In The News

The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 11-Feb-2010 — Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir, who was yesterday recognised by the Federal Court as the lawful Perak Mentri Besar, said today he is following a strategy of “peace and prosperity” to win over an electorate that has been sharply split for the past one year by the state’s constitutional crisis.

A recent poll by a local research firm, Merdeka Center, noted his approval ratings at 43 per cent, which is slightly behind that of his predecessor Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin.

Zambry (picture), who was rushing off after chairing a meeting with his executive council at a hotel here, told The Malaysian Insider he hoped the media would stop harping on the split in the electorate.

“We are following a strategy for peace and prosperity,” he said firmly, and added that his administration had been focusing on it for the past one year since taking over from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government.

“We will continue with our investment strategy,” he said.

He declined to comment on the Federal Court decision, which was in his favour, saying he had not yet read the written judgment.

“I don’t want to go into this right now. It’s too technical,” Zambry said adding he would talk to the state lawyers first.

Zambry also asked online news sites to report news of goodwill projects that will promote peace and harmony and not to play up the issue of the discord in Perak, before stepping away into the lift.

Earlier in the press conference today, the novice Barisan Nasional (BN) MB said his government will be launching “Perak Aman Jaya”, a blueprint detailing development projects for the state, next month.

The Perak MB said he has signed four Memoranda-of-Understanding (MoU) during a recent official tour abroad with the prime minister.

Zambry also announced major projects to start soon in the Silver State, including the setting up of several oil refineries, but did not go into detail.

“I’m very happy to tell you all that investors are very much interested to come back to Perak. The confidence level among investors has been rising, Alhamdullilah,” he said.

Zambry appeared relieved that Nizar has given up the legal fight to reclaim the post and promised to work together to put a shine on the Silver State.

“It’s good that he wants to work together,” a smiling Zambry replied when asked to comment on Nizar’s stand that PR representatives would lend their services to put in place the state BN government’s policies so long as it was “good” for the public’s welfare.

“We will extend our open hearts and hands to all good policies introduced by the government,” Nizar, the Pasir Panjang assemblyman told reporters in Ipoh late last night.

But the former MB laid down four conditions on Zambry’s administration.

Nizar said that the PR would give its full cooperation to BN if PR parties were allowed to use public premises to host functions; allowed to sit on the state legislative assembly’s special committees; given state funds of between RM150,000 and RM200,000; and called on Zambry to govern the state honestly, with integrity, and transparency.

“We do not want any policies that are made based on discrimination of races. On this note, we will work together with Zambry so we can banish all elements of racial discrimination and segregation in the state,” said Nizar.

The Pangkor assemblyman added that he had no quarrel with Nizar and dismissed the latter’s claims of having practised discrimination against PR assemblymen in the past.

“We have never discriminated against them on the allocations,” said Zambry, and played down the need for laying down any conditions.

“So no need for conditions. We must help the public. That’s the yardstick,” he said.

He pointed out that his own policy was “very clear”; he would not hesitate to provide the funds if it was for the public’s welfare.

The Malaysian Insider | 09-Feb-2010  — Firstly, the courts are not the final arbiter.

Such is the decaying state of institutions in Malaysia that these days a Federal Court decision is treated as just another decision. It does not have the gravitas of the US Supreme Court, judgments do not have clarity nor authority of the House of Lords, Supreme Court of India or the highest court of Canada.

Such is the cynicism that envelopes institutions that a good many Malaysians spent this week speculating whether the final score would be a 5-0, 4-1 or 3-2 finding in favour of Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir as the mentri besar of Perak.

(Note: 5-0 was a popular choice not because many Malaysians subscribed to the legal arguments put forward by the state but because cynicism courses through their veins.)

And that is why while Zambry obtained the result he needed he still cannot have the one thing he craves most – legitimacy.

Some 74 per cent of voters in Perak feel that elections remain the best way to resolve the power grab in the state. In the same survey conducted by Merdeka Center, voters were asked to choose which they preferred: the economy or having a democratically-elected government. Sixty per cent of the respondents said they wanted a government elected democratically.

