hold dear to our hearts.

The demand for a clean and fair electoral system is based on the values of honesty and justice. Those who oppose these demands are also inevitably opposing the moral values that the demands embody. Some have argued and said, “But we do not disagree with these demands. It’s the illegal gathering that we oppose.” To this I shall reply that efforts to prevent the employment of a just and reasonable mean to uphold these values are equivalent to direct opposition to these values themselves. Besides, by whose definition is the gathering “illegal” anyway? Isn’t it our constitutional right to gather peacefully?

On the other hand, the same powers-that-be who seemed to have been so concerned with uniting the people, promoting acceptance instead of tolerance, and breaking down the wall that isolates Malaysians of different races also seemed to have been wilfully deafened and blinded to the loud call of racism. An award named after an outspoken racist offered to those who “uphold their race”? It seems to me that one cannot exalt anything without doing so at the expense of another, just as the Ku Klux Klan had advocated white supremacy at the expense of the “coloured people” and Hitler had sacrificed the Jews to achieve a purer and more superior race. Who then will be sacrificed to uphold the Malay race and preserve Malay supremacy?

It is far too easy to underestimate the moral implications of our actions and decisions. After all, a slightly compromised electoral system can hardly qualify as immorality and comparing racial inequality in Malaysia to Ku Klux Klan and Hitler’s regime may seem like an exaggeration. However, moral degradation is not a destination; it is a journey. Having taken one tiny step down the road of moral degradation, there is nothing to prevent one from travelling further down that road until it becomes too late to turn back. From the empty and not-so-wise words of a loudmouth racist to the booing of an Israeli football player culminating in a complaint letter to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), and from the authorities’ use of a little violence with the excuse of “crowd control” to the mysterious death of certain individuals, this road is a slippery slope that will take one on a downhill ride.

I believe many Malaysians would like to ask the authorities the same question the apostle Paul asked the Galatians: “Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?” If that is indeed the case, so be it, for we cannot cease our fight for truth and righteousness. We can tolerate incompetent and inefficient leaders, but we certainly cannot tolerate immoral ones. Neither can we tolerate those who opt for silence in the face of immorality. Just as it is said of Shakespeare’s Prince Hamlet that “on his choice depends [t]he safety and health of this whole state,” likewise the safety and health of Malaysia is also dependent on the choices (and values) of our leaders.