The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Posted: 03 Mar 2013 03:48 PM PST
4 MAC — Menerusi makalah bertajuk "Takkan Melayu hilang di Malaysia" (The Malaysian Insider, 25 Februari), saya turut mendedahkan realiti di mana ada golongan India-Muslim atau Cina-Muslim yang lebih gemar menggelarkan diri mereka sebagai "orang Melayu". Turut dibicarakan mengenai Perkara 160 (definisi "orang Melayu") dan Perkara 153 (Kedudukan Istimewa Orang Melayu) dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang mungkin dianggap sensitif oleh pihak tertentu; khususnya apabila dibicarakan oleh individu Bukan Melayu seperti saya. Sebagai susulan kepada penyiaran makalah itu, saya berusaha mendapatkan pandangan beberapa rakan pada 27 Februari 2013. Apabila memeluk agama Islam, apakah mereka mahu dikenali sebagai "Melayu" atau masih berbangga mengekalkan identiti kaum/etnik asal selagi tidak bercanggah dengan Islam? Rasyeeda Begum dari Pulau Pinang menceritakan kepada saya bahawa ibunya adalah generasi ketiga India-Muslim (atau "mamak") di pulau berkenaan. Bapanya pula datang ke Tanah Melayu pada tahun 1960 bersama-sama datuknya dari India.
Rasyeeda yang sedikit pun tidak malu untuk dikenali sebagai "mamak" menceritakan bahawa ibunya membesar di sebuah kampung Melayu. Neneknya boleh bertutur Bahasa Tamil tetapi ibu serta generasi kemudian sudah tidak fasih bercakap bahasa ibunda. "Kami adalah kelompok yang dikenali sebagai Jawi Peranakan iaitu masyarakat India-Muslim yang sudah mengasimilasikan budaya Melayu tetapi tetap berpegang pada sedikit-sebanyak budaya India selagi tidak bercanggah dengan ajaran Islam," wanita itu menghuraikan. Semasa saya di Tingkatan 1 di SM Darul Ridwan, Taiping, kami masih belajar mengenai Jawi Peranakan dan salah seorang tokoh terkenal ialah Munsyi Abdullah. Beliau pernah diwartakan sebagai Bapa Kesusasteraan Melayu Moden. Akan tetapi, selepas disedari bahawa beliau adalah "India-Muslim" maka usaha-usaha licik ternyata sudah diambil untuk "mencari" tokoh "Melayu" bagi menyandang gelaran penting itu. "Keluarga saya tiada kena-mengena dengan Munsyi Abdullah," kata Rasyeeda apabila saya menimbulkan topik tersebut. "Keluarga sebelah ibu saya miskin dan tidak berpelajaran. Ibulah satu-satunya individu dalam kalangan adik-beradiknya yang masuk universiti. Moyang saya dulu bekerja di tongkang yang menguruskan perdagangan opium dan sebagainya." Maka, jelaslah bahawa tidak semua "mamak" di Pulau Pinang kaya dan terlibat dalam industri nasi kandar. Demikian juga wanita itu menekankan bagi memecah stereotaip yang wujud. Kami turut berbincang secara khusus mengenai topik mengapa ada golongan India-Muslim yang menyertai Umno dan menggelarkan diri mereka sebagai "orang Melayu". Ini sebagai tambahan kepada penyertaan dalam Kongres India Muslim Malaysia (KIMMA) yang ditubuhkan dan didaftarkan sebagai parti politik pada 1976. Tuntutan KIMMA: Melayu atau Bumiputera? Menurut maklumat di laman sesawang rasmi, KIMMA ditubuhkan untuk "memperjuangkan kepentingan masyarakat India-Muslim agar suara dan rintihan didengari oleh kerajaan dalam bidang politik, agama, sosial, ekonomi dan pendidikan". Seperti diketahui umum, KIMMA begitu setia membantu Barisan Nasional (BN) dalam pilihan raya umum dan pilihan raya kecil. Susulan "kesetiaan" itu, pada 27 Ogos 2010, Mesyuarat Majlis Tertinggi Umno bersetuju menerima KIMMA sebagai Ahli Gabungan Umno dan diberikan beberapa keistimewaan. Berbalik pada isu "Melayu", ada pihak yang berpendapat bahawa KIMMA tidak patut memohon status Melayu tetapi menuntut hak diiktiraf sebagai Bumiputera. Persekutuan Pertubuhan India Muslim Malaysia (Permim) mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa status Melayu yang diperjuangkan KIMMA tidak penting kepada kaum tersebut. "Bagi kami, apa yang perlu diperjuangkan adalah untuk mendapat status Bumiputera dan seterusnya mempertahankan kebudayaan India Muslim yang tersendiri," kata presidennya, Dr Syed Ibrahim Mohd Ismail (Utusan Malaysia, 21 September 2005). Seorang lagi individu yang berkongsi pandangan bersama-sama saya mengenai topik yang dibincangkan ialah Hussain Sajad, pemuda Punjabi beragama Islam. Beliau bukanlah seorang mualaf tetapi seorang Islam sejak turun-temurun.