So the Federal Court may have ruled 5-0 in favour of Zambry but in the eyes of most Perak folk and Malaysians, this result counts for little.

Secondly, a scarred royal household.

The Federal Court today affirmed the pivotal role played by Sultan Azlan Shah in the change of government in Perak a year ago. It was the former Lord President who interviewed the three elected representatives who resigned from Pakatan Rakyat and surmised that Datuk Nizar Jamaluddin had lost the confidence of the state assembly.

Nizar’s lawyers and renowned constitutional law exports from Malaysia and abroad agreed that the proper forum to test a motion of no confidence should be the legislative assembly.

But the Federal Court endorsed the steps taken by Sultan Azlan Shah to ascertain if Nizar still had command of the House. The intervention of the royal household a year ago invited scorn from Malaysians, who felt that the Ruler should have done the right thing and dissolved the state assembly.

Has the anger and disappointment with the palace gone away? No. The Merdeka Center survey shows clearly that a significant percentage of the people of Perak are dissatisfied with the role played by the palace in the Perak coup. Some 35 per cent of those polled were dissatisfied while 36 per cent expressed satisfaction but, tellingly, 29 per cent were undecided.

The large percentage of the undecided voter are made up of Chinese (41 per cent) and Indians (27 per cent), the two groups of voters who continue to be strong supporters of Pakatan Rakyat and feel strongly that new elections should be called.

So it can be surmised that the bulk of the 29 per cent of voters who did not want to give a clear answer to this question do not agree with the intervention of the palace.

The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 05-Feb-2010 — Nearly three in four voters, or 74 per cent, feel that fresh state elections remain the best way to resolve the political crisis in Perak, a new poll conducted on the eve of the first anniversary of Barisan Nasional’s controversial takeover of the government shows.

The independent Merdeka Center survey of 805 registered voters also shows that Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and Pakatan Rakyat’s Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, the man he replaced, are neck-and-neck in their respective approval ratings.

Zambry’s state-wide approval rating is 43 per cent and is drawn largely from the Malay, and one-half of the ethnic Indian electorate.

Nizar has an approval rating of 46 per cent which is drawn largely from a majority of Chinese, one-half of ethnic Indians and a little over one-third of the Malay electorate.

The Merdeka Center, which has been conducting regular polls since Election 2008, had recently polled the 805 voters who were drawn from large majorities of each ethnic group, and almost equally divided between rural and urban areas.
They were asked their views on the direction of the state, its current economic conditions, their views on government leaders, and the changes that they have seen since the Barisan Nasional takeover in February 2009.

The poll shows that the sentiment favouring fresh polls is detected in all ethnic groups.

“More importantly, 65 per cent of the respondents, comprising large majorities from each ethnic group feel that the Perak political issue remains relevant today, one year since the events took place,” Merdeka Center said in a summary of the poll results obtained by The Malaysian Insider.

When asked about the impact of BN’s takeover on a number of factors ranging from the state economy to the performance of the state bureaucracy, less than 40 per cent of the respondents felt that it has had a positive impact.

Notably, only 45 per cent of Malay voters agreed that the takeover had improved the political position of the community in the state as opposed to 15 per cent who felt that things remained unchanged, and 28 per cent who felt that things had worsened.

Asked to choose between giving the economy a priority or ensuring that the government was democratically elected, 60 per cent of the respondents — including 58 per cent of Malays — felt that democratic elections were more important.

The Merdeka Center poll appears to confirm anecdotal evidence given by political leaders in the state that Zambry and BN has regained some support from among Malays and Indians in the state but the large Chinese community are still largely backing PR and Nizar.

Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir had told The Malaysian Insider earlier this week that he was confident Umno could take 34 seats in the next elections.

The Pangkor assemblyman will know on Feb 9 if he remains Mentri Besar when the Federal Court decides the legality of his appointment after his BN toppled the PR government a year ago.

