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Malaysia: Abdullah Badawi 'agenda' goes beyond Mahathir

Written by Kazi Mahmood
Tuesday, 05 February 2008
The clash between Islam Hadari and Malay nationalism is very responsible for the outbursts from Mahathir Mohamed and it is easy to understand why, as explained in the paragraphs above. The PM is attempting to reform the Umno too though it will also depend on how the Umno fares in the upcoming polls and how the PM himself fares in his constituency for him to push his reform agenda within the Umno. Malaysia is set to go to polls soon in a test of popularity for the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his Islam Hadari. With former PM Mahathir Mohamed renewing his attacks against Abdullah Badawi, it appears the United Malays National Organization (Umno) will be hard pressed to decide on its leadership after the General Elecctions. However, this will be a rather daunting task despite Mahathir's hidden plans, say experts who spoke to World Futures. Mahathir is pressing for leadership change in the country and in the Umno, failing which he sees an erosion of his legacies due to the fundamental reforms the Abdullah government has started. The 2008 General Elections in Malaysia will be more about the political tussle within the Umno and the future of the reforms launched by the Prime Minister, reforms that are based on Islam Hadari and the Islamic legacy of Malaysia. Mahathir is virtually against these reforms as they are bound to upset the Umno and redraw Malaysia’s overall outlook. To understand the current troubles within the Umno and the country as a whole is to be able to figure out what Abdullah Badawi is really up to with his Islamic Hadari agenda and why there is so much opposition to his reforms in the country. Abdullah Badawi has silently transformed Wasasan 2020 (Vision 2020) from a secular module for the advancement of Malaysia into a developed nation to that of an Islamic state with the developed nation status as target. This shift in the fundamentals of the country is very significant since it challenges the legacies of Mahathir Mohamad, the secular leader and the nationalist who did everything to dilute the importance of Islam in both the public sphere and the economy. In a very interesting article published by the powerful Financial Times (FT) newspaper, the Malaysian Premier (who authored the article) revealed sufficient information that should allow observers to understand his agenda and his frame of mind. In the article, the PM said many in the west expect that as Muslim societies develop materially, they will separate religion from the public sphere, treating it as a purely private matter. In his attacks against Abdullah Badawi, Mahathir made certain he point out the controversies created by Islam Hadari. During his reign, Mahathir made sure Islam does not influence the ‘public sphere’ and remains a rather personal matter. These are the fundamental differences between Mahathir and Abdullah Badawi. It is clear that Mahathir is a secularist leader who opposes a larger role for Islam in the political and economic sphere of the country. Abdullah Badawi on the contrary is doing exactly the opposite. He is allowing, even guiding Islam Hadari (which is the Islamic principle in force today) to penetrate the public sphere despite the obvious material progress. This indeed upsets the old guard, the ancients of the Umno and of the political establishment in general. It also upsets the ‘spiritual’ balance in the economic spheres. Note that by public spheres, Abdullah surely meant both political and economic but in extension it also meant social. With the current government pushing forward with its Islam Hadari agenda, it is certain there will be difficulties on the path to this transformation (a total transformation indeed) of Malaysia’s public life. This is what the overall outlook of Malaysia will look like if the PM succeeds in his agenda: The Islamic legacy of Malaysia will be given priority which otherwise means the possible rollback of Malay nationalism and of secularism in the country. How tough is the challenge faced by the current leader of the Umno is not difficult to gauge. The Umno forms the core of the government and of its establishment (Civil servants). Abdullah Badawi, being the only elected Muslim leader who publicly and internationally criticized the Muslim world for being corrupt – he said during one of the OIC meetings that all Muslim nations are corrupted – certainly knew what he was talking about and he surely means business. Despite the apparent dissatisfaction with the results of 4 years of anti-corruption drive, the Abdullah Badawi government remains the only Muslim led government who has a track record in that matter. More corrupt practices were exposed in the past four years than in the entire 50 years of independence of Malaysia. The end result was not up to the expectations of the population – and surely of the Prime Minister himself – due to the stronger