Indonesia and Malaysia show Muslims can practice democracy
Indonesia and Malaysia show Muslims can practice democracy
Lee Kuan Yew, The Straits Times, Asia News Network, Singapore
In March, Malaysia, with a population of 25.1 million (65
percent Malay and indigenous peoples, 35 percent Chinese, Indians
and others), held its 11th peaceful general election since
independence.
The United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which has led
the country continuously since independence in 1957, had suffered
a serious setback in the 1999 general election, when the Islamic
opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) for the first time won
more Muslim constituencies in the Malay heartland than UMNO. The
spiritual head of PAS advocates sharia law, which mandates the
severing of hands of thieves, the stoning to death of adulterous
women and a return to the purity of seventh-century Islam.
Malaysia's Constitution reflects its multiracial society.
Article 3 states that Islam is the religion of the federation but
other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony. The rise
of Islamic religiosity worldwide, however, has helped the Islamic
opposition gain support for Malaysia's becoming an Islamic state.
When Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became prime minister last year, he
neutralized this issue, declaring that Malaysia was an Islamic
state -- one that follows Islam Hadhari (progressive Islam),
which stands against corruption and nepotism and encourages
cooperation with other races and religions.
Abdullah, well liked for his honesty and fairness, has
impeccable Islamic credentials. He is the son and grandson of
respected Muslim scholars and holds a degree in Islamic studies.
In this age of resurgent Islam, such credentials matter.
In the March elections, Abdullah won back the Muslim seats and
the one state government former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad
lost to PAS in 1999. His victory showed that Muslims will support
a progressive Islamic government led by an honest leader over
Islamists who present themselves as the only force able to
prevent the corruption and debasement of Muslim societies.
With the hard-core Islamic vote for PAS increasing from 15
percent to 15.8 percent, it is clear, though, that future
electoral contests will be about the nature of the Islamic state
and whether a leader has the right Islamic attributes.
UMNO has taken a firm line with PAS, rooting out terrorists
because they threaten its power base. Even a son of a PAS leader
was detained under the Internal Security Act for being a member
of a terrorist group.
In April, Indonesia, with a population of 238 million (88
percent Muslim, 8 percent Christian, 2 percent Hindu, 2 percent
Buddhist and others), held its second peaceful legislative
elections since former president Soeharto resigned in 1998.
The Muslim parties' vote increased by 1.3 percent to 38.9
percent, but 61 percent of the vote went to secular parties. (The
three leading candidates in the presidential election are
nationalists, but all three have chosen leading Muslim figures as
vice-presidential running mates in order to win the Muslim vote.)
The feared electoral strength of the Muslim extremist group
Jamaah Islamiyah (responsible for the bombings in Bali) did not
warrant the government's kid-glove handling of Abu Bakar Basyhir,
the group's spiritual leader.
In Indonesia, only those terrorists directly involved in
bombings are prosecuted. Their religious mentors are left
untouched, even though they are the most crucial part of the
terror chain. Because of this, madrasahs (religious schools) that
teach and promulgate extremist Islam continue to spawn new
generations of suicide bombers.
Malaysia and Indonesia carry the promise that Muslims can run
democratic systems of government. However, we must keep in mind
that democratic elections in Indonesia are in their infancy.
Moreover, Indonesia has yet to establish the rule of law,
without which no constitutional rights are guaranteed or
enforceable. Both countries have tolerant Muslim populations that
have lived peacefully for hundreds of years with indigenous and
immigrant peoples of different religions and races. Both have
educated their people, including women. Many of their citizens
work for multinational corporations and are comfortable with
foreigners.
Can similar conditions be created in Arab countries? Though
more secular, Iraqis are Arabs. Theirs is a male-dominant
society. Iraqis are more intense in their faith, and Muslim
clerics have more influence than political leaders. Over many
long years, it might be possible to create conditions like those
in Malaysia, but it is doubtful United States forces will stay
that long.
On June 28, American authorities restored Iraq's sovereignty
under a United Nations Security Council resolution, handing
authority to a caretaker government led by interim Prime Minister
Iyad Allawi. Elections for a representative government are to be
held no later than Jan 31 next year. The result should be a
better Iraq.
But if U.S. forces leave precipitately because of terrorist
attacks, Muslim terrorists throughout the world will be
triumphant. Where the Vietnamese were content to see Americans
leave and to concentrate on building socialism in Vietnam,
Islamic militants will pursue departing Americans to all corners
of the globe. If the militants succeed in thwarting the U.S. in
Iraq, their zealousness to die in pursuit of an Islamic caliphate
spanning the globe will reach new heights.
The writer is Senior Minister of Singapore. This column also
appears in the current issue of Forbes magazine.