PR Mentri Besar Nizar’s government collapsed when two PKR state assemblymen joined a DAP lawmaker to turn independent to support the BN to control 31 seats in the 59-seat state assembly.

While Zambry appears to still have his work cut out in winning over Perak voters, he can, however, take heart in the poll results which showed that the number of people saying that the state was moving in the right direction has marginally increased from April 2009, from 31 per cent to 38 per cent.

However, a total of 44 per cent of voters surveyed still felt the state was moving in the wrong direction.

There was a marked difference in response along ethnic lines when voters were asked if they thought the state was moving in the right direction.

A total of 57 per cent of Malay respondents and 48 per cent of Indians but only 12 per cent of Chinese respondents believed that the state was headed in the right direction.

The Merdeka Center also noted that voter sentiments relating to the economy remains mixed and ethnically polarised.

Overall, only 42 per cent of Perak voters surveyed said that present economic conditions were favorable.

With respect to the future, voters are again split with 42 per cent optimistic about the economy while 43 per cent were not.

The survey found that while 60 per cent of Malay respondents were confident with the economic management of the state, only 19 per cent of ethnic Chinese respondents said that they were confident.

The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 31-Dec-2009 — The whopping 93 per cent popularity rating received by Umno president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak from within his own party comes as no surprise to his political rivals.

Influential PKR elections strategy director Saifuddin Nasution in an immediate respond to the rating said Najib’s fame is not due to the ‘reformist’ image that he’s trying to portray, but rather, caused by instituting a new wealth spread system for leaders within his party.

“Under then president Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the projects were only given to his so-called advisors or better known as the ‘4th floor boys’.

“But with Najib, the politics of reward is good as projects are well spread to Umno’s division and branch leaders hence the popularity,” Saifuddin told The Malaysian Insider.

A recent survey conducted by independent polling house Merdeka Center indicated strong backing of Najib by members of his own party with 93 per cent of them saying the country was headed in the right direction under his leadership.

A total of 95 per cent of Umno delegates surveyed also expressed satisfaction with Najib since he took over as party president. Notably, 66 per cent of party delegates polled felt that Umno had recovered from the problems that led to its poor performance in the last general election.

Saifuddin, who is also MP for Machang, however, said it would be foolish to swallow the rating full without any critical input and for him, his popularity will be unquestionable only if it has been put to the test.

“There is no contest for the party’s second highest leader. Najib’s popularity can only be tested if there is contestation from his No. 2,” he said, referring to the “traditional” spat between Umno presidents and their deputies which caused all of the party’s major crisis in the past.

But not all aspects of the popularity rating is “negative” added the PKR leader.

Umno’s constitutional amendment that would see direct elections for the party’s top posts initiated by Najib could also have contributed to the overwhelming support he receives.

“We know for a fact that the old quota system introduced by then Umno president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is not popular among the party leaders and grassroots so the amendments mat have made Najib very well-liked,” he said.

Meanwhile, PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub speaking to The Malaysian Insider said Najib’s popularity within Umno is utterly irrelevant to the electorates as far as he’s concerned.

“It’s got nothing to do with good governance as he has often failed to initiate reforms in key areas. It’s just a survey where he can tower himself,” he said, adding sarcastically that Najib’s multi-million spending on boosting his image “has finally paid off.”

The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 31-Dec-2009 — The whopping 93 per cent popularity rating received by Umno president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak from within his own party comes as no surprise to his political rivals.

Influential PKR elections strategy director Saifuddin Nasution in an immediate respond to the rating said Najib’s fame is not due to the ‘reformist’ image that he’s trying to portray, but rather, caused by instituting a new wealth spread system for leaders within his party.

“Under then president Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the projects were only given to his so-called advisors or better known as the ‘4th floor boys’.

“But with Najib, the politics of reward is good as projects are well spread to Umno’s division and branch leaders hence the popularity,” Saifuddin told The Malaysian Insider.