opposition the corruption drive faced from within the Umno and the establishment. There has been strong opposition too within the government and possibly within the Cabinet too though we cannot detail these challenges. The Prime Minister faced strong reticence from the establishment after he won the 2004 elections with 90 percent of seats going to the National Front (NF) or the BN as it is popularly known in Malaysia. Some members of the Umno and high level officials of the establishment is said to have blocked several attempts at changing some of the laws of the country, giving a bad image to the Prime Minister and his close entourage. The same establishment showed contempt towards the Prime Minister on many occasions to the extent that civil servants and high ranking officials were roped in with threats of internal shake ups. While the government is run by the ruling coalition, it is true to say that the ministries are however under the strong hands of officials who were in service before Abdullah Badawi came to power. They form part of a high caliber hierarchy established since the independence of Malaysia. Nevertheless, the establishment had its own hierarchical shake ups during Mahathir's reign of 22 years, getting corroded and corrupted in the process. Mahathir's reign meant heavy handed policies and a strong sense of nationalism that is still running through the veins of the elite of the establishment and within the Umno.. By nationalism it must be understood that it was 'malay nationalism' that was ruling the corridors of power in the country during Mahathir's reign. This type of nationalism is not the forte of the current government which is pressing for Islam Hadari or civilization Islam. Clearly, it is the welfare of the Muslims that is of greater interest to the current leaders of the Umno and this is upsetting the BN coalition. Abdullah is also trying to replace Malay nationalism with Islam Hadari and the Umno is facing the prospects of being converted - literally speaking - into yet another 'Islamic' party in the country, shunning away the Malay nationalist tag. Since he became PM, Abdullah has never stopped promoting Islam Hadari which is in extension, the same type of Islam that was being promoted by the Pusat Islam in Kuala Lumpur in the 1990's. Since the ‘Islam’ tag took a bashing after 911, it was appropriate for the PM to look forward with a new branding of Islam without changing the basic and overall concept and re-impose it under the banner of ‘civilizational Islam’. Islam Hadari is infact a camouflage that is being used to change the rules and the laws of Malaysia into a pro-active Shariah compatible system. This is the reason why Shariah issues has surfaced even in Civil Courts, making it possible for Muslims and Muslim reverts to fight and win their cases outside Shariah courts. It is also under the influence of Islam Hadari that the Federal High Court decided that a Muslim by birth could not remove the word Islam from the Identity Card. These are indeed great successes for the current government and it has dampened the once growing opposition against his leadership within the Umno. That is where Tun Mahathir may be proven wrong when he presses the party for a leadership change after the future GE. The influence of the Shariah is more prominent under the Abdullah Badawi leadership than under that of Mahathir or any other era's in Malaysia. This is upsetting many, including Mahathir himself and a lot of others within the Umno and the Civil Service. It is true what Mahathir is saying, true to some extent, that both Islam Hadari and the revival of Islam under Abdullah have upset the communal quietude in the country but with Islam Hadari being the government's national policy; it is not surprising that the country will head towards greater application of Islamic principles. Abdullah Badawi started his rule with the promises that he will clean the country of corrupt practices but red tape being the life blood of the civil service, his promises were hurt by the huge opposition he faced from the establishment. If the government wants to sincerely fight corrupt practices, it will have to renew the work force in the establishment, starting with the booting of those loyal to Mahathir and then imposing a new regime and code of conduct on the freshies who joins the civil service. An example of the troubling asset that the establishment represents is more apparent with the current problems faced by new investors - particularly from the Middle East and some from China - with red tape, corruption and a growing lack of respect for foreigners in the country. The Abdullah Badawi regime is indeed striving to gain the respect of Arab investors who are willing to invest in various sectors of the country. This investment potential from the ME also falls under the framework of Islam Hadari, which allows for the open policies towards the Islamic world. The entire scenario is part of the campaign by the Chairman of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to