Commentary: Malaysia at 60 — 1 country, 3 visions

While neighbours such as Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines have suffered military coups and a heavy toll from civil strife, Malaysia has experienced only one episode: The May 13, 1969 ethnic riots.

In November last year, after an inconclusive election, Mr Anwar Ibrahim, long seen as a “Muslim democrat” by the West, was asked by the King to form a coalition government. While many politicians argued that the Green Wave was either not real or a one-off phenomenon, it may indeed reflect a significant shift in Malay politics.

In a remarkable display of PAS power, all the seats in the Terengganu state assembly were won by PAS, while in the neighbouring Kelantan state, PAS won all but two state assembly constituencies. Terengganu and Kelantan are seen as Malay heartland states.Whether these latest state results mean that Perikatan Nasional will inevitably win is still up for debate. But what is clear is that Malaysia’s politics is now fragmented over a vision for the country.

If his words are taken literally — that is, the political system can only be in Muslim hands — then non-Malays would be regarded as “dhimmi”, meaning non-Muslims residing in an Islamic state. DAP’s vision for Malaysia can best be described as “moderation” or the “middle path” — meaning that while Malaysia is largely a secular country, Islam remains the de facto official religion, with non-Muslims not subject to Islamic laws and still able to play a substantive role in the political process, including holding cabinet positions, although not the prime ministership.

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