Malaysian high culture

RECENTLY, Kongres Budaya 2017 was held with great pomp and fanfare, demonstrating Malay ceremony and protocol at their best.
In the packed Dewan Canseleri of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, itself the icon of higher education in Bahasa Melayu, the predominantly Malay audience were gathered to renew their pledge to uphold bangsa, agama dan negara.
Distinguishing itself from the only other Kongres Budaya held in 1971, Kongres Budaya 2017’s 11 resolutions were handed to the prime minister for him to table in Cabinet in order for them to be translated into the relevant policies.
The prime minister’s keynote address was no less inspiring as he called on Malaysians to uphold their shared values and heritage, outstanding among which was his urgings to speak the national language well.
Tidak kira lah Cina, India ke, Orang Ulu ke, Kelabit ke – cakaplah dengan baik Bahasa Kebangsaan kita … bahasa kita, ini bahasa perpaduan kita, ini jatidiri kita … disamping itu kalau nak cakap bahasa Inggeris dengan baik, kita galakkan … kita mesti berpijak atas realiti bahawa kita nak juga bangsa yang kompetitif di dunia …
What was also interestingly highlighted was the sorry state of Malaysian toilets, a reiteration of the point made in the king’s speech at the opening of Parliament a few months ago.
What was promised by the prime minister was that the government through the Ministry of Education would come up with a plan to introduce the subject of clean toilet use and maintenance in Malaysian schools.
Hopefully, young Malaysians will be more cognisant than their parents about the value of cleanliness and hygiene vis a vis their most intimate bodily functions.
With this the Malaysian toilet culture is poised to achieve international benchmarking in high culture.
Less tangible but probably more significant than toilets is the first resolution which upholds the humanising values of taqwa, budi, setia, hormat, adil dan saksama which are key to the development of peradaban budaya tinggi.
This should indeed be the essence of high culture in any society, not so much the Western love for the arts such as paintings, classical music and opera.
It therefore saddens me to be confronted with bad manners and behaviour, including linguistic usage, from people in the higher echelons of Malaysian, especially Malay society which prides itself in budi bahasa, sopan santun, adab, adat etc.
A Muslim religious scholar’s recent demeaning of Hinduism in the guise of the high culture of poetry, should never have happened had he considered his role and influence carefully.
Instead of being a rabble rouser, he should have demonstrated Islam’s highest ideals, that of spreading peace among the ummah.
There’s no excuse that he assumed an aggressive stance because he was provoked and therefore emotional.
A religious leader must exercise the greatest calm and equanimity when handling the most sensitive issues. He must be exemplary in word and deed.
Similarly, a top-level politician who leads her or his flock of hundreds of thousands among the rakyat must show the best personal behaviour.
If politicians do not exhibit adab and tertib in their dealings with family elders, how can they ever show their followers what it means to be good citizens, albeit with diverse views and opinions.
Instead of perpetuating the culture of name calling and cursing or maki hamun, why can’t they choose their language more carefully to exhibit the spirit of accommodation which their fathers and grandfathers fought hard to preserve?
I am touched by a young Malaysian who shared his wisdom:
The hallmark of a true politician is the ability to remain civil and treat opposition politicians with respect and professional courtesy.
After all, they are your colleagues and, like you, are playing their roles in doing a service to the nation. I wish our politicians these days are more like the statesmen in the old days, who could drink and joke with their opposition counterparts after bashing one another in parliament.
Yes, I would like to think that there’s hope yet for Malaysians to imbibe the values of high culture. The young will show us the way as TN 50 charts the next phase of Malaysia’s development.
TN 50 must review its foci and include a stand alone strand on cultural development if Malaysians mean to be recognised as a people of diverse ethnic compositions all exhibiting high culture.
Will this day come?
Datuk Halimah Mohd Said
President
Association of Voices of Peace, Conscience and Reason