We need to change our perception

Aug 18, 2023

By now, the results of the six state elections would have come in and depending on the results, we would now have an indication of the political temperature for the remainder of the present government’s term.

A status quo would enable the present government to continue, but even with the new anti-party-hopping laws, we can expect a strong, purposefully exerted pressure on the administration should the result be interpreted as a referendum against it, or successfully spun into such a narrative.

That likely means prolonged political unease.

The fast and steady rise of conservative politics in Malaysia seems to have edged out moderate politics from the mainstream, which makes post-election reconciliation harder than it used to be. The strong ‘Us vs Them’ stance — where does that leave minorities like the Catholics?

First is to be encouraged in the fact that sometimes being used as a bogeyman, alongside Communists or Jews, while hurtful, isn’t likely personal nor fuelled by actual hatred, but to a political end of perception-based politics.

While it may not stem from actual fear, the damage it does from the fear it does raise, in the long run, is quite real.

If left unchecked, it could further tear apart our social fabric — a concern that may not be shared by most current politicians whose event horizons have shortened significantly to the next five years as they chase short term gains, ignoring the long-term cost and consequence.

In five years’ time, these politicians may not even be there for the aftermath, but organisations like the Church will need to live with it.

Continued engagement and dialogue with other communities, therefore, is important to counter-balance lies with the truth.

It will not be easy, as our new political and social realities have set many things taboo, and difficult to broach, while curious Catholics can sometimes be a little direct.

Regardless, it needs to be done via current or even new, more ‘benign’ mechanisms.

Dialogue need not be centred around faith alone.

Poverty alleviation, common social issues like security, cleanliness, health awareness: these are already being done on some level or other by most parishes, and some already invite the local community to join in their talks and forums, blood donations and other initiatives. Virtually all parish priests already have their own networks of local religious and community leaders, as well as political representatives that they communicate regularly with — which can be extended at a committee and even community level.

Conversely, participating in reciprocal events, or events organised by other communities, too, will help allay misgivings and ill misconceptions that may stem from fear mongering, but are exacerbated by our own silence, perpetuating myths, and deepening the mistrust. It is amazing how much of people’s world view we can alter by just being a presence in their interactions, as we help form their image and idea of what a group, in this case ‘Christian’ is like in general.

Having some non-Catholics, say a nearby Muslim resident, over for celebrations in our own halls or compounds for fellowship and chats on common issues for even a couple of hours would help them put a face and context to a ‘Christian’ — a fellow Malaysian who may disagree with some things, but wants many more things for the common good just as he/she does.

These interactions are contagious, and they draw communities together, making both our worlds a little smaller.

Imagine if that person’s interaction would be, instead, with an aggressive missionary with a Bible in one hand and brimstone in the other, selling Jesus like a multilevel marketeer, haranguing the listener day and night and with constant bursts of passive-aggressive overtures — and that was the only Christian that person ever had a chance to interact with.

And that person hears a political ceramah that Christians are out to convert all Muslims, and that is why we have Bibles in hotel rooms!

The connection, to us, who know that may seem farfetched, but not so to that person who is now convinced there is a ‘secret Christian agenda’.

Similarly, many of the misconceptions seem ludicrous to us, especially when we see it from our lens and with our assumptions of the other party’s level of exposure and knowledge.

On the flip side, we could find our own assumptions of people mistaken.

A former PAS leader who is a friend speaks perfect English and several other languages, a John Hopkins honours graduate, and an internationally known speaker on finance and banking, donning his usual tie and suit. Most people don’t know that side of him from seeing him in a mosque where he also preaches weekly in Arabic, Bahasa, and Tamil, which he is also conversant in, who changed my own world view of what a Muslim preacher is supposed to be like.

This labelling of people and generalisations are to be expected in large, multiracial and religiously diverse countries like ours, as we tend to pigeon-hole people into categories, for our own ease of navigating through our daily lives without getting into trouble or offending others, which is probably the way we, as minorities are typically trained - to keep our heads low and not get into businesses that don’t concern us.

If we do not show others who we are, other people will describe us in ways that we may not be.

l Emmanuel Joseph oversees IT as his 9-5 job and from 5-9, he serves a few NGOs, think tanks and volunteer groups. He serves as an advisor for Projek Dialog and is a Fellow with the Institute of Research and Development of Policy.