Signs of Disunity
It started on Monday when a group of Gerakan members put up Mandarin road signs in some parts of Penang. Apparently they wanted to give a dig at DAP because in June last year, Penang DAP Youth had put up road signs in Chinese at several roads to pressure the previous government to come up with Chinese road signs.
Former Penang Municipal councillor Dr Thor Teong Ghee, who is a Penang Gerakan Youth committee member, said such road signs were now vital as George Town had been listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
But DAP was quick to respond and DAP national Socialist Youth (Dapsy) organising secretary Koay Teng Hai, who is also Pulau Tikus assemblyman, said Dapsy was not only proposing road signs in Chinese but in other languages as well.
“Apart from Chinese, we will also have road signs in Tamil and Jawi, depending on the cultural background of the area,” added Koay.
In what was basically a childish attempt by Gerakan to create trouble for the ruling party in Penang, I must give high marks to DAP for being able to bring the debate to a higher level, beyond communal issues, to doing something that is beneficial for all communities. In doing so, DAP underlines the position that it does not want to be racial in its approach to issues.
UMNO, in the person of Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, responded to the issue very differently. Instead of discussing the matter in terms of tourism, for which she is Minister, she saw the issue in terms of race. Bernama reported her as saying that the Federal Constitution had stated it clearly that Malay is the national language. And so,
”All official signs, therefore, should be in Malay. This is part of the social contract agreed upon by our forefathers and I hope no one will try to challenge that.”
And then she reminded those involved that the Malays had already compromised many things for the sake of unity but their patience had its limit.
In the same report, Malay language expert Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Nik Safiah Karim said she could not agree with the action (Gerakan members putting up Mandarin road signs) as it was tantamount to eroding the country’s national identity.
”A country must have its own identity and Malay is the national language. Why should we elevate other languages to be on par with the national language?” she asked.
And Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS) secretary-general Mohd Nordin Awang weighed in saying that those involved should be clear about the position of the Malay language.
”All the while, there have been no problem with road signs in Malay. Why now?” he said, adding that the move had no justification whatsoever as it was merely for political purposes.
Balik Pulau Umno division chief Datuk Dr Hilmi Yahaya who said the state Barisan Nasional had never discussed the move by Gerakan Youth. He said such action should be stopped, lest it become a trend.
”Today it will be Gerakan. Tomorrow, other parties may also put up their road signs.”
The last word in the article was reserved for Tanjong Umno Youth chief Shaharrudin Hassan, who demanded that Malay should be the language for all road signs in the area.
”We are not satisfied with the action. We want the road signs to be in Malay,” he said.
UMNO’s response to the issue was to define it as a threat to the status of the Malay language in Malaysia. There was no attempt at all to examine whether having road signs in other languages would be beneficial to tourists. In Azalina’s eyes, having road signs in Malay is a right, enshrined in the social contract. And in her mind the Malays have already “compromised many things for the sake of unity.” And finally, a subtle threat, “but their patience had its limit.”
At this point you would probably be expecting me to tell you of how in our history we had all gone to war to settle once for all how eggs ought to be cracked open—at the little end or at the rounded end—and how we made peace and signed a social contract. It seems that this is the telescope through which Barisan Nasional views issues. Everything is down to a compromise between the races. And no, UMNO is not going to give one inch on road signs.
This is the unity that BN talks about. A tense compromise between the races to avert the disaster of one race finally running out of patience. Where everything is seen in terms of who gains and who concedes. In my mind, this is disunity. When people cannot see beyond narrow self-interests, even on a trivial matter like road signs, what chance is there to rationally and intelligently discuss education, economic policies and the future direction of the nation?
The other conclusion I could come to from this sorry state of affairs is that the Malays are firmly united in their effort to defend Malay rights. From the minister, to an academician, to the youth chief of the Tanjong UMNO division, all were in complete agreement. There must be no compromise on the use of the Malay Language for road signs. Which is why I was puzzled when I read that PAS was in talks with UMNO out of concern for Malay unity.
Have there been clashes in the country between Malays? Heated debates over Malay rights between Malays? Outcry over the needs of Malays being overlooked? No. As far as I could see, the Malays are as united as ever. Don’t get me wrong. I am not surprised when I see political enemies coming together. As they say, in politics there are no permanent enemies. But why would PAS and UMNO come together to discuss Malay unity when the Malays are as united as ever? My guess is that for these people, Malay unity is about political power. The political power of UMNO has been diminished. Obviously the Malays must be disunited. It couldn’t be because people are sick of corruption and mismanagement of resources by BN. No matter that UMNO as the dominant partner in the ruling coalition can continue to defend Malay rights as vigorously as before. No, we must work to unite the Malays.
Lim Kit Siang indeed asked the right question: Why is the pre-eminent issue bothering the Prime Minister still that of Malay unity rather than Malaysian unity?
What then is the motive for PAS to talk with UMNO? After all these years on opposite sides of the political divide? I can only think: political power. After all, that is what it has to offer UMNO, and that is what UMNO can offer PAS. It seems to me that PAS, or at least some within PAS, is countenancing the idea of betraying its pact with PKR and DAP. Disunity.
What are the signs of disunity? What will threaten, undermine and ultimately destroy unity? Self-interest, over and above the interests of the whole group. Paul in Philippians 2: 1-4 writes:
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Our country continues to be undermined by the self-interests of many. Agents of disunity abound. And very few work for the good of all. We need to pray for those who are working hard to build unity in our country, and pray against those who plot to extend their own self-interests at the expense of the nation.
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