THE Umno General Assembly is, among other things, an oratorical showcase. Spanning over five days, speakers and delegates from all over the nation convene to deliberate on a range of issues relating to Malays and Malaysia. Such is the breadth of topics — often even present in particular keynote addresses stretching well beyond the hour mark — that any effort to distill a single thematic representative is inevitably futile and ultimately a disservice to the event.
Yet, the demands for bite-sized, fast-paced, single-source, headline-driven news appears to facilitate such reductivism — nowhere more apparent than when sections of the online media covered Khairy Jamaluddin’s speech at the Umno Youth assembly.
Headlines like “Khairy says time for patience is over” and “Non-Malays should not question Malay rights” were peppered to desired effect: cast one of the more progressive leaders in Umno in the most negative light among its base of readers already sceptical of Malaysia’s Grand Old Party. No ounce of tact was too much to sacrifice — one particular portal even invested time in an unflattering editorial about the Umno Youth leader, just in case you weren’t “getting it”.
To be sure, this is not the first time news portals have been at pains to attempt a halt on any inroads into the centre-ground led by the likes of Khairy and Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan. And, neither am I about to argue that other media houses or publications don’t have partisan bents — the fourth estate can (cl)aim to be independent; it is never indifferent.
What is particularly disturbing this time around, however, is the ease with which many were willing to dismiss Khairy as a racist simply because he spoke of the Malay agenda. Don’t take it from me. The good work already done by an UiHuaCheah on the portal cilisos.my concludes that while Khairy’s speech transcript contained unapologetic forays into some resentments and concerns Malays have, there was no evidence of the abrasiveness and intemperance that the Malaysian Insiders of the world would have you believe.
Thus, whereas previous criticisms appeared when Malay issues were elaborated in a manner deemed — fairly or otherwise — too forceful or right-wing vis-a-vis other ethnic groups, today, it appears the Malay-speak in and of itself is too problematic for middle Malaysia sensibilities.
The irony is not lost on any of us in Umno. So much in Malaysia is narrated and viewed through a communal lens, yet issues like Chinese vernacular schools, the Indian community’s economic agenda or the cultural rights of Sabah and Sarawak’s many ethnic groups are not met with the same disdain as when Malays speak of their aspirations. It is as if the moment someone speaks as a Malay, he or she is immediately branded extreme, racist, backward.
Just because Malays constitute the largest ethnic group does not mean we possess no legitimate communal concerns. To point out just one blindingly obvious fact: we are not a dominant majority in terms of economic wealth distribution; if we assemble once a year to deliberate about very tangible anxieties relating to our community, where is the extremism in that?
There will be some who argue that as Malaysians, we should move beyond race altogether; and that all race-speak is inherently regressive — that is a philosophical question for another day. In the absence of a race-free utopia, what matters is whether in trying to be a Malay or Chinese or Indian or Iban or Kadazan “hero”, one can remain steadfastly moderate, just, consistent; and Malaysian. What counts is whether in championing communal issues, a leader doesn’t depart from the broader national position of mutual respect and ensuring all Malaysians get a fair piece of the action. That, and only that, should be our barometer of progressiveness. Not some specious reasoning that says it’s okay for some to talk about their own but not for others. By that measure, Khairy’s speech this year — or any of the years since he took the top job in Umno Youth — passes the test and then some.
A prejudice we will not accept is that it is not possible to be both progressive and Umno; I believe it is this bias that feeds the “liberal” armchair commentariat frenzy every time the Umno General Assembly comes around. Correcting this error is more than about merely saving us the irritation — I don’t imagine anyone reading this is in a hurry to do favours for Umno politicians.
It is about something far more worthy: furthering the centrist agenda. Unless one is a staunch Pakatan ideologue, I fail to understand the logic of not supporting one of the most promising and progressive leaders in the country. Khairy has stood up for moderation numerous times, often to the detriment of his popularity within Umno. From the cow head protest to church bombings and Bible burnings, he has been on the frontlines defending what is right and fair for other communities just as he does for his.
Making the progressive narrative prevail in a large party like Umno is an ongoing challenge. Khairy will stay the course. But I wonder if lesser politicians with similar ideals may fold if every attempt to fight for Malays is taxed too highly by the very moderates whose perspectives they are trying to further within Umno.
As a 29-year-old, I hear anecdotes all the time about how Malaysia was more harmonious, more moderate in past decades. I used to dismiss it as paltry romanticism. But as the reactions to Khairy’s speech suggest, the middle ground today is a thin sliver, and
politicians aren’t the only ones
culpable.