increase trade and business as well as investment among Muslim nations. Is Abdullah Badawi wrong in his self declared mission to revitalize or revive Islamic principles in the country with the Islam Hadari concept? It is highly unlikely for the Prime Minister to state his intention to revive Islam and at the same time to give more importance to anti-Islamic principles. It is also not possible for the government to abandon Islamic ideals - be they of hadari principles or not - for Malay nationalistic or non-Islamic ideals. The clash between Islam Hadari and Malay nationalism is very responsible for the outbursts from Mahathir Mohamed and it is easy to understand why, as explained in the paragraphs above. The PM is attempting to reform the Umno too though it will also depend on how the Umno fares in the upcoming polls and how the PM himself fares in his constituency for him to push his reform agenda within the Umno. There is an apparent public opposition against the PM yet the fact remains that the PM will go to polls even in adverse circumstances and this is also part of his vast agenda. How badly can the Umno do in the polls? Very badly says some but there will be room for maneuver for Abdullah Badawi to press the red button that would suppress Malay nationalism and possibly the ethnic divide among Muslims in Malaysia. To summarize the reason why we believe Abdullah Badawi is really pushing his agenda for change in the Umno and among the Malays in Malaysia we quote the PM himself with a paragraph from his article in the FT. "However, as many Muslim societies urbanize and modernize, what we witness is a growing attachment to Islam," he wrote. According to the PM, Islam cannot be separated from the public and political life but can be integrated as a progressive system and an alternative to the existing system to the world. He explained his views on the application of Islam in the daily life of the Muslims as follows: "Muslims often forget that work is also a form of worship and that Islam calls for diligence and industry. If Muslims adhere to these values, then Islam presents itself as a progressive world view, one that in the modern day should be focused on the furthering of knowledge and the development of human capital," (Abdullah Badawi, Malaysian Prime Minister in the Financial Times) In the event the Umno resists adopting Islam Hadari as part of its political agenda, it will mean the demise of the Abdullah Badawi leadership. No leader is willing to be booted by the party and in order to prevent this from happening, the leadership and the supporters of the current PM will surely attempt to keep a strong control over the destiny of the party. The recent Umno MT in 2007 was indicative of the strong control of the Abdullah Badawi group on the party. The Prime Minister has the power to choose who from the Umno will be candidates in the next GE and this will be the window of opportunity for the PM to consolidate his grip on the party before a post-General Election challenge is mounted against his leadership and against islam Hadari. Expect a battle of the giants within the Umno and in the event the PM wins, the transformation of the party and of the country into a model Islamic nation with a developed status (which is the declared intention of the Abdullah Badawi government) will become a reality. Comments (10) Subscribe to this comment's feed Show/Hide comments Hero Worship Of Abdullah Should Not Translate To Insulting Former Muslim Heroes written by A M Ubaidah S, February 10, 2008 It may be disturbing to an Abdullah Ahmad Badawi supporter such as Mr Kazi to to accept the harsh criticism of Dr Mahathir towards Abdullah, but in defending his current Hero, Mr Kazi should avoid tarnishing the memory of deeds of our Heroes of recent years. Islam is so short of contemporary Heroes as it is already. Declaring Mahathir to be secular in nature and leadership goes too far, as Mahathir is known to have done, among other things: 1 - Instituted an Islamic Values Absorption Policy from the earliest years of his administration (Penerapan Nilai-Nilai Islam). Mr Kazi may be forgiven for not realising this as he is relatively new to Malaysia. 2 - Began or supported growth of numerous institutions with Islamic basis in Malaysia, including the first Islamic Bank, which from a nucleus has grown into making Malaysia the hub of much Islamic Banking activities both regionally and globally. That is why when Dr M spoke of the Gold Dinar, he was listened to. 3 - Many socio-economic and socio-political government agencies such as the Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia (IKIM) or the Malaysian Institute of Islamic Understanding was formed during his time. This institute is interestingly the intellectual body that Abdullah Badawi is using to push his Islam Hadhari policy. 