The Alternative To Penyatuan Ummah Is Civil War

---

The Malays must ignore the criticism and condemnation. Many want to see the Malays to continue to be divided. The Malays must turn a deaf ear and plod on. Let them say what they want. What matters is the Malay agenda. And let the detractors understand that the alternative to this peaceful enterprise of Malay unity would be civil war like in Serbia and Bosnia. So be careful what you wish for.NO HOLDS BARREDRaja Petra KamarudinIt is not easy to understand the Malay mind. They can be the most docile creature at times but change into a violent deranged killer who mengamuk (“runs amok” in English) at the click of a finger. They can prostrate to Allah five times a day or more and at the same time meet up with a bomoh (shaman) to cast evil spells on their enemies, a practice which is clearly condemned by Islam as heresy
I have lived amongst the Malays in a Malay kampung (village) five miles south of Kuala Terengganu (and neighbouring PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang’s Kampung Rusila) facing the South China Sea. I must admit it was a culture shock for someone coming from the Republic of Bangsar. I eventually had to replace my beer for a white skull cap and spend the fasting month at the mosque instead of at the gin rummy table
My home for 20 years from 1974 to 1994 — Kuala Ibai in Kuala TerengganuAnyway, it was a wonderful experience and one that I will never forget or regret. If given a choice I would not mind spending the rest of my years lazing in a wooden kampung house along the beach of the South China Sea and take my last breath with the sea air blowing on my face
Malays are an enigma — something many people, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself, cannot comprehend. Malays can be humble and yet proud. Malays can be forgiving and yet carry a grudge to their grave. Malays can smile while at the same time hold a knife in their hand hidden behind their back
I always use the art of silat (yes, “art”) as the example. The Chinese, Koreans and Japanese use “rough” and “noisy” moves to fight. The Malays dance daintily like ballerinas with graceful moves like two lovers about to copulate rather than enemies about to fight to the death. But when the final plunge of the keris is delivered, it is like honey laced with poison — sweet yet deadly
Ah, Melayu…love them and hate them both at the same time — but never ignore them because doing so may prove fatal
Malays love Najib Razak because of his humilityActually, it takes a lot to push the Malays over the edge. But once the Malays reach the end of their tolerance level it is not easy to bring them back to calm. And this is why Malays suffer from the amok syndrome. It is a long fuse but once lit and not extinguished in time it will certainly blow with devastating results
It blew once, 50 years ago in 1969. That was half a century ago. Today, the Malays are feeling what the Malays of 50 years ago felt. Thankfully, the Malays of today are not resorting to what the Malays of 50 years ago did to seek what they considered as justice
The “penyatuan ummah” between Umno and PAS is the result of how the Malays feel. It is either that or blood on the streets
It is either “penyatuan ummah” or “May 13” as the alternativeThe Malays are seeking a peaceful solution to end their “discomfort” of post-GE14 developments. Blaming the non-Malays for the indignity the Malays are suffering is futile. Better the Malays seek the solution within themselves and blame the Malay divide for the fate of the Malays
No, contrary to what Mahathir says, the Malays are not blaming the non-Malays for their predicament. The Malays blame themselves and the Malay-divide for their woes. How the Malays split and who is to blame is not important. How the Malays can unite must be the focus
So, the Malays are searching their own heart. The Malays are trying to set aside their three-generation vendetta to seek unity. But then when they do they are accused of being racists and extremists. Many are not happy that the Malays are uniting and wish for the Malays to continue to fight amongst themselves
After the Umno-PAS “penyatuan ummah”, the next level is “Muafakat Nasional” between the Malays and non-MalaysThe Native Americans (a.k.a. the “Red Indians”) lost America to the whites not because the whites are superior but because the Native Americans were fragmented and divided. India was colonised by the Europeans for the same reason. And hence also the reason the Ottoman Empire collapsed — because the west divided the Arabs by introducing “nationalism” or assabiyah, which Islam had already declared as haram
As Mahathir keeps telling the Malays: they must learn from the mistakes of history and not keep making those same mistakes. So this is what the Malays are doing. They are learning from the mistakes of May 2018 and wish to correct those mistakes. But then they are called racists and extremists for doing so
The Malays must ignore the criticism and condemnation. Many want to see the Malays to continue to be divided. The Malays must turn a deaf ear and plod on. Let them say what they want. What matters is the Malay agenda. And let the detractors understand that the alternative to this peaceful enterprise of Malay unity would be civil war like in Serbia and Bosnia. So be careful what you wish for

---