A recent survey conducted by independent polling house Merdeka Center indicated strong backing of Najib by members of his own party with 93 per cent of them saying the country was headed in the right direction under his leadership.

A total of 95 per cent of Umno delegates surveyed also expressed satisfaction with Najib since he took over as party president. Notably, 66 per cent of party delegates polled felt that Umno had recovered from the problems that led to its poor performance in the last general election.

Saifuddin, who is also MP for Machang, however, said it would be foolish to swallow the rating full without any critical input and for him, his popularity will be unquestionable only if it has been put to the test.

“There is no contest for the party’s second highest leader. Najib’s popularity can only be tested if there is contestation from his No. 2,” he said, referring to the “traditional” spat between Umno presidents and their deputies which caused all of the party’s major crisis in the past.

But not all aspects of the popularity rating is “negative” added the PKR leader.

Umno’s constitutional amendment that would see direct elections for the party’s top posts initiated by Najib could also have contributed to the overwhelming support he receives.

“We know for a fact that the old quota system introduced by then Umno president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is not popular among the party leaders and grassroots so the amendments mat have made Najib very well-liked,” he said.

Meanwhile, PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub speaking to The Malaysian Insider said Najib’s popularity within Umno is utterly irrelevant to the electorates as far as he’s concerned.

“It’s got nothing to do with good governance as he has often failed to initiate reforms in key areas. It’s just a survey where he can tower himself,” he said, adding sarcastically that Najib’s multi-million spending on boosting his image “has finally paid off.”

The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 30-Dec-2009 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak appears to have won overwhelming support from his own party, with a recent poll showing 93 per cent of Umno delegates saying the country was headed in the right direction, largely because of the “quality of national leadership” and “good administration”.

A total of 95 per cent of Umno delegates surveyed also expressed satisfaction with Najib since he took over as party president. Notably, 66 per cent of party delegates polled felt that Umno had recovered from the problems that led to its poor performance in the last general election.

The results of the survey by the independent Merdeka Center, commissioned by a local research house, suggest Najib is on a much stronger footing compared with his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi prior to Election 2008 as he prepares plans to go to the polls, most likely either in 2011 or 2012.

According to a summary of the poll provided by Merdeka Center, satisfaction with the party president among delegates was very high at 95 per cent, with 60 per cent of them saying they were “very satisfied” with his performance since taking over the leadership of Umno.

“The main reason for the strong approval stems from the perceived improvement in leadership qualities,” said the Merdeka Center.

Merdeka Center conducted the poll between Nov 4 and 11 of 358 Umno delegates from the most recent recent party assembly.

Coverage of the survey included at least one individual from each party division.

The poll also showed strong backing from party delegates for Najib’s policies and ideas, including his 1 Malaysia concept and moves to liberalise the economy.

A total of 83 per cent supported moves to liberalise the economy while 94 per cent backed the 1 Malaysia concept.

Overwhelming backing for Najib in his policies suggests that the prime minister will not have to watch his back in pursuing reforms in government and in his party.

Crucially, the poll shows the Umno president has secured strong support from his party in facing off a strong opposition in the form of Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

The survey also found that 83 per cent agreed that “Umno should be inclusive of all Malaysians, not just Malays”. However the Merdeka Center noted that support for the idea was somewhat lower among those delegates below 30 at 77 per cent.

Notably, the poll found that 64 per cent of party delegates supported the remarks made by Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who has been the target of heavy attacks from conservatives in the party, that “Malays should break out from the siege mentality”. But among younger delegates below 30, only 38 per cent supported Khairy’s views.

However, the poll also found that 70 per cent of delegates agreed that “Malay rights and interests were being threatened by other ethnic groups in Malaysia”. Younger delegates below 30 agreed most with this statement, with 76 per cent backing the idea.

An overwhelming number of the Umno delegates polled believed that the party’s public image was generally positive, but at the same time 85 per cent felt Umno still needed to change or reform.

