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During This Holy Month Tun M, Muhyiddin, Zahid, Hadi, Anwar, Shafie and All Malay Politicians Speak With Sincerity. Here’s Why.
By Mihar Dias
(C) Copyright April 2022
Malay politicians had always been very ethical during Ramadan. In the past six decades since independence Malay-Muslim politicians have abided by an unwritten rule of mutual respect for one another during fasting fearing they might incur the wrath of God. They had refrained from criticising one another openly during this holy month and when they speak, they do so with utmost sincerity.
This is probably derived from Malay Muslim cultural heritage that emphasises piety ingrained since childhood; a consciousness of God, making efforts to live according to His commands and to avoid all that He prohibits.
Piety also means fear of God, worship of God, sincerity in faith, and avoiding disobedience to God. They do all that during the rest of the year too but are more intensely observed during Ramadan.
When Tun M said Pejuang could lead a new anti-graft, multiracial coalition in GE15, he must have said that with absolute sincerity, on the 13th day of Ramadan when he too was probably vying for absolute piety.
Tun M told the press recently that his party had the potential to be a leader in a new alliance without mentioning any particular individual who would lead the coalition.
Pejuang, he said was willing to work with partners that were not involved in corruption to secure enough seats to capture Putrajaya in GE15. He believed that Malaysians who abhorred corruption would come out to vote because they were disgusted with two previous governments that had seized power through non-democratic means.
Similarly, Muhyiddin too was equally sincere when he said he was planning to solicit support from other parties to help form a strong coalition to challenge Barisan Nasional since Tun M and two other parties had rejected him earlier refusing to support him as PM 10.
When UMNO announced Ismail Sabri as their candidate for PM, Bersatu of Trengganu nominated Muhyiddin as the party’s choice for the top job. That leader of Bersatu from Trengganu was equally honest and sincere when making that announcement.
In court Ahmad Zahid, earnestly said the RM109 million he donated was merely a fraction of a more extensive contribution to charity paid for by his foundation. Apparently, what was revealed was a lot less than what he had contributed but was omitted from the list submitted as evidence. He did not mind that because the charity had to be accomplished with utmost sincerity and if possible without fanfare.
However, Hadi speaking candidly said who the next prime minister might be, would be determined by the ballot box or the final results of GE15. “We leave it to the public” because the election was yet to be held. There was no need to be hasty, he said. It might turn out like the case of Johor, where the chosen candidate was eventually replaced by another. He drew a parallel with a mail order service where what you requested was not necessarily what might arrive at your doorsteps.
Even Anwar Ibrahim sounded sincere when he said he would head PKR for at least one more election cycle only, perhaps hoping to fill the PM’s post that had eluded him for decades.
Fahmi Fadzil PKR’s communications director said this was part of a succession plan of the party. He said Anwar might just follow in the footsteps of Lim Kit Siang, Tengku Razaleigh who was retiring and Nazri Aziz who would not seek re-election. He said they were Anwar’s cohort and they were leaving the political arena. Obviously, Anwar might feel it was time for him to go too. Besides, he said Anwar had suffered a succession of personal losses; the death of Siddiq Fadzil, a close colleague and former president of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (ABIM) and Rusli Ibrahim, Anwar’s younger brother. He sounded sincere indeed.
But I found Shafie Apdal most sincere of all when he responded to the press about current politics, “I have a lot of things to say. But now is not the time. It is still the holy month of Ramadan. After this, there are a lot of things I want to say”. He openly stated that he was holding out until Ramadan was over before saying anything controversial. A true gentleman and a God-fearing man indeed.
So, if you really wanted to know how sincere Malay politicians are, pay attention to what they say during Ramadan, for they are God-fearing people. During this holy month religion comes first to most, politics is put on the backburner.
Mihar Dias is a content writer under Headliner by Newswav, a programme where content creators get to tell their unique stories through articles and at the same time monetize their content within the Newswav app.
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