Making Mockery Of Democracy

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 Datuk Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas has made another video that is going viral. I received the video today and the accompanying text via WhatsApp. The text said:
Datuk Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas was the third Director-General of the *Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia* (IKIM).

Datuk Syed Ali has *LAMBASTED* the Malay politicians generally, and particularly *the Malaysian Minister of Communications who recently issued a stern warning *NOT TO TALK* *ABOUT* the *3Rs* *(RACE, RELIGION* and *ROYALTY)*

Dr. Syed Ali wants to *KNOW 'WHY' we can't talk about the *3Rs ??*

He blamed the POLITICIANS for the state our nation is in TODAY, and questioned them as to WHO  they're *FOOLING !
First here is the video:


 
My Comments :
We cannot paint everyone with the same brush.
I have always said (as in my book 'Malaysia and the Club of Doom' - 2006) that the Muslims seem to uniquely suffer problems, very different from other people. 
Lets take the ongoing riots in France right now.  Yes it does involve a very large number of Muslim immigrants to France, especially Arabs from north Africa.
France also has a large number of migrants from other parts of the world like from the non-Muslim parts of Africa, from South East Asia (Vietnam), the islands in the Pacific, Carribbean, Indian Ocean etc. Yet those people do not seem to have a fraction of the problems exhibited by Muslim migrants in France.
France was a colonial power so there may be grudges (one argument) but the riots have now spread to Switzerland and Germany - also involving mostly Muslim migrants. Germany and Switzerland were not colonial powers. 
Plus the Vietnamese migrants in France who were pretty abused by the French colonials, do not riot.  Rioting seems more unique to the Muslims. So the problems are not universal.

The same with our country. We do not have universal  'Malaysian' problems. The problems in this country are unique to race and religion. The Hindus do not have problems with Christians and vice versa. The Buddhists do not have problems with the Hindus and Christians and vice versa. The same argument applies to economic and social issues. In fact the economic issues constitute the biggest "problem" in our country but again it is not a universal Malaysian problem. 

Perhaps it is a bigger problem when we forget little truths like these.

The country is still a democracy,  but sadly and unfortunately it is a democracy that is still shrouded in layers of feudalism and  even shamanism "masquerading as religion". It can be argued.

If the people are prone to frivolous behaviour, devoid of ethics and morals then their elected leaders will reflect them, and also be of a frivolous nature, devoid of ethics and morals. 
Because this is a democracy - government of the people, by the people . . The leaders shall arise from the people, who therefore will be like the people.

Freedom of speech has to be served together with freedom from speech. As much as I would like to talk and pontificate and claim my rights to the freedom of my speech, my neighbour must be guaranteed his freedom from my speech. He need not listen to me.
The same goes for belief. Freedom of belief must come together with freedom from belief. As much as you wish to uphold your belief your neighbour must be guaranteed freedom from your belief.  (For example from your idea of a 'rules based' system of international order).

This applies even more to freedom of religion. Due to its terrible track record (throughout history) it is more important to fight for and to guarantee the freedom from religion. In other words, there should have been armies of the pious riding their steeds with swords and spears in hand not to 'spread' their religion but to guarantee the human race their freedom from the swords and spears of religion.  

Because  despite the acclaimed learning, religion is still non-scientific truth. It is faith. Scientific truth is not a requirement. Logic does get in the way of religion.  
Hence religion shares similarities with shamanism.  The shaman says he can levitate and have out of body experiences. Religion can have 'out of this world' experiences. Both are set in faith. 
And both are bereft of scientific proofs. 'Science' of course is Latin for knowledge. 
Hence both must be accepted as non-scientific truths. 
Hence the absolute necessity for absolute faith. 

The learning cannot be acclaimed.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
By Syed Akbar Ali 

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