When asked what reforms were needed, 32 per cent said “continued improvement in party leadership qualities”, followed by 14 per cent who said “the attitude of party members”, while 12 per cent felt that party members needed to work harder to “strengthen the party”.

Only two per cent of those polled suggested “ending cronyism and nepotism” as a type of change needed by the party.

Asked about the specific problems faced by Umno, only 13 per cent of delegates felt the party was “too Malay-centric”, 27 per cent agreed that the party “favoured its own members over others”, 33 per cent agreed that it was not “taking public views seriously”, 47 per cent agreed that “money politics among office bearers” was a problem and 52 per cent agreed that there was “corruption in government”.

By Leslie Lau
Consultant Editor

Angus Reid Global Monitor | 26-Nov-2009 – The vast majority of people in Malaysia say corruption is rampant in the country, according to a poll by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research. 40 per cent of respondents say corruption is a very serious issue in Malaysia, while 41 per cent say it is a somewhat serious problem.

The United Malays National Organization (UMNO)—the biggest party in a coalition of 12 political factions known as the National Front (BN)—has formed the government after every election since the Asian country attained its independence from Britain in 1957.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over as prime minister in October 2003, after the retirement of Mahathir Mohamad, who served for more than 22 years. In the March 2004 election, the National Front secured 198 of the 219 seats in the House of Representatives. Abdullah was sworn in as head of government with the biggest majority in three decades.

In the March 2008 ballot, the National Front won 140 seats in the legislature. The coalition’s share of the vote dropped drastically, from 64.4 per cent in 2004, to 50.27 per cent in 2008. According to Human Rights Watch, the most recent election was “grossly unfair” and marred by irregularities.

In September 2008, Abdullah announced his intention to step down in 2009. Najib Razak—who served as deputy prime minister and finance minister—took over as head of government in April.

Earlier this month, the anti-corruption group Transparency International (TI) released its annual corruption perception index, showing that Malaysia has dropped from the 48th place to the 56th spot in a ranking of 180 countries.

Datuk Paul Low, TI’s president in Malaysia, praised the Najib administration’s efforts to stem corruption by creating the Anti-Corruption Commission, among other things, but warned that Malaysia’s low score this year “may be attributed to the perception of little progress in combating corruption, and lack of political will in implementing effective anti-corruption measures.”

Polling Data

How serious do you think corruption is in this country?

Source: Merdeka Center for Opinion Research
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,241 Malaysian adults, conducted from Sept. 16 to Oct. 12, 2009. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.

The Star online | KUALA LUMPUR, 17-Nov-2009 : Newspapers and television are still the major source of information on corruption for the public despite the existence of blogs and online news portals, a survey found.

Although the survey by Merdeka Centre showed that only 521 of the 1,241 Malaysians asked could identify any case of corruption highlighted, more than half of them or 270 were satisfied or somewhat satisfied by the performance of traditional media.

However, respondents in the survey generally wanted to see more reports on corruption from newspapers and television compared to what had already been highlighted.

“While Malaysians agreed that the media was the key in eradicating corruption and improving transparency, only a third of the respondents felt that it was effective in its role,” said Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian.

Those surveyed also felt that media coverage on corruption would have a positive impact, instead of tarnishing the country’s image, while 48% thought that prevalent laws were hindering their role.

The poll also showed that 83% of the respondents believed that the media had a role in improving integrity and transparency in the country and that younger people were more interested in cases of corruption.

Interviews for the survey – commissioned by the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) – were conducted by telephone on respondents aged 20 years and above, selected randomly, based on their states of residence, gender, ethnicity and age groups.

CIJ executive director Gayathry Venkites-waran said the media must be allowed to play a more active role if the Government wanted to be perceived as serious in combating corruption.

“The media can do so by producing more investigative journalism and critical pieces to further inform the public on the threats of corruption,” she said.

The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 16-Nov-2009 — Corruption and abuse of power is the most important problem which needs to be solved, a new survey of voters in the country released today showed.

