Fantasy histories reflect political elites' insecurities By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy

Malaysiakini : “This victory is because we were able to demonstrate the wisdom, strength, and nobility of Islam - not arrogance.”

– Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

COMMENT | The history of this country is being assailed by two forces, which either seek to obliterate history - personalities, structures or legacies - in the name of religious and racial supremacy or reimagine history, elevating race and religion to the imagined historical significance of other cultures and nations. 

The first is best signified by the recent demolition of a 100-year-old temple, to be rebuilt as a house of worship for the religion of the state.

Proponents of these kinds of victories, here and abroad, seek to establish a narrative of religious supremacy over historical fact, and structures are like red flags, a constant reminder of how things were and not what they hoped for them to be.

The destruction of legacies is also important. These days Utusan Malaysia has the reputation it has, but back in the day, as Johan Jaaffar reminded us in 2019, it was a completely different history.

Even after Merdeka, what was initially called Utusan Melayu was a thorn in the side of the Malay ruling elite, who believed that Utusan Melayu was influenced by the “leftists”.

That was a good enough excuse for Umno to wrestle editorial control of the newspaper in 1961.

The journalists were up in arms. Equipped with only determination and commitment, they fought back. They launched a strike that lasted 90 days. They lost.

Said Zahari, the editor at the time, was taken under the Internal Security Act and was incarcerated for 17 long years.

Utusan Melayu may have lost its freedom in 1961. But that did not stop generations of editors and journalists thereafter from carrying their brand of audacity.

The Utusan Melayu brand was a trademark. They could be fiercely loyal to the “Malay cause”, but they were never racists. They fought injustices, religious extremism and backwardness among the Malays.

Krabian : This is what happens when one particular spineless community keep chest thumping of their fake race and religion superiority over others. Since they have nothing to show, they have to cook up rubbish, falsehood and fantasies to elevate their claim and status.

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