By Choong Pui Yee
In recent years, the civil sphere in Malaysia has become increasingly dynamic, with civil society organizations of various stripes stepping up to make sure their voice counts. But along with the broadening of civil society influence has come an increase in the number of extremist, sometimes malicious voices. Chief among these are certain Malay right wing non-governmental organizations.
In post-colonial Malaysia,communal politics has been institutionalized and the idea of Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy) has been perpetuated by the ruling United Malays National Organization. Although Malay-Muslims in Malaysia constitute the largest ethnic group, the perception persists that they need to be united to defend their race and religion against other ethnic minoritiesin the country.
Since last year, there have been allegations of Christians usurping Islam and alleged attempts to convert Muslims through channels such as Christian-related charity organizations (the conversion of Muslims to other religions is prohibited in Malaysia). Similarly, when the chairperson of the Coalition of Free and Fair Election (Bersih), Ambiga Sreenevasan, organized the Bersih 2.0 rally, she was labeled a “dangerous Hindu woman.” Both examples underscore how the norm in public discourse is still for Malaysians from other ethnic minority groups to be cast as a potential threat to the Malay-Muslim community.
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