The survey by the independent Merdeka Center also showed a whopping 74 per cent of those polled were dissatisfied with the government’s handling of corruption and abuse of power issues.

Merdeka Center conducted the poll, commissioned by the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), between Sept 16 and Oct 12 this year, and has a margin of error of 2.78 per cent.

The poll was conducted before the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) charged a number of minor political figures and officials for corruption and abuse of power.

Among those polled, 52 per cent felt the country was headed in the right direction, while 47 per cent were of the opinion that Malaysia was headed in the wrong direction.

The economic recovery was cited as the main reason by those who felt the country was headed in the right direction.

For those who felt the country was going in the wrong direction, political instability and graft were listed as the top reasons.

A total of 13 per cent polled felt corruption and abuse of power was the most serious problem that needed addressing, followed by social problems at 12 per cent. Just 10 per cent thought crime and public safety was the country’s most pressing issue.

While 74 per cent were dissatisfied with the government’s handling of graft, a total of 67 per cent were also unhappy with how the administration dealt with social problems.

Among those surveyed, a very high 66 per cent were also dissatisfied with how crime and public safety were being addressed.

Unsurprisingly, 81 per cent of respondents felt corruption was a serious problem.

Notably, the kind of graft listed as most serious was petty corruption, with 42 per cent viewing it as “very serious.”

This was followed by nepotism (41 per cent), fraud (37 per cent), corruption among politicians (34 per cent), grand corruption (30 per cent) and administrative corruption (24 per cent).

An example of petty corruption faced by the public was given by a 24-year-old female in Kuala Lumpur who told of her experience when stopped by the police for a traffic offence.

“He asked how I wanted to settle it. Should it be ‘inside court’ or ‘outside court’,” she told the Merdeka Center.

The MACC was also perceived to be bias while one respondent pointed out that pinning an “Anti Rasuah” badge on the uniforms was ineffective.

Notably, one respondent pointed out that the Selangor Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) was “good because people now get to know what has happened in the past.”

On media reporting of corruption, 58 per cent could not name an incident of corruption that was widely reported in the media.

Of the 42 per cent who could, some 42 per cent cited the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

This was followed by corruption among politicians (12 per cent), allegations about former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Khir Toyo (eight per cent), Teoh Beng Hock/MACC (seven per cent) and money politics in Umno (six per cent).

The Malaysian Insider | 11-November-2009  — Some time ago I was interviewed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for a radio feature, and was asked about “… the creeping conservatism of (Islam) in Malaysia)…”. When I responded (to Kartika’s whipping) that this was what many Muslims wanted, even though they felt that an example should be made on the ruling elite who drank and led corrupt and un-Islamic lifestyles, Kartika’s punishment was apt. True Muslims would not or dare err.

I also mentioned that many Muslims believe fervently that by having an Islamic state, the rights and freedoms of non-Muslims will be protected. A prime example of that would be Kelantan. Nobody is stopping them from attending concerts, and so forth. It is just the impressionable young and liberal Malays who want to attend these events and lead “… a hedonistic Western lifestyle…”

I said all this with confidence, because this was what I have observed and been told by my peers. And they were not uneducated and unexposed hicks; my peers have been educated abroad and are successful professionals.

When it comes to the Western media, and so-called “progressive”, “liberal” Muslims, their idea of Islam is different from the grassroots’ idea of their faith. I have been accused of being a relativist; I beg to differ. I’m a realist.

While this country’s Constitution says Malaysia’s official religion is Islam and that Malays are constitutionalised Muslims, and that Malaysia is not an Islamic state, Muslims in Malaysia, especially Malay-Muslims, do not see a demarcation of the state and faith.

Zulkifli Noordin may be an anomaly to secularists and human rights activists, but there are many Zulkifli Noordins in this country. This is not a pessimistic view of faith in Malaysia: this is a realistic view of Malaysia’s Islam.

