ON RELIGIOUS CONFUSION

By: Kassim Ahmad

22 December, 2006

As we are closing 2006 and entering the New Year, we would like, of course, to resolve whatever old problems we have and tackle the new ones with greater vigour and resolve. But this is not to be.

With the Government’s new approach to Islamic teachings, the famous “Islam Hadhari” or “Civilizational Islam” or “Progressive Islam”, which, do not forget, won Pak Lah’s B.N. Government a huge mandate in 2004, one would have thought the young Perlis Mufti’s views on Islam ( Please see NST , 10 December, 2006) would have been welcomed by the UMNO Supreme Council and the Government. As it turned out, a number of State Islamic Religious Councils came out against the young mufti’s reasonable views on raids on hotel rooms suspected of housing unmarried couples committing sins. (Please see SundayStar , 17 December, 2006)

By now the UMNO leadership and the B.N. Government must know that they have left the administration of Islamic religion in the hands of difficult orthodox religious groups under State administrations. The Malays, belonging as they do in religion to the meticulous orthodox Shafi’e legal school, are easy prey to PAS political propaganda. This is PAS’s constituency. Our Prime Minister knows that such things cannot go on forever. UMNO as a whole, not only the top leadership, knows that it cannot go on. I anxiously wait for the day when UMNO takes a resolute stand on this matter. I shall be the first to congratulate it.

What is the matter with Islam? Before the 1980-s we did not see Muslim women covering their heads or Muslim men in government departments wearing their scalp caps in Malaysia. It is a sign, so it is claimed, of the “Re-awakening of Islam”. The process began in Malaysia in the 1970-s with the youth Islamic movement led by ABIM and, in the wider world, it reached its climax with the anti-Shah “Islamic Revolution” in Iran in 1979 when the religious theocratic group took over power.

The matter of Islam in Malaysia is that when Islam reached and secured its foothold in the Malay Archipelago in the 14^th and 15^th Centuries, it was the Islam that had ossified around a rigid Asha’arite theology and Shafi’ite jurisprudence, including the corpus of Prophetic traditions and exegeses, said to be pronounced closed and perfected by the four Great Imams (Malik, Shafi’e, Hanafi and Ahmad Ibni Hambal). Not to be forgotten is the Shi’ite group, also with its own immamate theology and likewise, Prophetic traditions, jurisprudence and exegeses. It is not precisely known whose idea was it that a way of life can be pronounced closed and perfected. It was not taught by Prophet Muhammad. Neither is it taught in the Quran. Nor is it precisely known how a class of clerics (the custodians of religion), forbidden in Islam, arose to oversee the religion on behalf of the Community.

Thus the matter of Islam is that it has changed from its pure original teachings in the Quran to contain all manner of national customs and traditions, admitted into it especially under the rubric of Prophet traditions or Hadith/Sunnah, as well as under the near sacrosanct teachings of the “Great Scholars”, more than half of which are contrary to the teachings of the Quran. How does this differ from the then teachings of the Jewish and Christian priesthoods that Islam latterly came to correct and rectify?

That being the case, it behoves us to retrace our steps back to the beginning, to the time of Prophet Muhammad, when his only guidance was God’s revelations to him and, of course, his own intellect and discernment. That was what he followed when he promulgated the famous Medina Charter when he and his small band of followers migrated to Medina in 11^th Year of Call. So, the question is being posed, can we not just go back to the Quran, the basic source, which Prophet Muhammad himself followed?

At this point, the poser of the question will be bombarded will all types of abuses, starting with “anti-Islam” “modernist”, “Orientalist”, “Liberal Islam”, “anti-Hadith”, “apostate” and he or she will be boycotted by the Muslim community!

In matters of religion, a very, very few people indeed can think and act rationally. Of all religions, Islam (as taught in the Quran, that is) is the most rational. The Quran endlessly appeals to reason. This is because reason is a very important criterion of true knowledge. Inspiration or, for that matter, revelation, is not contrary to reason, as many scientists suppose; it is simply a higher type of reason, accessible, unfortunately, only to a few. God’s existence cannot be proved by sensory evidence, although it can be by a type of logical evidence (“God exists because He creates the world, although He Himself is not created.”) Revelation, being the third higher type of reason, is reason through direct knowledge of Reality without the first and second intermediaries (sensory and logical). The Quran states: “No person can believe without God’s leave. He places uncleanness on those who refuse to use reason.” (Quran, 10: 100) This puts reason on par with revelation.

So the post-Muhammad Muslim community has blocked itself out of the Quran! What a tragedy! The Quran is read melodiously every hour of the day and night throughout the Muslim world, but not principally to understand its meanings or implement its teachings. It is to get spiritual rewards just from mere reading!

Take the four or five cases of tussle over the right of burial of dead bodies by our Muslim religious authorities and their non-Muslim families this year. Apart from the fact that evidence is not completely clear as to the religious status of the dead persons at the time of their death (and this can easily be corrected), Muslim religious authorities hold to their unreasonable view that once a person becomes Muslim, he or she, cannot apostatize, or apostatize only on pain of death, following a so-called Prophetic tradition or hadith. This hadith obviously is weak, because its meaning runs counter to the clear teachings of the Quran that an adult is completely free to choose whether to believe or not to believe. No one should force anyone into any religion. Religion is completely free. (See Quran, 2: 256)

I should mention that this compulsory belief in the Hadith was added later by the teaching of Imam Shafi’e. The hadith stating that Muhammad left two books, instead of one, came with the promulgation of the Official Hadith Collections, 250 years after the Prophet’s death. It should be noted that Ashaarite theology teaches six pillars of faith (Enam Rukun Iman) and belief in Hadith is not one of them!

