Too often, we hear inane suggestions and comments from our Members of Parliament. They are prone to indulge in frivolous issues that have no bearing on the lives and wellbeing of the people.
Instead, they are only interested in scoring political points, but inadvertently expose their lack of mental acuity in addressing issues of national import.
Both sides of the divide are guilty, but the opposition seems to have a slight edge in this area.
The just-concluded Parliamentary sitting gave us a ringside view of the lunacy, the highlight of which were the outbursts of two Pas Members of Parliament. One was Kapar MP, Dr Halimah Ali, a medical doctor, who, while debating the Health Bill, proposed that the LGBTQ+ population be categorised as mentally unsound.
As a medical professional, she should know that this biological impairment is part of their DNA, and that they have no control over their sexual orientation or behaviour. They were born with it. To condemn them as mentally unsound betrays the unsound mind of the accuser.
These people are not mentally unsound. In fact, many of them are highly creative – artists, performers, adept in the culinary arts, fashion designers – all useful members of society, contributing to the country’s growth and prosperity through their talents.
Then, there is the use of the word ‘Allah’. Pas MPs are vehement about its ‘exclusivity’. Non-Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak can use the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God, but non-Muslims in Peninsular Malaysia cannot. Why the double standards? One could ask; would the use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims tarnish the Islamic concept of God/Allah as the omniscience, omnipresent, and omnipotent?
It is a trifle, non-issue that was brought up to serve a sectarian agenda. Non-Muslims in Indonesia and the Middle East have been using it without provoking the ire of Muslims. But Malaysian Muslim MPs, because of their limited spectrum of knowledge, are easily persuaded to engage in such trifle matters.
Then, there are the inane politicians who suffer from ‘warped’ vision, of seeing things beyond the physicality of phenomena, coloured by their prejudices and mental aberrations. Their imaginations run wild, especially when it comes to females and their attire.
A case in point is the Kuantan MP, Wan Razali Wan Nor, from Pas, who commented in Parliament that the nurses’ uniforms in government hospitals were “too tight”.
One would expect an MP to be more concerned with the working conditions of the nurses, the congestion in hospitals, and other shortcomings in infrastructure and service delivery, instead of being fixated on the supposedly alluring, sexy, sinuous curves of a figure-hugging uniform worn by an overworked, fatigued nurse.
This speaks volumes about what lurks in the recesses of the minds of such MPs.
Earlier, Pas MPs also kicked up a fuss about the uniforms of airline stewardesses, as they were apparently not Syariah compliant. It gives the impression that Pas MPs are easily ‘excited’ about anything and everything concerning women.
This may be a tactic to divert attention from their inability to address the social and economic muddle besetting the country and the people – such as the rising cost of living, lack of foreign direct investments, education, health, the national debt, and the declining ringgit, among others.
These Pas MPs are against secularism or any form of cultural entertainment. They had objected to Coldplay performing in Malaysia, and were not in favour of Muslims attending cultural festivals, like the Japanese Bon Odori. They want to impose a total blackout of entertainment, as in Kelantan, where there are no cinemas, traditional theatre performances, or concerts, except for the ones they sponsor to serve their political agenda.
The piece de resistance of this mental aberration is the Kedah Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s insistence that Penang be returned to Kedah, as it was leased to the British East India Company, in the person of Captain Francis Light. He insists on claiming the former British Straits Settlement despite documentary evidence confirming Penang as a sovereign state.
Based on his logic, Thailand could also claim Kedah, which was part of its kingdom, named Saburi, until the Anglo-Siamese Treaty (Bangkok Treaty) of 1909, when the northern states (Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, and Terengganu) were ceded to the British.
What most politicians do best is regurgitate ad nauseam the dictum of fighting for religion, race, and country, when their actions and thought processes are not consonant with this assertion. Being Muslims for them is to don the religious Arab garb and to oppose and protest concerts and celebrations like the Bon Odori, and taking umbrage at the sale of liquor at malls and other places for non-Muslims.
These so-called leaders have no qualms in contravening the core tenets of Islam. They literally wear their ‘Muslim-ness’ on their sleeves. For these leaders, being a Muslim is to pray five times a day, fast and perform the Haj, recite the Shahada (declaration of faith), and don outfits like an Arab.
These are the visible rituals by which one is judged, whether one is a pious Muslim or not.
However, the other substantive elements of Islam, which are part of ibadah, are not adhered to. They include respect for your fellow man, including those of different faiths, colour, or creed; and abstaining from acts that are prohibited in the Quran, such as greed, corruption, abuse of power, and slander (fitnah).
As for fighting for the Malay race, the Malay leaders of various political stripes have failed miserably, as even after 60 years of governing the country, most rural Malays and the urban poor are still mired in poverty.
This is all a sham perpetrated by the Malay elites.
Currently, Malay politicians, especially from the opposition, together with those whose political shelf life had long since expired, are inciting the Malays by using race and religion to hate the non-Malays and non-Muslims.
They keep harping that the non-Malays (the Chinese, Indians and others) are a threat and have eroded their economic and political power. Some of these ultra-Malays even suggested that the Malays will become a minority in their own country and will lose their rights, and eventually will suffer the plight of the Palestinians.
In short, these ultra-Malay politicians are fomenting the perception that the Malays are being exploited and will lose their hereditary rights. They therefore, need to unite against the non-Malays. Such incitements could lead to racial and religious strife that will ultimately end in chaos.
Such politicians are willing to sacrifice the stability and harmony of the country, and are unconcerned that their extremist actions will undermine the security and wellbeing of the people and the country that they have sworn to protect.
They are more concerned with positions and in enriching themselves. It has been proven, time and again, that a sizable number of politicians lack the intellectual capacity, moral, and ethical principles, to govern the country.
The current form of democracy in Malaysia does not seem to work for the people. The democratic tenets of the government of the people, by the people, for the people, is a fallacy and has been manipulated to serve the elites, the rich, the powerful, and the privileged class.
A true democracy is premised on an informed electorate, selfless representatives (not politicians) and a transparent, accountable, and free electoral system.
Malaysia does not pass muster in these respects.
The views expressed here are the personal opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent that of Twentytwo13.