4 - Stand toe-to-toe to declare to the world that here is Malaysia, an Islamic Country, and a success. It is with this success and leadership that the Muslim world as well as the developed world voted Mahathir-led Malaysia to chair the OIC and the Non-Aligned Movement. Mahathir also did not disappoint as he used his inaugural speech as OIC chair to berate the Muslim world as well as the enemies that wish to do us harm. In marrying Abdulah Badawi's Islamic credentials with worldly successes such as the fight against corruption, Mr Kazi has also been unjust to past heroes. For instance, Abdulah Badawi's government is not the only Muslim-led government with a track record against corruption. Such a track record must surely have first been established with the government of Umar Al-Khattab, and then only as such records began with more detail from that time. In fact, even Malaysian governments of the past have had anti-corruption track records with bigger fish being convicted than Abdullah Badawi's: 1 - Malaysia's third PM, Tun Hussein Onn, led the nation when a sitting senior Minister, UMNO Party Youth Leader and former Selangor Chief Minister, Harun Idris, was caught, convicted and imprisoned for corruption. 2 - During Mahathir's era, the leader of the largest Chinese political party, the MCA, Tan Koon Swan, was convicted of corruption. 3 - In fact, Mr. Kazi's former Hero, Anwar Ibrahim, remains convicted of abuse of power for his efforts to get senior police officers to 'settle' a book published with claims of his corruption among other things. He was convicted during Mahathir's era as well, despite being Mahathir's deputy for many years. I am not expert enough to recite the history of corruption drives in other Muslim-led nations in the world, but surely there are better ways for Mr Kazi to defend his Hero Abdullah Badawi than maligning other Muslim Heroes old and new. This is not the Muslim way. Besides, as a Muslim, is it not better for us to listen and accept the words of Dr Mahathir as an elder as a learning so that we may better ourselves? Perhaps Dr Mahathir had higher hopes for what Abdullah Badawi would achieve. Didn't we all? Don't give it a miss written by Kazi Mahmood, February 10, 2008 Salaam Thanks for your comments dear Ubaidah. First of all, none of the two PM's are my heroes. Anwar Ibrahim is not my former hero. I defended him for it was the right thing to do at that time. Now that he is freed, it is not for me to defend him now. He is back in the folds among other politicians and he will be criticized by me for his stance in local and international politics. That is what we call independence in journalism. This article is a critical analysis of the policies formulated by the two leaders. Am not going to use you as sparring partner to send jabs against Mahathir for his secular policies. He is a true Muslim secular hero for many across the world. He is hailed as a hero, Muslim secular still, by Africans, Asians, Europeans and even Americans. Mahathir is a statesman, Abdullah Badawi is one too. They do things differently and that is how it is supposed to be. I do respect the fact that Tun is a hero to you, Ubaidah. No harm done! Two things however the Mahathirist cannot seem to accept is, firstly, criticism and secondly that his era is over. My attempt here is to say what this current government does not seem to be able to say: That there is a movement for Islamic reforms in the country. No one can deny that. In this critical analysis all respect is paid to Mahathir and to Abdullah Badawi, two great leaders of Malaysia. I can accept this fact. But many cannot because they have to be one sided. I accept the fact that Anwar had to be defended once and I am now on the sideline regarding his recent political actions. Soon I am coming with my analysis of Anwar Ibrahim's policies too...that does not make him my 'former' hero. Please understand here that my duty as a journalist is to criticize and to tell the story that you here everyday in a very different manner, different approach, whether many likes it or not. Finally, I have all the respect that a journalist can have for Tun Mahathir. He has done his best to make Malaysia an icon in the Muslim world. I am not here to deny that. But it will be farfetched to sit and lament on what is happening today. My belief is that Mahathir should rather let things happen in Malaysia without his intervention. That would help the current regime clean the country of the 'red tape' it is subjected to. My wife is a supporter of Mahathir, I am not. My son does not support Abdullah Badawi for very personal reaons, I am not. That does not make me anti-Mahathir or pro-Abdullah. I defended Mahathir when he was attacked by Jews and Americans after his famous speech in 2003 during the OIC meeting in Putrajaya. I attacked Anwar for his glorification of Democracy and I am explaining Abdullah Badawi's attempt at 'reforming' the nation. To me, Abdullah Badawi is a 'progressive Muslim' and if you want to know, I beleive he should have launched Muslim Hadari rather than Islam Hadari! On the other hand, it was uncool of you to mention our heroes of the past since this exercise here is about Abdullah Badawi and Tun