So, I repeat: Why cannot Muslims go back to the Quran?

Kassim Ahmad is a free-lance writer. He can be contacted at kasmad172@yahoo.com.my His website is at

Bahagian III

PERPADUAN BANGSA

Sejarah kita sendiri telah menunjukkan bahawa ada kalanya perpaduan bangsa kita kuat, ada kalanya rapuh. Pada waktu UMNO ditubuhkan dan Perikatan menang besar dalam pilihanraya pertama pada 1955, perpaduan kita kuat. Tetapi apabila rusuhan kaum berlaku dalam peristiwa berdarah Mei 13, perpaduan itu rapuh. Apabila Barisan Nasional ditubuhkan dan PAS dan banyak parti lain menganggotai Barisan Nasional, perpaduan kita menjadi kuat. Demikianlah perpecahan dan pengekuatan terus berlaku dalam UMNO melalui pengharaman dan penubuhan UMNO Baru dan penubuhan Semangat 46 dalam tahun 1987-88, dan kemudian dalam peristiwa pemecatan Anwar Ibrahim dan penubuhan Parti Keadilan pada tahun 1998 dan penubuhan Puteri UMNO dalam 2001.

Perpaduan bangsa mestilah diasaskan di atas prisnsip-prinsip persamaan, kebebasan, keadilan, musyawarah dan saling hormat antara satu sama lain. Hikmah merupakan suatu sifat kepimpinan yang penting. Prinsip dan dasar perlu dilaksanakan dengan hikmah.

Pada waktu Malaya/Malaysia ditubuhkan, semua prinsip ini diiktiraf dan dilaksanakan. Namun demikian, oleh kerana tarikan kepentingan suku-kaum masing-masing, kadang-kadang batasan kewajaran dilanggar dan ketegangan kaum timbul. Namun apa yang disebut Kontrak Sosial Malaysia mengandung kemungkinan-kemungkinan untuk menimbulkan masalah bagi perpaduan bangsa. Dasar Ekonomi Baru yang bertujuan untuk menseimbangkan ekonomi Melayu dengan ekonomi suku-bangsa lain telah dan boleh disalah-gunakan dengan memperkaya segelintir orang Melayu saja atas nama bantuan untuk Bumiputera. Demikian juga dengan kedudukan Islam sebagai agama rasmi negara. Apakah yang dimaksudkan sebagai “agama rasmi”? Apakah ia terbatas kepada upacara-upacara rasmi negara, seperti pertabalan Yang Dipertuan Agung, perasmian Parlimen, dan sebagainya, atau lebih dari itu, seperti yang dikehendaki oleh PAS? Demikian juga dengan prinsip persamaan yang boleh ditarik untuk mendesak semua bahasa digunakan sebagai bahasa rasmi, dan dengan itu membatalkan kedudukan bahasa Melayu saja sebagai bahasa rasmi. Kemungkinan-kemungkinan ini telah dan akan terus mengusik dan mengganggu perpaduan bangsa kita, jika kita tidak menanganinya secara berprinsip.

Kebimbangan inilah yang telah menyebabkan UMNO Johor mempertikai konsep kebangsaan Malaysia baru-baru ini. Sikap ini juga tidak logik dan tidak realistik Dua tiga generasi, atau empat lima generasi akan datang kita pasti sampai ke destinasi itu. Fenomena ini timbul silih-berganti dalam sejarah. Tugas kita ialah memandu proses pembinaan banga kita yang “baru” ini mengikut landasan yang betul, bertitik-tolak dari Kontrak Sosial kita sekarang.

Sistem ekonomi-politik liberal yang kita pinjam dari Barat, pada dasarnya, ialah dasar sekular atau keduniaan dan merayu kepada naluri rendah manusia. Falsafah ekonomi-politik yang dianjurkan oleh Adam Smith, Jeremy Bentham, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, David Hume dan lain-lain memproklamir dan mempropagandakan sistem ini bagi pihak kaum oligarki kewangan Inggeris-Belanda. Maka itu sumber-sumber alam tidak cukup, kerana rebutan yang sengit berlaku di kalangan manusia, dan yang kuat membolot sumber-sumber ini. Kerjasama tidak ada; undang-undang hutan-rimba berlaku!

Dasar dan falsafah inilah yang menyebabkan perpaduan kita goyah, seperti yang diakui oleh Perdana Menteri kita sendiri baru-baru ini. Tidak syak lagi, kita mesti mengubah falsafah dan dasar ekonomi-politik kita dari dasar liberal yang bersifat kehaiwanan kepada dasar yang bersifat kemanusiaan. Bukan saja dasar liberal itu sudah bankrap, tetapi ia sedang membawa mala-petaka yang besar kepada dunia. Di sinilah Islam boleh memberi jalan keluar, tetapi bukan Islam seperti yang kita warisi dari nenek-moyang dengan fahaman mazhab dan teologi yang jumud dan mengongkong.

Semua rakyat kita dari semua suku-bangsa mesti memainkan peranan masing-masing untuk membawa perubahan ini. Ini termasuk parti-parti pembangkang, khasnya PAS dan DAP. Kita mesti membawa suatu perjuangan politik baru ke dalam negara kita. Tujuan pokok kita ialah kemajuan, kebajikan dan kesejahteraan bangsa dan negara, bukan kuasa kepada parti semata-mata, seperti yang telah berlaku selama ini, di bawah riayah dasar dan sistem demokrasi Barat ini.

