*Sultan Nazrin: Political exploitation of race and religion threatens national unity, must be swiftly contained*
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/11/09/sultan-nazrin-political-exploitation-of-race-and-religion-threatens-national-unity-must-be-swiftly-contained/156295
By Jayden Lisandu, 10-11-2024
KOTA KINABALU : Sabah and Sarawak NGOs have expressed support for Perak Sultan Nazrin’s recent statement that, "political exploitation of race and religion threatens national unity and must be swiftly contained".
"The Sultan’s assertions strike at the heart of a longstanding issue that has been systematically nurtured and manipulated by the political elite for decades," said the group in a joint statement issued here today.
"While his words are timely, the irony cannot be ignored: these very issues of race and religion have been politically weaponized by all governments and political parties without exception for over six decades, and now, under the Madani government, the same divisive tactics continue to be deployed.
"For decades, Malaysia's political landscape has been built on the foundations of race-based policies, most notably the New Economic Policy (NEP), which has institutionalised a discriminatory system that privileges one race over others under the guise of "Bumiputera" rights," they said.
They also pointed out that the NEP, while originally intended to address socio-economic disparities, has instead entrenched racial and religious divisions and claimed the divine entitlement of one race, fostering resentment and perpetuating a system where Malaysians are seen first through the lens of their ethnicity and religion, rather than their shared national identity. This has created a divide that, far from promoting unity, has only widened over time.
"The current situation has evolved to the point where political parties—particularly those aligned with UMNO and other "Bumiputera" parties—are not only exploiting race and religion for electoral gain but are also increasingly vocal in their demands for a government that reflects a “Malay-Muslim-only” agenda.
"The claim that Malaysia is a "Malay land" and that only a Malay-Muslim government can govern Malaysia is a direct rejection of the secular, pluralist foundation upon which the federation was built This rhetoric is not only divisive but dangerous, as it seeks to marginalise non-Malay and non-Muslim communities, further entrenching a narrow and exclusionary view of what it means to be Malaysian," they said.
"The recent incident in Sabah, where a Muslim woman was vilified for paying respects at her Christian grandmother’s grave on All Souls’ Day, starkly illustrates the growing intolerance and disrespect towards religious diversity in Malaysia.
"The rejection of the secular and pluralist concept of Malaysia—one that respects the rights of all ethnicities and religions—has irrevocably eroded the foundations of the federation unity. The political exploitation of race and religion has polarized society, with growing demands for secession and autonomy in regions like Sabah and Sarawak.
"These territories, which have long felt sidelined in the post-formation political framework, are increasingly questioning their place in Malaysia, and the rise of such demands for decolonisation and separation can be directly linked to the failure to build a truly inclusive and united federation," they further argued.
While fully supporting Sultan Nazrin’s call for the swift containment of political exploitation of race and religion, the NGOs noted that this cannot be achieved without confronting the root cause of the problem: the NEP and its race-based system.
They said it is high time that the NEP system is finally ended. "Its continuation threatens to fragment the federation further, entrenching divisions along racial and religious lines. The federation is already at a tipping point, with growing unrest and calls for independence in Sabah and Sarawak. It seems clear that the federation is breaking apart, as it appears impossible for Malaysia to return to the vision of a secular, pluralist federation—one built on equality, justice, and unity, where all citizens are treated equally regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity," they added.
"As the federal government continues to embrace race-based politics, Sabah and Sarawak are increasingly rejecting a system that fails to respect their diversity, undermines their rights, and erodes the secular vision upon which Malaysia was built.
"The politicisation of race and religion has not only undermined unity but left the very fabric of the federation in tatters. It is no longer a question of preserving the federation but of whether Malaysia can ever return to its secular ideals or if the damage done is now irreversible, potentially forcing Sabah and Sarawak to chart a separate course for their future," the NGOs said.
Signatories of the joint statement :
Daniel John Jambun President Borneo's Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)
Robert Pei President Sabah Sarawak Rights Australia New Zealand (SSRANZ)
Jovilis Majami President Persatuan Pembangunan Sosial Komuniti Sabah (BANGUN)
Alim GA Mideh
Bulang Birieh Dayak Civil Movement
Voon Lee Shan President Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK)
Ricky Ganang Penasihat Forum Adat Dataran Tanah Tinggi Borneo (FORMADAT)
Cleftus Stephen Mojingol President Pertubuhan Kebajikan Rumpun Dayak Sabah (PKRDS)#
Versi Bahasa Malaysia
Kenyataan Bersama
10 November 2024
NGO SABAH SARAWAK MENYOKONG SERUAN SULTAN NAZRIN UNTUK MENGHENTIKAN POLITIK BERBASIS KAUM DAN AGAMA
Kota Kinabalu: NGO-NGO Sabah Sarawak telah menyatakan sokongan terhadap kenyataan Sultan Nazrin baru-baru ini yang mengatakan bahawa, "eksploitasi politik berdasarkan kaum dan agama mengancam perpaduan negara dan perlu dikawal dengan segera".
Pernyataan Sultan ini menyentuh isu yang telah lama menjadi masalah dan dimanipulasi secara sistematik oleh elit politik selama berdekad-dekad.
Walaupun kata-kata baginda amat relevan, ironi tidak boleh diabaikan: isu-isu kaum dan agama ini telah dijadikan alat politik oleh semua kerajaan dan parti politik tanpa pengecualian selama lebih enam dekad, dan kini, di bawah kerajaan Madani, taktik perpecahan yang sama terus digunakan.
