We are likely to see the race and religion cards being pulled as we approach the 13th general election campaign. One accusation often made is that Pakatan Rakyat, in particular the DAP, has not emphasised Islam enough. A tough nut to crack, here is my take back in 2010 on what the Pakatan states did on Islamic matters in both Selangor and Penang.
Islamic matters in Pakatan states
Malaysian political culture seeks to politicise everything under the sun, and nothing is as easily politicised as religion. With the rise of a two-coalitional system, the public has a chance to discuss religious values that go beyond mere political posturing.
Political competition between the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat coalitions is predicated on numerous fronts, the more sensitive of which involves religious matters.
There is certainly a long history of political parties continually trying to outperform each other in being more “Islamic” in theory and practice. This holds true especially for the United Malay National Organisation (Umno) and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS). This article explores policy reform areas that have been prioritised by Pakatan Rakyat state governments in Penang and Selangor with regards to Islamic affairs.
The two and a half years of Pakatan Rakyat governing in these states have been peppered with incidents that reflect the complexities surrounding religion. For example, in 2008 when the Penang state government used the Arabic phrase “Amar Ma’aruf Nahi Mungkar” meaning “Enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil” in banners and posters put up across Penang, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was accused of being unqualified to state those words, being a non- Muslim. More recently, his name was alleged to have appeared within the pre- determined khutbah text used during Friday prayers in place of the Agong’s name. There was also a doctored photo of Lim slaughtering a cow for Muslim consumption.
In Selangor, a member of parliament from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Teo Nie Ching, was criticised for having delivered a short speech within the premises of a mosque. A letter was later sent by Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (MAIS), or the Selangor Islamic Council, stating that she needed to obtain its permission before visiting any surau or mosque in Selangor.
All of the above incidents have been played up by government-friendly media, leading to the perception – or with the intention that the perception is formed – that the Pakatan Rakyat coalition
does not adhere to Islamic principles, thus “disqualifying” it from being a government genuinely representing and serving Muslims in Malaysia.
Improvements to policy
Every state has a religious council and department respectively. In Selangor, they are the MAIS and Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) or the Selangor Islamic Department. The corresponding bodies in Penang are Majlis Agama Islam Pulau Pinang (MAIPP) and Jabatan Agama Islam
Pulau Pinang (JAIPP), or the Penang Islamic Council and Penang Islamic Department. The councils generally formulate policies which the departments thereafter implement.
The state religious councils of MAIS and MAIPP are federal agencies, whilst the state religious departments JAIS and JAIPP are theoretically state- level agencies. Councils are therefore largely autonomous from the state governments themselves, with the exception of representation on their board.
Because JAIS and JAIPP are state agencies, the state governments make decisions on aspects such as financial contributions and the nature of such assistance. Their funds therefore are channelled through the respective state governments. The difference between the two states lies perhaps in the fact that in Selangor, the religious head (ketua agama) is the Sultan of Selangor, whose edict is required for major decisions such as the selection of the JAIS director’s position, whereas Penang does not have such a personality whose approval is needed for any religious matters. The state exco in charge of Islamic affairs would generally make decisions in conjunction with the religious departments after discussion, although there have been occasions when they may seem to have conflicted with state government ethos.
Prior to Pakatan Rakyat taking over the governments in Penang and Selangor, Sekolah Agama Rakyat were neglected. These are schools that operate indepen-dently and quite separately from the state religious department-funded Sekolah Rendah Agama. This explains the percep-tion that they are counter-cultural. These Sekolah Agama Rakyat were born out of individual Muslim families who wanted to provide an alternative, holistic education option for their children which was based on Islamic values and principles.
There are 250 such schools in Selangor at both primary and secondary levels. Whilst no funds were given to them by the previous Selangor government, the Pakatan government allocates RM6mil annually to these schools. Similarly, the Penang state government also provides hardware and basic provisions to the Sekolah Agama Rakyat, something which was neglected by the previous state government.
The Selangor state government also increased the allowance for guru kafa, or kafa religious teachers, to RM1000 for normal teachers (previously RM700). Additionally, a specific education council has been initiated, Majlis Permuafakatan Institusi Pendidikan Islam Selangor (MAPIS),
which pools teachers from these Sekolah Agama Rakyat and provides additional teacher training courses, since many are either diploma or Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) holders with no formal teaching training. Books, basic amenities and elec-trical wiring systems are also provided under the new support scheme. The state government also encourages more learning programmes within mosques, through tazkirah and knowledge seminars.
Although it seems petty to make superficial comparisons on monetary contributions, it is worth mentioning that financial contributions to Islamic affairs have increased significantly under the Pakatan Rakyat governments. For example, the Penang state government contributed RM20.5mil to Islamic matters in 2009 and RM24.3mil in 2010, more than double what the previous state government allocated (RM12.5mil in 2008). Similarly, the Selangor state government contributed RM136 million in 2009 and RM149 in 2010, compared with RM130 million in 2008, close to a 20% increase. (These figures do not include what is allocated to the Sekolah Agama Rakyat, which, as mentioned above, is a significant variation under the new state governments).
Other practices
There have been other more significant policy improvements that are reflective of good governance, transparency and public accountability – the grounding principles of most religions including Islam. The Penang state government has, for example, made public its practice of open tenders in which 70% of Penang Development Corporation tenders and 67% of those from Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBAPP) were won by Malay contractors. This proves that healthy and transparent competition would allow the Bumiputera community to flourish. In Selangor, the Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor programme, consisting of seven social welfare-based packages, has essen-tially reached out to all residents within Selangor regardless of race and religion. Malays, naturally making up a majority of the population, would be immediate beneficiaries of such programmes.
All this should dispel the notion that the new governments are unable to cater to Muslim needs. However, this causes us as Malaysians to be trapped in the same web of petty comparisons, a competition based on one-upmanship.
The reality is that religion will always colour politics in Malaysia. The better path to tread is one that allows the embracing of more meaningful Islamic principles such as truth, accountability and good governance instead of the debating of who should be allowed into mosques.
Genuine reform must mean a deeper and more conscientious development of policies truly reflective of the religion that shapes much of the Malaysian way of life.