Cuba lihat Afrika. Kebuluran, kemiskinan, kemunduran dan wabak penyakit berleluasa di sana. Ini bukti kegagalan tamadun Barat, jika bukti dikehendaki. Barat, yakni Eropah dan Amerika, dengan sains dan teknologi yang mereka miliki, boleh menukar bumi Afrika menjadi jelapang gandum dan padi dunia yang boleh menyarai seluruh dunia, bukan Afrika saja, di samping mengangkat Afrika keluar dari lembah kemunduran dan kehinaan dalam masa dua puluh lima tahun saja. Mengapakah Eropah dan Amerika liberal tidak berbuat demikian? Tidak lain dan tidak bukan, kecuali kerana falsafah dan dasar mereka bukan hendak menolong, tetapi merompak!

Namun, tidak cukup bagi kita untuk mengkritik saja. Kita mesti bersedia untuk membuat perubahan. Inilah cabaran yang menghadapi kita sekarang.

Tidak ada sebab mengapa kita tidak boleh buat. Kita ada pemimpin dan cerdik-pandai yang ramai dan yang berkebolehan. Kita juga ada sumber-sumber kekayaan yang cukup. Yang kita tiada ialah sebuah falsafah kemanusiaan republikan dan demokratik untuk menggantikan falsafah liberal kehaiwanan Adam Smith dan kumpulannya untuk membolehkan kita bekerjasama membangunkan sebuah bangsa Malaysia baru dan sebuah dunia baru untuk anak-cucu kita dan untuk semua manusia. Apabila kita sudah membuat komitmen ini dan melaksanakannya secara berterusan, tidak ada apa pun yang boleh menghalang kejayaan kita.

Kassim Ahmad seorang penulis bebas Malaysia. Beliau boleh dihubungi di kasmad172@yahoo.com.my. Laman web beliau: www.kassimahmad.blogspot.com

Bahagian II

DARI NASIONALISME MELAYU

DAN NEOLIBERALISME

KE NASIONALISME MALAYSIA DAN ISLAM?

Pada peringkat permulaan ini, kita ingin mengingatkan UMNO, jika mereka mahu konsisten dalam perjuangan mereka untuk mewakili bangsa Melayu, mereka haruslah mengiktiraf sumbangan kumpulan-kumpulan pejuang politik yang terdahulu, khasnya Kesatuan Melayu Muda (tertubuh 1930) dan Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (tertubuh 1945) yang berhaluan kiri kepada perjuangan nasional anti-kolonial untuk kemerdekaan.

Tanpa melibatkan diri kita, pada waktu ini, dalam perdebatan soal taktik, segala faktor objektif – politik, ekonomi, intelektual dan ketenteraan – memihak kepada taktik sederhana atau perundingan untuk mencapai kemerdekaan. Taktik ini menyebabkan kita terpaksa berkompromi dengan kaum penjajah dalam beberapa hal, khasnya dalam ekonomi dan ketenteraan. Pada tahun 1957 waktu Malaya merdeka, Gerakan Negara-negara Berkecuali baru saja ditubuhkan (1955, di Bandung), tetapi tiga puluh tahun kemudian (1986) gerakan ini sebagai suatu organisasi bebas menjadi tidak berkesan lagi. Tokoh-tokoh besarnya Nehru, Sukarno, Nasser, Ben Bella dan Tito pergi meninggalkan kita dengan pengganti-pengganti yang tidak lagi berjiwa revolusioner. Rusia di bawah Gorvacheh mencari penyesuaian dan kerjasama dengan kuasa-kuasa Barat; demikian juga China, Mesir dan India. Kemudian benteng sosialisme dunia pecah di Rusia (secara paksa) dan juga di China (secara sukarela). Pengimbang kuasa liberalisme-neokolonialisme Barat tiada lagi dan in membawa kepada hegemoni total oleh Inggeris-A.S.-Israel untuk memaksakan sebuah Tatadunia Baru dengan serangan A.S. dan sekutunya terhadap Iraq dalam Perang Teluk Pertama (1999-2001) dan Perang Teluk Kedua (2003-06).

Pada masa sistem neoliberal Barat menguasai seluruh dunia di bawah riayah globalisasi, pada masa itulah sistem ini yang berserabut dengan riba dan tipu-helah politik yang dahsyat, yang tidak pernah berlaku dalam sejarah sebelum ini, sedang runtuh. Bukti-bukti kegagalan A.S. dan sekutunya di Afghanistan dan di Iraq dan kekalahan Parti George W. Bush (Republikan) dalam pilihanraya pertengahan penggal Kongres dan Senat A.S. pada awal 7 November, 2006.

Walaupun kita tidak dapat memberi contoh-contoh negara sosialis Dunia Ketiga yang berjaya dengan jelas, mungkin dua buah negara ini, Iraq (sebelum ia diceroboh oleh A.S.) dan Kuba, boleh diketengahkan. Namun demikian, kejatuhan sistem in di Rusia dan di China membuktikan kelemahan dalamannya, yang sebenarnya merupakan kelemahan kerana sistem in gagal memberi peranan yang wajar dan sah kepada kreativiti individu. Kelemahan dalaman sistem kapitalis liberal ialah kerana kegagalan melindungi kepentingan kolektif yang sah. Kerana inilah dalam dekad-dekad 60-an hingga 80an, setelah berlaku dua peperangan besar dunia yang menghancurkan kepercayaan ramai manusia kepada kemujaraban sains dan teknologi moden untuk membawa kemajuan yang berterusan kepada dunia diganti dengan suatu rasa pesimisme yang meluas yang membawa kepada pencarian baru kepada kepercayaan agama dan spiritual, [1] dunia, termasuk umat Islam, mencari suatu jalan tengah di antara dua jalan yang telah gagal ini.

