The enigmas of 2014 - MH370 and right-wing extremism

It has come to that time of the year (the end of it!) when everyone starts reflecting on what has happened and transpired and how far we have progressed or regressed.

As a social observer, two Malaysian issues stick out to me when it comes to 2014 in review and both are the most irrational, illogical and inconceivable issues that I have ever come across.

The first has to be the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.

I covered this incident beginning from day one at the KLIA, right up to the search area off the coast of Perth, Australia. And I have never seen something so unexplainable in my entire life.

It is coming to nine months now with more than a dozen countries assisting in the search and not a single trace of the aircraft or it’s crew and passengers have been found.

From when I first arrived in Perth and attended the first press conference from there, the search and rescue (SAR) team has said that they are getting closer, narrowing the search area.

Of course, the area size started as huge China, and to make things worse, it was the rough and desolate South Indian Ocean. But they keep narrowing and narrowing with no trace at all?

I can’t even imagine what the family members and loved ones of the missing passengers and crew are going through, waiting and waiting for no news coming.

Compensation have been offered but so many of them have declined from accepting holding on to hope that that their loved ones are still alive somewhere.

And within less than a year, another two aviation tragedies affected the country. The downed MH17 plane in Ukraine and the most recently painful crashed AirAsia QZ8501 in Indonesia.

Plane crashes has an extremely low probability (chances of dying in a plane crash is equivalent to being struck by lightning seven times), yet three happened to us within months of each other.

Why? We don’t know.

Second, is the loud racial and religious extremism emerging in the country.

2014 seemed to be the year that saw the spawning of all kinds of racial and religious extremist groups coming out of the woodwork, and all seems to be the Malay and Muslim kind.

ISMA (Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia) and Perkasa have become so loud with their right-wing rhetorics that it is no wonder that the whole country is taking offence by what they say.

(Oh, and let’s not forget Ridhuan Tee Abdullah. He may not be Malay, but he sure as hell tries as hard as he can to be!)

And why are these extremist groups now suddenly becoming so vocal? Who knows. It could be because they feel threatened by the progress being made by Malaysian society.

Many in the country say that these groups and individuals are the loud and vocal minority and doesn’t represent the majority of Malaysians and Malay Muslims.

If that is the case, then why is the majority called the silent majority? Why don’t these more moderate Malaysians do something significant about the right-wing noise?

Sure, we have several who are voicing their concerns such as the Prominent 25, Tun Musa Hitam, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim and Zan Azlee (heheh!).

But where are the rest? The silent majority cannot stay silent any longer because in any fascist and authoritative regimes, it is always the silent majority that is oppressed by the loud minority.

Happy new year.

I’m sure there are many more significant events, issues and highlights throughout 2014 for so many other Malaysians. But these two are what have made the biggest impact on me.

I hope that by reflecting, contemplating, coming to terms and taking action, 2015 will see a more joyous, harmonious, peaceful, and blessed Malaysia.

Happy new year everyone!