{"id":29618,"date":"2016-11-22T11:00:17","date_gmt":"2016-11-22T00:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=29618"},"modified":"2016-11-21T14:51:44","modified_gmt":"2016-11-21T03:51:44","slug":"1mdb-political-corruption-malaysia-game-hide-seek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/1mdb-political-corruption-malaysia-game-hide-seek\/","title":{"rendered":"1MDB and political corruption in Malaysia: a game of hide-and-seek"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
The 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal has allegedly seen US$3.5 billion in tax dollars misappropriated by elites, revealing high levels of political corruption in the country. The issue is hidden by the dominance of race and religion in political debate.<\/p>\n
All eyes have been on Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak who remains unaccountable for the 1MDB scandal, which the FBI states<\/a> has \u2018defrauded the Malaysian people on an enormous scale\u2019. In a classic strategy of divide-and-conquer, Najib and his supporters have disguised economic issues as racial ones by reigniting a historically entrenched resentment between the Malay Muslim community and ethnic minorities. The manoeuvre has ultimately shifted attention away from failings of governance in Malaysia.<\/p>\n Since the 1MDB scandal surfaced, racial and religious issues have been at the forefront of Malaysian politics. Consequently, a country once known for its \u2018harmonious diversity\u2019 is now headed by a Prime Minister who depends on divisiveness to stay in power.<\/p>\n Malaysia is a multi-racial society where the ethnic majority is the Malay Muslim community. The Chinese and Indian ethnic minorities first arrived in Malaysia in the 19th century and practice Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. Enshrined welfare policies provide tertiary education and cheaper housing for the Malay Muslim community, which allowed for them to break out of poverty and join the ranks of prosperous Chinese Malaysians.<\/p>\n However, Malaysia\u2019s ethnic minorities still struggle to buy homes and access higher education. Malays suffer too. Welfare has been ineffective in reducing poverty for Malays who still constitute 70% of the poorest Malaysians. Still, backed by nationalist politicians and the Malay majority vote, discriminatory welfare policies remain a means for financing benefactors and affirming Malaysia\u2019s status as a Muslim country.<\/p>\n The overarching objective of welfare was to make Malaysia a cosmopolitan society that still incorporated the best aspects of local culture. This objective was misinterpreted as pro-Malay politicians used the introduction of discriminatory welfare to affirm Malays as the \u2018true owners\u2019<\/a> of Malaysia. This narrative has facilitated the rise of pro-Malay policies<\/a> which include the introduction of barriers preventing ethnic minorities from working in the civil service. Over time, Malays have been encouraged to gain a tertiary education and attain high levels in government while minorities are pushed into low level positions.<\/p>\n Criticising Malay supremacy is taboo in Malaysia. In a country where welfare and political authority are increasingly perceived to be an unchecked inalienable right<\/a> of Malays, a protest by ethnic minorities to hold Najib accountable for financial corruption may constitute a threat to Malay political authority.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what happened last year when 200,000 Malaysians\u2014most of whom were Chinese Malaysians\u2014protested<\/a> in Kuala Lumpur to demand transparency and accountability of Najib and his government. The movement was orchestrated by an organisation called Bersih. <\/em>The protest was declared an illegal act of sedition and Bersih<\/em>\u2019s website was blocked. Najib publicly stated<\/a> that Bersih<\/em> protestors threatened the Malay Muslims\u2019 right to welfare and that a demonstration of \u2018Malay pride\u2019 was required to counter the threat.<\/p>\n Fuelled by Najib\u2019s message, the pro-Malay Red Shirts<\/em><\/a> movement took to the streets to denounce Bersih<\/em>. Unlike Bersih<\/em>, the Malaysian government declared<\/a> the Red Shirts\u2019<\/em> protest legitimate. Politicians seeking to avoid scrutiny continue to promote the narrative that pro-democratic movements threaten Malay Muslims\u2019 rights to welfare, as well as legitimising pro-Malay movements and punishing anti-corruption initiatives.<\/p>\n That sense\u2014that power is slipping into the hands of minorities\u2014exacerbates racial divisiveness in Malaysia. Red Shirts<\/em> now target Chinese and Indian neighbourhoods as venues for mass gatherings<\/a>, igniting fears of ethnic violence. When questioned, one protestor stated the Red Shirts\u2019<\/em> protest \u2018shows support for Najib and reaffirms that the official religion of this country is Islam. Malays are the rightful owners of this country.\u2019 Malaysian diversity\u2014once an asset for sustaining a cosmopolitan society\u2014is now the government\u2019s tool for cultivating problems around social cohesion and security.<\/p>\n