Selama berdekad-dekad, landskap politik Malaysia dibina di atas dasar polisi berasaskan kaum, yang paling ketara adalah Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB), yang telah menginstitusikan sistem diskriminasi yang memihak kepada satu kaum berbanding yang lain di bawah hak "Bumiputera".
DEB, yang pada asalnya bertujuan untuk menangani jurang sosio-ekonomi, telah mengukuhkan lagi perpecahan kaum dan agama serta menuntut hak ilahi bagi satu kaum, menimbulkan rasa dendam dan terus melahirkan sistem di mana rakyat Malaysia dilihat pertama kali melalui lensa etnik dan agama mereka, bukannya identiti nasional bersama. Ini telah mencipta perpecahan yang, jauh dari mempromosikan perpaduan, hanya semakin melebar.
Keadaan semasa telah berkembang ke tahap di mana parti-parti politik—terutama yang bersekutu dengan UMNO dan parti-parti "Bumiputera" lain—bukan sahaja mengeksploitasi kaum dan agama untuk kepentingan pilihan raya tetapi juga semakin lantang dalam tuntutan mereka untuk sebuah kerajaan yang mencerminkan agenda "Melayu-Muslim sahaja".
Tuntutan bahawa Malaysia adalah "tanah Melayu" dan hanya kerajaan Melayu-Muslim yang boleh mentadbir Malaysia adalah penolakan langsung terhadap asas sekular dan pluralisme yang dibina oleh Persekutuan. Retorik ini bukan sahaja memecah belahkan tetapi juga berbahaya, kerana ia berusaha untuk meminggirkan masyarakat bukan Melayu dan bukan Muslim, lebih memperkukuhkan pandangan sempit dan eksklusif tentang apa ertinya menjadi rakyat Malaysia.
Insiden terkini di Sabah, di mana seorang wanita Muslim dicemuh kerana memberi penghormatan di kubur neneknya yang beragama Kristian pada Hari Semua Jiwa, dengan jelas menggambarkan meningkatnya ketidaktoleransi dan tidak hormat terhadap kepelbagaian agama di Malaysia.
Penolakan terhadap konsep Malaysia yang sekular dan plural—yang menghormati hak semua etnik dan agama—telah merosakkan secara tidak dapat dipulihkan asas perpaduan Persekutuan. Eksploitasi politik terhadap kaum dan agama telah mempolarisasikan masyarakat, dengan semakin banyak tuntutan untuk pemisahan dan autonomi di kawasan seperti Sabah dan Sarawak.
Wilayah-wilayah ini, yang sejak lama merasa tersisih dalam kerangka politik selepas pembentukan negara, semakin mempertanyakan kedudukan mereka dalam Malaysia, dan peningkatan tuntutan untuk dekolonisasi dan pemisahan ini boleh dikaitkan secara langsung dengan kegagalan untuk membina sebuah Persekutuan yang benar-benar inklusif dan bersatu.
Sambil menyokong sepenuhnya seruan Sultan Nazrin untuk mengawal segera eksploitasi politik berkaitan kaum dan agama, kami juga mencatat bahawa ini tidak akan tercapai tanpa menangani punca masalah tersebut: DEB dan sistem berasaskan kaum yang ada.
Sudah tiba masanya untuk menamatkan sistem DEB. Pengetahuannya mengancam untuk memecahbelahkan lagi Persekutuan, memperkukuhkan perpecahan berdasarkan kaum dan agama. Persekutuan kini berada di titik kritikal, dengan kebangkitan keresahan dan tuntutan kemerdekaan di Sabah dan Sarawak. Tampaknya jelas bahawa Persekutuan sedang berpecah, kerana kelihatan mustahil untuk Malaysia kembali kepada visi Persekutuan sekular dan plural—yang dibina atas asas kesaksamaan, keadilan, dan perpaduan, di mana semua rakyat diperlakukan sama tanpa mengira kaum, agama atau etnik.
Ketika kerajaan Persekutuan terus meneruskan politik berasaskan kaum, Sabah dan Sarawak semakin menolak sistem yang gagal menghormati kepelbagaian mereka, merosakkan hak mereka, dan menghakis visi sekular di mana Malaysia dibina.
Politik perkauman dan agama bukan sahaja merosakkan perpaduan, tetapi telah meninggalkan asas Persekutuan dalam keadaan hancur. Ia bukan lagi soal untuk mempertahankan Persekutuan tetapi sama ada Malaysia dapat kembali kepada cita-cita sekularnya atau sekiranya kerosakan yang telah berlaku kini tidak dapat dipulihkan, yang mungkin memaksa Sabah dan Sarawak untuk mengatur kursus masa depan mereka sendiri.
Tamat kenyataan
Daniel John Jambun
Presiden Yayasan Keprihatinan Borneo dalam Malaysia (BoPiMaFo)
Robert Pei
Presiden Hak-Hak Sabah Sarawak Australia New Zealand (SSRANZ)
Jovilis Majami
Presiden Persatuan Pembangunan Sosial Komuniti Sabah (BANGUN)
Alim GA Mideh
Bulang Birieh Pergerakan Sivil Dayak
Voon Lee Shan
Presiden Parti Bumi Kenyalang Sarawak (PBK)
Ricky Ganang
Penasihat Forum Adat Dataran Tanah Tinggi Borneo (FORMADAT)
Cleftus Stephen Mojingol President Pertubuhan kebajikan Rumpun Dayak Sabah (PKRDS)
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