The Green Wave: To fear or not to fear?

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad recently said that we should not fear the so-called green wave that inundated certain states in the peninsula during the 15th General Election. This green wave is likely to be felt to some more extent in the upcoming six state elections.

I couldn’t help but to agree with Dr Mahathir on the notion that the green wave is harmless.

The green wave refers to the increasing support towards Perikatan Nasional especially by the Malay population.

As I have previously written in this column, if the people truly wish for a conservative government, a democratic nation should honor the choice of the people if and only if the conservative happens to form a majority. Even at a considerable minority, their voices represent an important if not a massively crucial part of the electorate and must be respected.

In fact, some have even argued that calling it a green wave is a tactical move meant to put fear in the hearts of people by bringing up images of radical fundamentalism.

In the case of Malaysia, the green wave is more likely to refer to the rising tide of Islamisation that the Malays have experienced for at least four decades. In fact, if we were to stick on technicalities, Malaysia has always been an Islamic country since independence with Malays being Muslims centuries before.

Social Islamisation refers to the more prominent role Islam plays in multiple facets of the life of a Malay that is part of the global rise of Islamisation post-1979. As a social development of the Malays in Malaysia, growing Islamisation definitely should not be feared as alluded to by our former prime minister.

The reason is simply that if more people were to truly live according to what has been taught by the Quran and Sunnah, there is no doubt that Malaysia would develop as a harmonious nation.

What is feared by those who do not subscribe to the ideology brought about by the rising green wave is that Islamic rhetoric and religious language would be utilised by certain people who are interested in power for the benefit of a specific political class. In a conservative society such as Malaysia where religion–Islam specifically–and its outward identity markers are important in the lives of most Muslims in the 21st century, speaking in the language of Islam that touches people’s emotion is one of the easiest ways to gain support and eventually political power. If this Islamic language exists alongside the true spirit of Islam as embodied in maqasid al shariah, or the objectives of Islamic law, then the green wave would amount to a positive development to the country.

The question is that with a flawed democracy in which the norms and institutions of democracy are sometimes brought into question, who can guarantee that the continuing tide of the green wave would not lead to the rollback of the rights for non-Muslims and non-conservatives in Malaysia?

To be fair, legally, non-Muslims do have their freedom to practice religion–or no religion–as enshrined in the Constitution. This is of course in line with the Quranic verse (109:6) that guarantees the right of others to practice their religion.

However, it is the social reality that has caused some people to feel that non-Muslims are second-class citizens in the country, whether rightly or wrongly. Due to rising conservatism, many harmless actions such as the length of skirt have become contentious in multiracial Malaysia.

This is the point of contention between the two political sides in the country; whether they’re talking about legal rights or social conventions affecting the lives of non-Muslims living in an increasingly conservative Malaysia.

If rising social conservatism doesn’t exist alongside a holistic understanding of Islam that speaks on freedom, justice and equality throughout the Quran, conservatism will be utilised by those hungry for power to paint a negative picture of those who do not agree with the green wave.

More worrying if this negative picture leads to violence or threat of violence to political opponents.

In conclusion, I reiterate that Dr Mahathir is correct that we should not fear the green wave of even the so-called Islamisation in the country as Islam is a religion that teaches us to prioritise harmony, peace and mutual respect.

However, if the green wave is simply a political concoction for power grab at the expense of non-Muslim and non-conservative Malay citizens, then I think it is fair to at least question which way will the tide of the green wave go in the next couple of months.

Syaza Shukri, PhD is an assistant professor of political science at International Islamic University Malaysia.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of Sinar Daily.