Has our past “bebal” (not so smart) decisions come back to bite us now…?
In a somewhat surprising turn of events in the country, prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and education minister Fadhlina Sidek have both come under attack from their critics; this was in light of recent incidents where the term “bebal’ (dumb/foolish) was allegedly used by them on their detractors!
According to prominent critic Marina Mokhtar, Anwar appeared to exhibit arrogance and a lack of magnanimity especially when accusing his critics of exaggerating and politicising certain issues; not pulling any punches, she reminded that as the PM for all Malaysians he should leave his ego at home and stop taking criticisms to heart.
Incidentally, Marina’s sentiments were shared by outspoken lawyer-cum-activist Siti Kasim who appeared to be offended by Anwar’s labelling of some Malaysians as “foolish” for exposing wrongdoings in the country and for not subscribing to his opinion.
PMX was said to have referred to the recent uproar over the contentious “re-location” of a Hindu temple in the capital city, which he claimed had been resolved amicably, but which seemingly has left many unanswered questions!
Meanwhile, last week education minister Fadhlina Sidek also raised eyebrows after slamming an opposition political activist for trying to ignite racial incitement via a video post without first verifying its content; she had gone on to equate the incident with the so-called “bebalism” syndrome in the country!
For the record, last Thursday (April 10) it was reported that pro-Perikatan Nasional activist Syarul Ema Rena Abu Samah aka “Ratu Naga”, was arrested over a false claim that pupils at a Chinese school in Perak had sung the national anthem in Chinese; the arrest was made under the Sedition Act and Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998 after several police reports were lodged against her.
Interestingly, according to the police, the video was actually recorded at a primary school in Teluk Intan on June 6 last year; and they were actually singing the Perak state anthem!
However, the controversial activist has since apologised for uploading the provocative video which appeared to suggest that the pupils were disrespecting the Negaraku; this was following brickbats from netizens who accused her of stoking racial sensitivities.
Nevertheless, Ratu Naga had vehemently defended herself by claiming that she had swiftly taken down the video within 10 minutes after realising her mistake; shockingly, she then appeared to shift the blame to others for downloading it and making it viral!
Shouldn't the Ratu Naga slip-up be an "eye opener?"
This latest furore in the country involving racial incitement may have sparked several “probing” questions:
Would the so-called “bebal” malaise come to this stage where it appears to have gotten out of hand, if Anwar and his Madani government had been proactive and acted more firmly when dealing with those who blatantly use the racial and religion card for political reasons and to stir ill feelings among the races?
Moreover, in reality, isn't hate speech still prevalent in this country especially on social media platforms, freely spewed by politicians, influencers and even preachers - all with impunity?
Worse still, aren't those who often brand non-Bumiputeras as pendatangs still happily repeating the narrative without being charged? And what about influential political leaders who openly claim that non-Bumiputeras are the root cause of corruption in this country?
No brainer! Vernacular schools - still a "punching bag" to bigots?
In fact, it must be truly mind-boggling to many as to how anyone can be allowed to challenge the “constitutionality” of vernacular schools when it has been a standard feature in this country for ages, even before “Merdeka”; yet, some still foolishly question its existence though the country's highest courts have settled the argument - once and for all!
Finally, what about those who unwittingly claim that the “disinformation” they spew is the truth even though they know that it's the opposite? Could anyone ever forget the “highly educated” PAS MP Dr Siti Mastura who courted controversy after insisting that several DAP stalwarts were related to ex-communist leader Chin Peng?
What exactly are our schools producing?
Coming back to the Ratu Naga saga, Fadhlina must be lauded for bravely hitting back at the firebrand PN activist for her irresponsible act, but what many may be asking though is: if there are citizens in this country who are qualified to be called “bebals”, isn't that symptomatic of some serious failings in the country’s public education system which remains unfixed after more than sixty years?
In closing, perhaps the question that should be posed in the wake of the latest controversy is: if there are still “educated” citizens in this country who are so ignorant that they can't even differentiate between the national anthem and a state anthem, then who is to blame…?
Note: It may be coincidental… but both Dr Mahathir and Anwar had previously served as the country's education ministers; and according to one past news article Dr Mahathir was instrumental in changing the medium of instruction for all subjects from English to Malay. Meanwhile, according to the same article, Anwar had felt that the Malay language pronunciation was not 'nationalistic' enough and had ordered it to be replaced by “Bahasa Baku”; as if not enough, it was also reported that it was during his time that “religious studies” were given priority and students were made to take the subject. The rest they say is history!
Main information source: Malaysiakini, Focus Malaysia, FMT, Malay Mail, The Star, Buzzkini
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