Demikianlah bermulanya apa yang dipanggil “Kebangkitan semula Islam” yang mencapai kemuncaknya di Iran apabila berlakunya revolusi anti-Shah dan disebut Revolusi Islam Iran oleh golongan teokrasi Iran yang mendapat kuasa dalam revolusi itu. Di Malaysia, ia bermula dengan ABIM (Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia) dan kenaikan Anwar Ibarahim dalam UMNO dan Kerajaan. Semangat ini turut melanda PAS yang menyingkir pimpinan Mohd. Asri dan menggantikannya dengan Hj Yusuf Rawa yang memberi laluan kepada pimpinan ulama yang radikal mulai 1983.

Pada masa inilah, dari kira-kira tahun 80-an hingga kenaikan Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (2003), tuntutan untuk mendaulatkan Undang-undang Islam dan menjadikan Islam sebagai dasar negara meningkat di Malaysia. Namun demikian, contoh-contoh kegagalan dasar in di Pakistan, Sudan dan juga Iran patut mencelekkan mata rakyat kita yang beragama Islam kepada kesukaran menjadikan Islam sebagai dasar negara. Kesukarannya terletak pada perbezaan di antara Islam sebagai geopolitik semasa dengan Islam sebagai cita-cita yang diajar dalam Quran dan dilaksanakan oleh Nabi Muhammad di Madinah dan kemudian di seluruh Semenanjung Arab sebelum beliau wafat, mengikut Piagam Madinah yang digubal oleh beliau sendiri. Hal perbezaan ini tidak disedari dan malah tidak diakui oleh kebanyakan orang Islam hari ini.

Contohnya, apa yang dipanggil Undang-undang Islam atau Syari’ah terdapat dalam buku-buku undang-undang yang dikarang dan diterima oleh umat Islam sejak seribu tahun dulu. Apa yang gagal disedari oleh umat Islam, termasuk di Malaysia, ialah bahawa undang-undang itu tidak lain dari hasil ijtihad kaum fuqaha dulu. Tiap-tiap generasi perlu menilai semula apa yang ia warisi dari generasi dulu, sama ada warisan itu baik (dalam ertikata ia selaras dengan semangat ajaran Quran) dan sesuai dengan perubahan zaman (umpamanya teknologi perang sekarang berbeza dengan teknologi perang zaman Nabi).

Kita sebenarnya ada dua tugas yang perlu kita selesaikan terhadap warisan kita. Pertama, kita perlu kaji balik apakah ia selaras dengan semangat ajaran Quran; kedua, kita perlu selaraskan praktik kita dengan perubahan zaman. Oleh sebab itu, kita mempunyai agenda reformasi dari sejak zaman Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab (m. 1792) Kita juga tahu bahawa agenda reformasi ini tidak berjalan dengan licin dan lancar dan masih jauh terkebelakang, kerana ia ditentang oleh golongan konservatif dan ortodoks yang pengaruhnya masih kuat dalam masyarakat Islam. Inilah punca kegagalan Islam dilaksanakan sebagai dasar negara. Harus ditekankan di sini bahawa bukan Islam yang salah, tetapi pemahaman kita tentang Islam itu yang salah.

Apa yang harus kita buat sekarang, seperti kata pepatah, ialah kembali ke pangkal jalan. Pangkal jalan kita ialah Tuhan Yang Esa dan agama tauhid. Semua rasul membawa ajaran pokok yang sama daripada Tuhan, ialah tiada Tuhan melainkan Allah, dan sembahlah Tuhan sahaja. [2] Nabi Muhamamad yang menjadi penutup kepada segala nabi membawa kitab Tuhan yang terakhir, yang lengkap dan sempurna, mengandungi semua ajaran yang baik dari semua nabi. Kitab itu ialah Quran. Kita harus menjadikan Quran sebagai panduan dan ajaran yang asas dan pokok kepada kita dalam semua hal, tanpa membuang apa-apa ajaran lain yang telah kita ikut selama ini dengan syarat ajaran itu tidak bercanggah dengan ajaran pokok tadi. Ini bermakna kita harus mengkaji semula warisan kita (tafsir, kalam, hadis, ijmak dan sebagainya) supaya kerja reformasi kita lengkap dan sempurna.

Saya ingin memberi suatu contoh saja. Quran menyebut dua prinsip pokok undang-undang, iaitu keadilan atau hukuman setimpal,[3] dan ihsan atau hukuman berdasarkan kerahiman yang membolehkan hakim meringankan hukuman, malah mengampunkan pesalah. [4] Sekiranya undang-undang kita memenuhi dua kehendak ini, itulah yang kita namakan undang-undang Islam. Bentuk-bentuk hukuman boleh bertukar-tukar mengikut zaman, tempat dan keadaan, tetapi dua prinsip pokok ini tidak boleh bertukar.

Inilah yang perlu kita lakukan untuk membolehkan kita sekarang hidup mengikut cara hidup Islam, bukan saja dalam ibadah, tetapi dalam semua kerja dan aktiviti kita: politik, ekonomi, pendidikan, intelektual, kesenian dan kebudayaan.

Saya yakin, apabila kita berbuat demikian (mengajar dan mendidik rakyat kita falsafah hidup kemanusiaan serta mengamalkannya), kita akan berjaya menyelesaikan semua masalah yang kita hadapi, termasuk rasuah dan gejala sosial negatif. Kita juga telah melihat bagaimana Nabi Muhammad berjaya melaksanakan misi reformasi ini dalam masa dua puluh tiga tahun sahaja, sedangkan kita sudah merdeka selama 50 tahun! Contoh gemilang ini boleh dan patut menjadi inspirasi dan galakan kepada kita.

[1] Rasa kekecewaan ini khasnya dirakamkan secara puitis dalam karya dua orang penyair Eropah, W.B. Yeats (1865-1939) dan T. S. Eliot (1888-1965). Lihat sajak-sajak mereka “The Second Coming” dan “The Waste Land”.

