We, culture

WE can all learn a lesson from Indonesia following this past week of political chaos and upheaval.

Watching how the Indonesian media reported the week’s past event has been interesting, culminating in Pak Jokowi’s warm telephone call to our Prime Minister on Sunday night.

There is an unhurried, precise adab (behaviour) and adat (customs) in that phone call.

Opening with the official title by which Pak Jokowi addressed YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin till it gave way to more familiar address.

In Indonesia, culture is a huge driver of decorum, governance and economic power.

From its highest office to its small time operators, culture is in everything they do.

I once met Pak Ari, a wayang kulit master, of the House of Wayang artisan shop in Yogyakarta, located within the vicinity of the Sultan’s Keraton.

Pak Kipar, our beca man took me there.

We had travelled slowly since morning, through cobblestone back roads, with Gunung Merapi in the distance.

Pak Kipar constantly shared anecdotes and stories of different parts of his city, a genuine love for it was evident.

Beautiful villas made way to busy streets, we stopped by the silversmith and batik art shops.

As we arrived at the House of Wayang Kulit , there was a mini lecture ongoing, with five in the audience.

I could hear better as we walked in, surprised to note that the talk was conducted in French.

Apparently, they aimed to provide talks on wayang kulit in as many languages as possible.

Pak Ari then came out to greet us, and we settled down to chat.

“Here in Jogja, it is all about culture,” Pak Ari told us.

"Culture first. With culture, we strengthen ourselves. Our identity. Culture is the bind that keeps us all as one. If we are not strong, how can we do anything?”

This conversation comes back to me time and again as I think about our situation in Malaysia.

Today especially, in the aftermath of a crisis that was barely contained and the disunity that threatens to prolong it.

Our royalty: a saving grace

A redeeming feature of our nation, is our unshaken loyalty and belief in our King, Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a true legacy from our ancestral forefathers all the way to the promise made between Demang Lebar Daun and Sang Sapurba Paduka Sri Trimurti Tri Buana, the great grandson of Puteri Onangkiu of Gellangui (believed to be present day Johor) so deeply ingrained in our DNA memory, triggered to help us maintain calm.

Indeed, we believe that going against this promise made would ultimately lead us all to ruin and chaos.

We can also recall how Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa taught us, no matter the chaos, we must still steadfastly seek out our sovereigns to steer the kingdoms justly.

Unlike other book of kings, the Sejarah Melayu and Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa from Kedah with stories that hark back to the Roman times, did not shy away from lessons from bad rulers and how to deal with them.

Kedah is one of the oldest monarchy in the world to survive to present day, so it would pay to heed to these warnings and lessons of old.

Cultural deficit has weakened our national foundation

All in all, in the past week, we have seen the biggest upheavals and unprecedented jostling for power that is ludicrous - Today I want you out. Tomorrow I support you. The next day I support somebody else entirely. The day after that, I support you again. Everyday a different story.

Even at a kindergarten playground, this behaviour is considered childish.

Perhaps our country has taken a wrong turn somewhere in time.

Our rapid economic growth has created a hollow culture that is hungry for power and money.

Now faced with a stuttering economy, some leaders have regressed into shallow power grabbers.

Entrusted to lead our Malaysia into a new era of nationhood, they have exposed a lack of dignity and culture instead.

Risking national disintegration

There has been too much emphasis in our country on winning and losing.

This is a foreign mindset that belongs in “dog-eat-dog” cultures of U.S.A and U.K.

You may find this oblique “Kiasu” behaviour south of the Johor causeway, but it has no place here in a community which values a deep sense of dignity and loyalty that spans over millenniums.

We pour platitudes about our traditions and rituals, especially of the Melayu and other indigenous people.

What is most important however, is our core values.

And yet when push comes to shove, these core values are cast aside.

Rebuilding on Malaysian core values

We should look to our past to form the basis of the irreversible core values of the Malay character embedded in adab and adat.

These are also preserved in art forms such as Taridra of Mak Yong and Mek Mulung, historical literature that clearly articulates the enterprising, adventuring nature of Malays and indigenous Malaysians.

The most important core value unique to us, is a deep loyalty to our environment, community and our leaders.

The late Francois Rene Daillie, who studied the pantun and other Malay literature for decades, observed that the dignity and subtlely of our people stems from the ability of Malays’ unique, deep, holistic form of intelligence and planning.

However, our people and our leaders have fallen prey to a foreign culture of instant gratification.

We must bring back this cultural heritage and core values that connect our children to this rich legacy. Arts and culture must be encouraged.

Remember those National Youth Orchestras - you will find the grown ups who left them very fond of their diverse groups.

This is a good formula for pursuit of excellence through national schools.

The co-curriculum at national schools would be a good place to start.

Angklung and gamelan connects us to the whole Nusantara.

Importance on Jawi can be made so that we can unlock thousands of Malay manuscripts in Malaysia and in renowned museums and libraries in more than 60 countries worldwide.

At the same time, promote Mandarin and Tamil as electives in national schools.

Our people by nature are great innovators and adventurers. We travelled and traded around the world for more than a thousand years long before colonists learnt how to leave their own continent.

Our cultural deficit cannot be remedied by relying on education or demonstrations of art.

It can only remedied by a cultural unification and transformation as demonstrated in 1848 across Europe, twenty years later in Japan’s Meiji restoration, Korea’s Han River economic miracle 60 years ago and the China’s post-Tienanmen economic surge.

This culture deficit needs to be remedied by a generation of leaders who embody the core values who can build a harmonised community and modernised culture, without sacrificing our identity.

Transformation through shared prosperity

Harmony must be allowed to bring our people together via shared prosperity.

For this, I propose a transformation anchored on the culture, heritage, and character to achieve sustainable socio-economic development.

The Vision of Shared Prosperity 2030 can be a framework that can be enhanced to achieve this.

Through this, we will bring purpose and harmony back into our lives especially our children, who have been deprived of the opportunity to turn their innate values into a pre-eminent and benevolent culture.

We must move on from irrational and unjustifiable hatred and vengeance in politics.

Embrace our culture that emphasises nation-building through the politics of togetherness to reverse this cultural vacuum.

Look at our thousand year old heritage imbued with character and values for inspiration.

Only then can we build a great and civilised nation.