BREAKING OUT OF THEIR MALAYSE:

Anwar the Malaysian chameleon: While speculation continues as to where Anwar Ibrahim will place his political allegiances, Malaysia's former deputy premier has quietly gone about courting minorities and the disfranchised. Often accused of being a chameleon, he'll need to hone his message. But it appears that Anwar may be on to something. (Ioannis Gatsiounis, 11/24/04, Asia Times)

While he himself is Malay and rose to prominence partly on his Islamic credentials - he founded the youth Islamic organization Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) - minorities, who make up 40% of the population here, find themselves feeling less represented by their government these days.

All Malaysian political parties are race-based. Over the years UMNO has dealt with this obstacle through its coalition with Chinese, Indian and other minority-oriented parties. But UMNO has always steered the ship, and there's a growing sense that the non-Malay parties are made up of ineffectual sinecures submissive to UMNO-sponsored window dressing.

This coincides with UMNO's insistence in recent months that an affirmative-action program catering to the majority Malays "never" be questioned, despite its inability to reverse Malay "backwardness" and its running 14 years beyond its intended expiry date, 1990. It also coincides with an unceasing Islamization of the Malay community, which UMNO has pandered to, even promoted, for support. The Muslim headscarf is ever more visible, for instance.

The multibillion-dollar administrative capital is Islamic-themed, with no prominent tributes to the nation's myriad other ethnicities. On Sunday, a UMNO head in the state of Terengannu announced that concerts that do not reflect Islamic values will be barred from the state. Everywhere one turns, racial distinctions are being emphasized.

The consummate politician in Anwar appears to have taken note. At a dialogue on Tuesday at the Bar Council he said the formation of an Islamic state, advocated by the atavistic Islamic opposition Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), was not part of his agenda. "I respect the religious rights of every Malaysian and, therefore, their democratic right to air their views," Anwar said. Regarding hudud, punishment for crimes as stipulated by God, according to Muslims, Anwar said, "We're not in a position to implement [hudud] with the complexities of Malaysia and ... of the modern world."

Anwar was careful not to go to the other extreme and support the Western tag of "secularism", as "many Muslims resent that [term]".

He's gotta be headed back to prison.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 24, 2004 9:10 AM