[2] “Kami tidak mengirim rasul sebelummu kecuali dengan wahyu: ‘Tiada tuhan melainkan Aku; hendaklah kamu sembah Aku saja.’” (Quran, 21:25)

[3] Lihat Quran, 4: 123 dan 10: 27.

[4] Lihat Quran, 13: 22 dan 23: 96.

ADAKAH MASA HADAPAN

UNTUK BANGSA KITA?

Oleh: Kassim Ahmad

1 Disember, 2006

Bahagian I

Tiga siri artikel ini ditulis dengan tujuan untuk mengkaji masa depan bangsa kita ketika kita sedang melangkah masuk generasi merdeka yang ketiga. Ada dua sebab kita berbuat demikian. Pertama, sama ada kita sedar atau tidak, kita hidup sekarang dalam sebuah sistem antarabangsa (global) yang sedang menuju kehancuran total yang cepat, akibat perbuatan curang manusia sendiri. Oleh yang demikian, kita sebagai sebuah bangsa yang berdaulat, secara sedar, harus memikirkan suatu sistem alternatif untuk keluar dari kegelapan yang menyelubungi kita. Kedua, kita harus kaji secara lebih terperinci soal falsafah hidup bangsa kita supaya asas kehidupan kita lebih kukuh dan mantap untuk menjaminkan kelansungan bangsa kita dalam dunia yang mendatang.

Malaysia sebuah negara baru yang dibina di atas asas Kesultanan Melayu Melaka, setelah dijajah oleh pelbagai penjajah, Barat dan Timur, selama 446 tahun pada waktu kita merdeka pada 1957. Oleh kerana dalam masa itu, bangsa-bangsa imigeran lain, khasnya Cina dan India, termasuk juga Arab dari Asia Barat, (tetapi tidak termasuk sukubangsa-sukubangsa lain di Kepulauan Melayu, kerana mereka termasuk di dalam kumpulan rumpun Melayu), maka Malaysia telah menjadi sebuah negara majmuk dengan penduduk dan warganegaranya terdiri dari pelbagai bangsa, agama dan budaya. Oleh sebab itu, Perlembagaan Persekutuan melindungi hak ketuanan Melayu melalui institusi Raja-raja Melayu yang beperlembagaan, kedudukan istimewa orang Melayu, kedudukan Islam sebagai agama rasmi negara dan kedudukan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa rasmi dan Bahasa Kebangsaan. Di samping itu, hak-hak kebebasan untuk mengamalkan agama dan kebudayaan masing-masing bagi semua sukubangsa juga dilindungi oleh Perlembagaan.

Inilah yang disebut sebagai Kontrak Sosial yang dipersetujui oleh Pengasas-pengasas bangsa dan yang ditekankan dalam Ucapan Dasar Presiden UMNO dalam Perhimpunan Agung UMNO yang ke-57 pada 15 November lalu. Agak menarik untuk diberi perhatian bahawa apa yang dipanggil Perlembagaan Rakyat yang dikemukakan oleh pakatan Kiri (PUTERA-AMCJA) [1] pada 1948 tidak jauh lari dari Kontrak Sosial yang dipersetujui oleh gabungan politik UMNO-MCA-MIC. Malah nama identiti bangsa baru yang hendak dibangunkan itu ialah Melayu.[2]

Dipendekkan cerita, Malaya dan kemudian Malaysia mencapai kemerdekaannya melalui perundingan dengan Kerajaan Inggeris serta mengambil-alih sistem ekonomi-politik liberal-kapitalis Barat. Dasar luar kita pun pro-Barat pada peringkat permulaannya. Ini berbeza dengan sesetengah negara Islam lain, seperti Mesir, Iraq dan Libya, termasuk jiran dan bangsa serumpun dengan kita, Indonesia. Negara-negara ini lebih mirip ke blok Timur, membuat perubahan melalui kaedah-kaedah revolusioner dan bereksperimen dengan sistem sosialis. Namun demikian, setelah kira-kira empat puluh tahun, apabila sistem Sosialis Timur runtuh di Rusia, Eropah Timur dan China dan sistem kapitalis neoliberal Barat menang dalam pertembungan ideologi ini, keadaan negara kita dari segi ekonomi, politik, pendidikan dan kemajuan sains dan teknologi, secara perbandingan, tidak jauh beza; malah mungkin lebih baik.

Sistem liberal-kapitalis kita roboh dalam peristiwa rusuhan kaum Mei 13, 1969. Perdana Menteri pertama, Tengku Abdul Rahman, terpaksa menyerah kuasanya kepada timbalannya Tun Abdul Razak yang kemudian, setelah melalui pemerintahan darurat MAGERAN (Majlis Gerakan Negara) selama dua tahun, melakukan beberapa perubahan dasar. Perubahan dasar ini termasuk Dasar Ekonomi Baru, Dasar Pelajaran, dasar Bahasa Kebangsaan dan dasar luar dari yang pro-Barat kepada dasar berkecuali. Di bawah pimpinan Tun Razak juga, PAS, sebuah parti Melayu yang berdasarkan agama, yang ditubuhkan pada 1951, dibawa masuk pada 1973 ke dalam Barisan Nasional, yang sekarang bukan lagi terdiri dari tiga buah parti, tetapi empat belas buah.

