A Malay liberal?

By G Krishnan

COMMENT Khairy Jamaluddin has recently drawn considerable attention (not to mention some approval in some quarters) by presumably sticking his neck out in speaking against Perkasa and Ibrahim Ali.

Touting himself as a ‘reformist’ and a ‘Malay liberal’, he has seemingly set himself apart from Ibrahim, that ultra-Malay nationalist mouthpiece.

This tension has evidently set the two on a collision course. Some might even say it has helped Khairy—and some factions within Umno—to patch up the credibility holes through which the support of younger voters are disappearing.

Whilst I don’t deny that there is some clear underlying political agenda in the Umno Youth leader’s attempts to accentuate the apparent schism between himself and the thrust of what Ibrahim Ali embodies, I find it amusing that Khairy and his ilk within Umno are invoking the label of ‘Malay liberal’ to distinguish themselves from the ultra-Malay chauvinists.

A Malay liberal? Now there’s an oxymoron if I ever heard of one. I suppose one has to credit the politician who can invoke such absurd terms and not only get away with it, but actually even garner praise from some quarters in the process.

I am utterly amused by this twist and spin and am at the same time struck by how easily the so-called Malay liberals are getting away with such word games.

It appears those who are buying into this game have conveniently forgotten or cannot be bothered with what it means to be a liberal. Regardless of all the possible permutations of liberals, one thing is certain: one cannot claim to be a liberal and advocate the kind of race-based politics that is Umno’s bread and butter.

I may be naïve, but I remain befuddled about what exactly is a Malay liberal. If there can be Malay liberals, could there also be Chinese liberals, Bugis liberals and Iban liberals? And how are these different from liberals plain and simple?

The most elementary prerequisite of being a liberal is a commitment to and respect for the equality of all, regardless of race, religion, sex, or any other social marker. It should be obvious that any card-holding member of Umno by definition fails to qualify.

For this reason, whilst I may find Ibrahim Ali’s rhetoric and demagoguery repulsive, I don’t think there is much difference between a so-called Malay liberal and an ultra-nationalist Malay.

One can be a liberal or not. One cannot be a liberal grounded in a race-based political party perpetuating a racist system. The latter makes a mockery of the ideals of liberalism.

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G Krishnan is a freelance writer who routinely writes online columns about Malaysian affairs.