In a joint study conducted by Merdeka Center and the Asia Foundation, “National Youth Survey 2008”, it was discovered that religious identity was very important to youth today. Thirty-eight per cent would identify themselves as a follower of a certain religion. Identification as Muslim was very important to Malay respondents. Among the Malays, 62 per cent chose to be identified as a Muslim but Muslim Bumiputeras from Sabah and Sarawak preferred to be identified as Malaysians where three in five Muslim Bumiputeras wanted to first call themselves Malaysians. The new generation of observant Muslims are more conscious of their faith than their parents and older generations.

So, who speaks for Islam, globally and in Malaysia?

Anyone who can think and communicate, despite his or her Islamic leanings.

Your Islam may not be my idea of Islam.

One interesting example to see how one version of Islam can be misconstrued is a feature which appeared in the Huffington Post on Oct 24. Dalia Mogahed, executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, recounted her television interview on Muslimah Dilema as “…unpleasant surprise, I found out on air that I was joined by a member of Hizbul Tahrir (HT), a marginal but controversial group which denounces Western democracy and calls for the creation of a pan-Islamic state in the Muslim world.”

“The HT representative on the programme dismissed or ‘reinterpreted’ findings I presented so as to not challenge the group’s simplistic utopian ideology which holds liberty in contempt as morally decadent. For example, as I regularly report, our research shows that far from denouncing democracy, Muslims around the world say it is among the things they most admire about the West, specifically mentioning ‘liberty’ as a desirable attribute. Around the world, from Morocco to Malaysia, Muslim respondents described their respect for much of what the West holds dear: freedom of the press, the rule of law, and transparency and accountability of government.

“To them, my crime was that I reported that many Muslim women wanted sharia as a source of legislation. I also explained that Muslim women surveyed by Gallup said they believed they should have access to equal legal rights, free employment, voting without family influence, and even leadership positions in government. This suggests that many Muslim women see sharia differently from those who use it to deny women rights. For simply stating the results of the survey research, I stood accused of ‘endorsing’ Taliban-like rule, and downplaying the abuses done in the name of sharia.”

The law of relativity, et tu?

In Malaysia, the way I see it, the main concerns about the practice of Islam are (1) Muslims in Malaysia are generally from the Sunni school of thought and (2) we are not allowed to challenge and question ulamas.

But in an increasingly pluralistic Muslim Malaysia — we have minority Muslims such as the Shiites, the Ahmadiyyahs (though this may be contested greatly even by progressive Muslims as we believe the Last Messenger was Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and in the Second Coming of Christ, while the Ahmadiyyahs believe that the latter will not happen and Christ or Isa has been “reincarnated” in their “prophet” Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. More on the Ahmadiyyahs in subsequent articles) and a growing number of Chinese and Indian Muslims as well as the Muslim migrant community — there will be clashes and different interpretations of Islam. Does that make them any less Muslim than the majority? Is the majority correct? Reading the Malay tabloids and newspapers already shows that some of the majority follow rather strange… leaders or prophets of Islam!

Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin’s rather dramatic religious adventure should be taken positively. The fact that such a personality has challenged the authority of a long-established elite, and given us Muslims the permission to think is a minor revolution, so to speak. (On this note: does this mean that the local neighbourhood ustaz is no longer allowed to lecture and talk about Islam in the private homes of his constituency?)

We still have a long way to go. We have yet to reconcile our religion on racial lines: Malay Muslims versus Chinese Muslims and Indian Muslims (who are not considered Bumiputera by the way), for example. There is a chasm among the minority liberals, and factions among conservative Muslims. We must also remember that there have been political and ideological differences in Islam, which has enriched and also embittered Muslims throughout time. If you read John Esposito’s book “Who Speaks For Islam”, the Muslims surveyed come from different backgrounds. There is only one Islam — all these labels have been created to belittle opponents and ridicule them.

So who speaks for Islam in Malaysia?

All of us.

Now if we can only agree to disagree.