Pada waktu ini, orang Melayu bersatu di dalam Barisan Nasional, diwakili oleh UMNO dan PAS. Dasar Ekonomi Baru membuka peluang kepada orang Melayu memasuki pelajaran tinggi dan memasuki bidang-bidang perniagaan kecil, sederhana dan juga besar, dan dalam masa tiga puluh tahun bilangan orang Melayu dalam bidang-bidang iktisas meningkat berkali ganda. Demikian juga bilangan orang Melayu dalam bidang perniagaan dan koperat meningkat. Wajah UMNO bertukar dari sebuah parti marhaen kepada sebuah parti kelas menengah yang berideologikan kapitalisme. DEB menghasilkan kontradiksinya: peluang ekonomi dan sosial membawa kepada kemewahan, materialisme dan perasaan tamak. Pada masa inilah “politik wang” masuk ke dalam parti. Perjuangan bangsa menjadi pudar. Undi, jawatan dan pangkat dalam parti boleh dibeli: yang mahu jawatan dan pangkat ada wang untuk membeli; yang ada undi dan kuasa mahu jual untu mendapat wang!

Demikianlah dasar liberal Barat merosakkan UMNO. Lalu UMNO berpecah kepada Semangat 46 pada tahun 1987-88 dan kepada Parti Keadilan yang menubuhkan Barisan Alternatif dengan PAS dan Semangat 46 (PAS keluar dari B.N. pada tahun 1977 dan dikuasai oleh golongan ulama radikal pada 1983). Dalam pilihanraya umum 1999, Barisan Nasional kalah di Terengganu dan Kelantan dan hilang banyak kerusi di Kedah, Perlis, Perak dan Selangor.

Dalam pilihanraya umum 1999, walaupun majoritinya merosot, Barisan Nasional masih dapat mempertahankan majoriti dua pertiga dalam Parlimen dan Dewan-dewan Undangan Negeri yang dikuasainya. Walau bagaimanapun, peremajaan UMNO tercapai apabila sayap puterinya ditubuhkan pada 2001.Setelah keadaan dalam UMNO kembali stabil berikutan pemecatan Anwar Ibrahim, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad yang memegang teraju pimpinan UMNO dan Kerajaan selama 22 tahun meletak jawatan dan menyerahkan pimpinan parti dan negara kepada pengganti yang dipilihnya, Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi pada 31 Oktober, 2003. Dalam pilihanraya umum 2004, di bawah pimpinan Abdullah, Barisan Nasional mendapat mandat yang terbesar sejak pilihanraya umun 1978. Nyatlah, rakyat Malaysia ingin memberi peluang kepada Presiden UMNO dan Perdana Menteri yang baru untuk melaksanakan janji-janjinya dalam pilihanraya itu, khasnya penghapusan rasuah.

Masalah pertumbuhan dan kemajuan ekonomi bukan saja mengembangkan kek ekonomi, tetapi juga membahagikannya dengan adil, termasuk menghapuskan pembaziran dalam perbelanjaan awam yang sekarang sedia tinggi dan perlu dikurangkan untuk mengoptimumkan kegunaan sumber-sumber kita. Rasuah perlu dibendung dan dihapuskan. Kerosakan UMNO dari segi falsafah perjuangan perlu dibaiki. Selain itu, tiga masalah besar menghantui kemajuan negara dan bangsa kita sekarang. Masalah-masalah itu ialah peranan Islam, perpaduan bangsa dan gejala sosial negative, khasnya dadah yang melumpuhkan sebagain besar tenaga muda kita. Kita akan mengkaji masalah Islam dalam artikel akan datang.

Sambongan: Bahagian II

---

[1] PUTERA= Pusat Tenaga Rakyat, yang terdiri dari beberapa pertubuhan Kiri Melayu. AMCJA= All Malaya Council of Joint Action, teridiri dari pertubuhan-pertubuhan Kiri bukan-Melayu. Perhatikan bahawa Pengasas MCA, Tan Cheng Lock, ialah Pengerusi AMCJA.

[2] Lihat Ramlah Adam, Ahmad Boestamam – Satu Biografi Politik; hal. 193.

THE MALAYSIA I WANT

By: Kassim Ahmad,

27 December, 2005

I am asked to write about a Malaysia that I wish to see. Creating a “new” country or nation, as Malaysia, is not as easy as it looks. It is more complicated than making a car or a boat, because a car or a boat is, what we may call, a lifeless product that you can fashion to your liking.

In any case, Malaysia cannot be said to be a new nation. At the time of our independence, the country, the Federation of Malaya, has had a long history, dating from the Malay Malacca Sultanate in the Fifteenth Century with its close connections with other feudal states in the Malay Cultural Area known as Nusantara. Then came the European-Asian colonial interventions into the area, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British and the Thai with their attendant results. We have to consider these things before we can lay down a policy and a plan to make the country what we want it to be, say, in two, three or four generations’ time.

For people to evolve into a stable society and country – and this is a social process – it takes several generations. It has been said that a national community has to share a common territory, a common history, an economy, a national language and a cultural identity. We are nearing fifty years of age as a nation , and we have been trying to develop those characteristics, but if you ask me, are we on the right track and is this the type of country I wish it to be, my answer is: “Not quite!” The reason is as I shall explain below.

I grew up to have a strong sense of justice, partially because I came from a poor peasant family. My early association and reading in school and university turned me into an anti-colonial, pro-independence and socialistic-minded youth. I wanted to see a Malaya/ Malysia free from colonial rule, peaceful and secure and a government that is just.

Apart from the history and the culture, a country’s make-up depends on the social forces that shape it. From time immemorial, there have been two basic social forces determining Man’s history on the planet. One is the oligarchical force or faction, an oppressive political-financial-religious-media elite dominating over the entire population, who are more or less its slaves, producing the feudal and colonial empires of the past (Greek, Roman, Persian, Chinese, Indian-Hindu, Arab, Ottoman-Turkish and British ). The other one is the humanist force or faction whose world-outlook is diametrically opposed to that of the oligarchical faction. The humanist faction regards the human being not as a potential slave, but as a potential ruler, an honoured being, invested with the freedom to re-make the world into a Paradise where everyone is free, equal and happy.