Mahathir. And I have the absolute right to criticize. Perhaps the Mahathirists should learn how to accept criticism for them to appreciate critical analysis articles. Wslm Kazi Why am here? written by Kazi Mahmood, February 10, 2008 Salam again... Why I am here, at Malaysia? It is partially thanks to Tun Dr Mahathir that I am here, living and struggling. When I met him in 1985, he urged me to come to Malaysia and to be here to see what progress is being done. I came, I stayed and I exercised my right as a journalist, an independent journalist, to criticize and to dissapprove of what I saw in Malaysia. This will be yet another story to tell in the future, if Allah so will. Wslm i love mahathir written by chedet, February 11, 2008 i have a tear in my eyes when Mahathir announces his resignation from UMNO and BN post even i dont know why that thing happen spontaneously. Maybe after making him Malaysia's longest-serving Prime Minister for 22 years i glad with the improvement that been done under him. Mahathir will be my truly 1 and only heroes for all of the time. i love u dr M - Mr Kazi Please give some credit to him for what he done for Malaysia! Credit to Mahathir written by Kazi Mahmood, February 11, 2008 Chedet...We all give credit to Tun Dr M. He is a Malaysian hero no doubt. I love all Muslims, Mahathir, Abdullah, King Abdullah, Muhammad Ali, Saddam and all...coz I am Musilm like them too! On The Value Of Criticism written by A M Ubaidah S, February 11, 2008 Mr Kazi. Thank you for stating your case and perhaps it is time I state mine. It would appear we may be kindred spirits after all. I actually agree with you that the Mahathir period is over. I remember it with mixed feelings, but where Mahathir has done some wrongs, I reflect this against the good he has done and hence hold him as a Hero of contemporary Islam. I do not agree with you simply on the labelling of Mahathir as an Islamic Secular leader as it is a label that he does not deserve. One of his words I found most powerful was when he was asked if he was a fundamentalist by a Western pressman, he answered,"I am a fundamentalist, I practice the fundamentals of Islam." One that so brazenly proclaims so is surely not secular... and his policies on the balance bely this. The problem I have with Islam Hadhari is not just its poor branding that causes confusion in aqidah, but also in the low value it has delivered thus far. Even Anwar Ibrahim has managed to deliver more value from his Minda Madani approach without ever being PM! I would hence suggest that you have a deep discussion with your family members on this as you say they disagree with you. Else, why not we have a chat. My e-mail is as posted. Criticise as no one is Maksum written by A M Ubaidah S, February 11, 2008 Btw, I do not consider myself a die-hard Mahathirite. Mahathir is not Maksum... We should support Dr M in reminding Pak Lah that he also is not Maksum... thanks written by Kazi Mahmood, February 12, 2008 Salam Thanks for the posts. Hope you all saw the Mahathir video. its a tribute to his 'anti-americanism' which I think is what made him popular across the world. Thanks and come again. Pls do not hesitate to continue debating here. Wslm re examine written by ijal, February 13, 2008 Mr Kazi, I think your article , i mean no disrespect..... but as a Malaysian, your opinion seems to be purely as a international observer. If you mean to say that Abdullah is trying to incorporate Islamic values as the reason for Umno's internal problems & with Mahathir, I would strongly disagree. Umno has always been about monopolizing power & wealth, the tensions between Mahathir & Abdullah is primarily because of Abdullah's attempt to "erase" Mahathir completely from Politics and Power.As among Umno members the dissatisfaction is mainly due to the uneven distribution of "wealth" within party members & cronies. Returning to the Islamic poicy issue, Islam Hadari's function was mainly to garner support from a rising number of malays joining PAS (Parti Islam Malaysia) which truly wants a total Islamic state. Islam Hadari has gained minimum support since its induction due to the fact its core values have never really been implemented by ruling government or its leaders, there is only media hype. I assure you that Umno has no real intent on creating an true Islamic State with or without Islam Hadari. I am not an expert in Malaysian politics,merely my personal opinion as a Malaysian citizen. Welcome ijal written by Kazi Mahmood, February 14, 2008 Thanks for ur excellent views. We are interested to know what the Malaysians really think of their country and government policies. We believe the PM is trying his best but due to a lack of dissemination of information, his plans are suffering. Your comment is most welcomed and appreciated. Do not hesitate to post more of such comments here. Yours truly Kazi Write comment Name Email Website Title Comment Write the displayed characters Powered by Azrul's Jom Comment

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