Past human history is dotted with the marks of these two forces. Construction and success has been the result of the good works of the humanist faction; destruction and failure that of the devilish works of oligarchical faction.

At present, after a period of about 5,000 years of civilization, humankind has arrived at a world that has popularly been called “a global village”. That means modern science and technology have made it a small place where all nations are neighbours to one another. It also means we can work together to make it a better place, ultimately a Paradise, or we can inflict on ourselves pain and suffering and turn it in a Hell. We have been living in the second for some time now, under Bush the Elder’s so-called “New World Order”, more corectly named as Pax Americana. We have to get out of this hell fast!

My interest in politics has enabled me to see the fall of the British Empire, the collapse of communism and the fall of the Soviet Empire, the rise and fall of the theocratic Muslim state in Iran and currently we are witnessing the fall of Fukuyama’s vaunted “End of History” “triumphalist” neo-liberal system, otherwise known as Pax Americana. We are truly going through a most historic time! We are witnessing the birth of a new just world!

So, the first thing for the good Malaysians wanting a peaceful, prosperous and happy Malaysia for everyone to do is to bring about and develop this humanist faction among us so that in the near future the country will be governed by them and we Malaysians can enjoy living in a peaceful, prosperous and happy Malaysia.

Those of us who want such a Malaysia ( I dare say 80% of us would want and and are prepared to strive for it) must first form such a humanist faction, or group. How are we to distinguish it from the oligarchical faction among us? This is a fundamental question. Without doubt, these people must be sincere in their aim of bringing about such a Malaysia. They must know, at least, to begin with, their leaders must know, how to bring about such a Malaysia, because it is not enough for us to want the good without knowing what the good is and how to bring it about. We must formulate a right policy and work out right a plan and a right methodology of how the achieve our objective. We must be honest, sincere and passionate in carrying out this great task. Thus knowledge, ability, sincerity and deep commitment are required.

Then we also require courage, determination and sacrifice, because this great and noble objective of ours will be determinedly opposed by the oligarchical faction. If anyone thinks that this great human task is easy, he should disabuse himself or herself quickly. Look at our long bloody history. Remember the slave leader Spartacus who led slave-armies from the Roman provinces to fight the Roman Empire? Of course, they lost. He and many of his comrades were brutally crucified, but his example and others of the kind inspired later generations to fight for their freedom and dignity until today when we reap the fruits of their labour. Today we are waging the same life-and-death fight on a different level and at a different historical stage.

That we are going to win, there is no doubt, because this is a fight for the Truth, with a capital T. Truth is Reality. Truth is God. That is why this fight will win in the end. It will win not only in Malaysia, but in the whole world. We can see the fight going on all continents, and in America and Britain itself, in the bowels of the Beast, so to speak. It will take some time, a generation, or two, but certainly less than five. That is the mission of Life -- Life Noble, Life Moral, and Life Spiritual. It is already within our reach.

At present, the world is at a very important crossroad: between the old way of life within the oppressive, colonial-neo-colonial-feudal-fascist system, and a new way of life that is democratic and humanist. The communist ideology and system have collapsed; the Liberal-capitalist system has also reached a dead end and fast collapsing; so is the religious theocratic system. A new way of life is emerging, demanded by the majority of mankind on all continents. This is the age-old dream of mankind whose moment has come.

As patriotic and concerned Malaysian citizens, we have to be aware of this development and take the necessary steps to discover and bring into being this new world. In our beloved Malaysia, the leading Malay party which spearheaded the Malay nationalist struggle for independence has, over the years, lost its moral fiber and lent itself to vast political corruption that the National Front of communal parties that it leads almost lost its mandate to the coalition of opposition parties in the 1999 General Election. After 48 years of independence, much poverty still exists, national unity and communal harmony exist more on the surface than in reality, cost of living keeps rising, unemployment is on the rise, corruption is on the rise and abuse of power rampant. The Malay religious party waiting to take over, being a theocracy, cannot provide the country a better system to the present system, which is nothing but an extension of the bankrupt Anglo-American neo-liberalism. It is thus imperative that Malaysians who love their country put their heads together and forge a better future for themselves and for posterity.

From time immemorial, mankind has struggled to achieve this dream – a just society. Everywhere in all ages, two groups struggled against each other at all times: the oligarchical group which believes in the concept of empire and the existence of slaves, and the humanist group which believes in the concept of man as vicegerent of God on earth and in a just society. In this era called the post-colonial era beginning about 1970’s, the colonial system lead by the Anglo-American oligarchy has reached its highest point when the Soviet communist system collapsed and the Anglo-American aggressors attacked and invaded Iraq. In Iraq and Afghanistan, this colonial group is meeting its military defeat, and in America itself as well as throughout the world, its politico-economic world system is coming to ruin. We as part of this system are suffering under its yoke with the increasing incidence of corruption and abuse of power in our own country.

What is the new ideology, system and policy which will replace the old moribund ideologies, systems and policies? In general, we want a system and a world that is just . This is the demand of the peoples of the world now. In modern political vocabulary, it means a world system that is democratic and humanist. In Quranic terminology, this system is called “The Straight Path”, a path that does not deviate towards the individual (liberalism) or towards the collective (communism), either to the side of the materialism (liberalism/communism) or to the side of empty spiritualism (theocracy).

This system combines the material-spiritual requirements or the requirements of this worldy-otherworldy in a unified and harmonious world. It also combines the religious, philosophical, scientific and artistic knowledge in a unified and harmonious whole.

In the old world, all societies including Muslim society live in a dualism: between the religious-moral demands and the material and this-worldy demands. Our leaders and intellectuals must quickly make reforms in both the religious and this-worldy lives so that the two departments exist in a unified and a harmonious whole.

Can we make this reformation? Are there past examples to which we can refer? We believe that in all civilizations such examples can be found because all past societies went through these struggles between the oligarchical and humanist factions. The time of Prophet Muhamad and several generations after him, between the 7^th throughout the 13^th centuries was an age of renaissance for the Arab people. The European age of renaissance happened from 15^th centuries right up to the 17^th centuries. In the same manner, ages of renaissance occurred in China, India and Japan. We have to study these ages of renaissance so that we can identify the general features found in these ages – features that have caused success and progress for these societies.

Therefore, we think that the time has come for the Malaysian people who are concerned and patriotic to combine their efforts to form an association or movement to study all aspects (political, economics and social) of this new world and to bring about its consciousness among our people so that they themselves are prepared to struggle to bring about this new world.

After the weakening of the Non-Aligned Movement and the collapse of the Soviet Union and the consequent Russian and Chinese embrace of the so-called Anglo-American neo-liberal free trade system and the consequent rise of fascism in the United States and Britain, many people on the Left gave in to despair. They have even come to believe that the fight against the new U.S Empire is hopeless. They are in dire error. The present U.S. Empire, based on evil, as all oppressive empires have been, is doomed beyond repair. Its economy is in shambles. Its military has over-reached itself and is being destroyed in Afghanistan and in Iraq and in new death-wish wars it is planning to launch against Syria, Iran, North Korea and beyond. The peoples’ rebellion against this new Anglo-American Empire is huge: from East to West, from North to South. Despair and pessimism in the face of this colossal collapse and the rise of a bright new just world is illogical. It should be replaced by optimism and hope.

This association need not recruit many members; a number between 30 to 100 members will be sufficient, although it should not be averse taking in more members, if more wish to join. It should be open to all Malysian citizens who agree and support its philosophy, principles, aims and policies. The aims of the association is to bring about a philosophico-political movement of the straight or middle path in order to form a peaceful and just Malaysian state and society in the near future. The methodology is to bring about consciousness among the people of the necessity of such a movement and system of the straight path, till, after not too long, this system can be brought into being in Malaysia.

The activities which will be carried out by this association are:-

a) To conduct necessary studies to achieve the aims of the association.

b) to publish the results of such studies as well as the new thinking in its

bulletins, pamphlets, magazines, newspapers and books as well as through

discussions, diologues, seminars and such other ways.

Although this association or movement does not intend to recruit many

members, it is not elitist, because its philosophy and policy is democratic and humanist. During this stage, the activity of the association is research and publication, which, in principle, requires intellectual work. This stage will take between 1 – 3 years. However, the time will come when this movement will take a political form. That time will be decided by the people themselves.

This association is not opposed to anybody, except injustice and oppression in all their forms: feudalism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, imperialism, fascism etc and desires to free Malaysia from all these forms of injustice and oppression. It is not opposed to any political party, public organization, individual or government and desires to cooperate with those willing to cooperate with it to achieve common aims.

Decidedly this movement will meet strong opposition from the oligarchical group and their supporters in our country. This group control the levers of economic, political, religious and media power in our country and they are supported by the international oligarchy. Nevertheless, we must remember that this neo-colonial-feudal- fascist system is rotten to the core and is not at all strong. It has been able to maintain itself this far only because of the lack of consciousness on the part of the people and because of the division among the people planned and instigated by them. It can be defeated by the consciousness of the people and by their desire to change and to build a just world. This movement must become the engine to bring about this consciousness.

At this stage, we take the character of an intellectual and social movement rather than a political movement, because our present aim is to conduct studies into the new philosophy and publish them among the people. Nevertheless, we can state our stand on various important matters. We stand for:-

a) A democratic and just government;

b) Economic growth for the progress of the nation and the welfare of the people;

c) Economic and social justice;

d) Complete religious freedom;

e) To eliminate corruption and abuse of power;

f) To eliminate wasteful expenditure;

g) To eliminate poverty;

h) A national system of education in the national language to produce a society that is knowledgeable, rational, progressive, dynamic; scientific and creative;

i) Education by the private sector is allowed on the condition that the

national language is taught as a compulsory subject for Malaysian citizens;

j) A national medical system that is good and cheap;

k) A good and cheap public transport system;

(l) Adequate, good and cheap housing for the lower income groups;

(m) To uphold human rights;

(n) An independent and just judiciary;

(o) Separation of powers between the Executive, the Legislative and the

Judiciary;

(p) To promote a free, independent and responsible press;

(q) To encourage the development of a national literature in the national

language besides allowing creative writing in other languages;

(r) To encourage the development of national science and technology;

(s) To encourage the development of arts;

(t) To uphold high morality among the people;

(u) An active foreign policy to promote a peaceful and just world.

In the past; we have often seen that however good laws and policies may be on paper, they are not implemented. This is due to the existence of two different outlooks on the nature of man. The oligarchical faction regards the human being as not more than a beast of burden qualified only to be slaves. The humanist faction regards the human being as a vicegerent of God on earth and has to be freed from this slavery. If the oligarchical philosophy is the philosophy of the government, then the best constitution can be manipulated to serve the evil aims of the oligarchy. The only guarantee that the people can have an honourable place in the country is the philosophy of the humanist faction. The people must be conscious of this philosophy and make this philosophy their own. This will prevent them from being controlled once more by the oligarchical faction.

In order to achieve these aims, we must cooperate with all groups that will cooperate with us within the country as well as without.

This is the Malaysia I want and this is how we can achieve it.