"Harus dinyatakan bahawa pada dasarnya, etnik Punjabi ada yang beragama Sikh, Islam, Hindu dan Kristian. Ramai juga yang berpendapat bahawa saya sepatutnya menggelarkan diri saya 'Melayu' kerana saya beragama Islam," kata pemuda itu yang tinggal di Puchong. Dilema identiti antara "India-Muslim", "Melayu" dan "Bumiputera" ternyata menimbulkan banyak masalah. Sekadar contoh, akhbar Berita Harian (25 Ogos 2011) melaporkan kes pelajar cemerlang Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), Amirah Farveen Basheer Ahamad yang tidak dapat (pada mulanya) meneruskan pengajian di Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM). "Bagi permohonan ke UIAM dan UiTM, taraf kewarganegaraan diberi keutamaan. Untuk itu kami bergantung kepada maklumat Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) dan status Bumiputera tidak dipenuhi oleh ibu atau bapa Amirah, berikutan rekod JPN menyatakan ibu bapanya adalah India-Muslim," kata Pengarah Jabatan Pengajian Tinggi, Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi (KPT), Profesor Datuk Rujhan Mustafa. Bagi Rasyeeda, memang ada orang India-Muslim yang menyertai Umno serta melihat diri mereka sebagai "Melayu" sebagaimana diperuntukkan dalam Perkara 160. "Saya rasa memang adil kerana mereka memang sesungguhnya bertutur bahasa orang Melayu dan mengamalkan sepenuhnya budaya orang Melayu. Satu-satunya perkara yang membezakan mereka adalah warna kulit. Lagi pun, janganlah kita lupa bahawa memang ada banyak 'habuan' berupa 'hak' apabila seseorang sudah menjadi 'orang Melayu' mengikut definisi dalam Perlembagaan," katanya. Fenomena kalut masyarakat Malaysia Rasyeeda mengakui bahawa memang masyarakat India-Muslim berdepan dengan cabaran dan dilema identiti pada setiap hari; seperti contoh kes Amirah di atas. "Semasa zaman kanak-kanak dan remaja, saya menjadi mangsa diskriminasi, penindasan dan bahan lawak semata-mata kerana saya dianggap 'lain'. Orang muda dan tua sama-sama bertanya 'Awak ini apa? Ibu bapa awak masuk Islam?' Amat menyedihkan kerana ramai orang di Malaysia masih juga melihat 'Melayu-Islam' tanpa menyedari bahawa mana-mana kaum, etnik dan bangsa boleh menjadi orang Islam," Rasyeeda meluahkan pandangannya secara ikhlas.
"Memanglah KIMMA telah memperjuangkan supaya orang India-Muslim diiktiraf sebagai orang Melayu. Malah, daripada maklumat yang saya terima daripada kaum-keluarga, saudara-mara dan sahabat-handai, seorang individu India-Muslim boleh pergi ke JPN dan serta-merta menukar 'kaum' kepada 'Melayu' selaras dengan hak yang dijamin dalam Perkara 160. "Adik-beradik saya ada yang sudah melakukannya tetapi bagi saya, saya mahu mengekalkan identiti kaum. Walaupun saya beragama Islam, saya masih seorang individu keturunan India yang berbangga dengan identiti unik Jawi Peranakan," tegasnya. Pada pandangan dan pendirian Rasyeeda, seseorang berhak untuk memilih agamanya. Akan tetapi, tindakan mengubah etnik, kaum, warisan dan budaya semata-mata untuk mendapatkan hak dan keistimewaan tertentu adalah tindakan yang amat memalukan. Bercerita lebih lanjut mengenai pengalamannya sejak kecil, Hussain yang jelas mempunyai raut wajah Punjabi pula mengatakan bahawa beliau memang sering ditanya adakah beliau orang Melayu. "Apabila saya mengatakan tidak, maka akan ditanya mengapa pula nama saya nama Islam. Ini suatu fenomena kalut yang sukar untuk saya fahami sampai sekarang," kata Hussain yang membesar dalam persekitaran masyarakat pelbagai kaum dan agama. Seperti diakui oleh Hussain, masyarakat Punjabi terkenal sebagai minoriti yang berbangga dengan identiti dan budaya sendiri. Pada masa yang sama, wujud ruang yang besar dalam hati mereka untuk menerima kewujudan kaum dan agama lain. Ringkasnya, sambil berasa amat bangga dilahirkan sebagai umat Islam, Hussain turut berasa bangga untuk mengekalkan identiti diri sebagai seorang pemuda Punjabi. Suara Rasyeeda dan Hussain mungkin sahaja tidak mewakili keseluruhan komuniti India-Muslim dan Punjabi-Muslim. Bagaimanapun ia sekurang-kurangnya membantu kita untuk memahami realiti bahawa masih ada orang yang mampu membezakan antara "kaum" dan "agama". * Uthaya Sankar SB sering dibenci golongan etnosentrik kerana berani tampil memperkatakan isu-isu yang dianggap sensitif dalam masyarakat. * Ini adalah pandangan peribadi penulis. | |
| Posted: 03 Mar 2013 03:37 PM PST
MARCH 4 — That was a decision I was forced to make one early morning at a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur. "I'm not signing. The hospital can go f**k itself!" My husband's mind was made up even before I could blink my sleepy eyes twice. For a brief second, I almost dismissed my husband's reaction as a tad too melodramatic and was very close to signing what had already begun to threaten the tranquillity of our rare morning together. I let out a big sigh and told the young woman at the front desk, "Sorry, I can't sign this. We won't consent to this." Once I had said it out loud, the look on her face told me that things were not going to be smooth for my husband and me that day. The wide eyes behind her glasses looked shocked, confused and uncomfortable. I might be biased but I thought she also reeked of judgment. "I'm sorry but this is a hospital policy. You have to sign this if you want to get tested," she said a bit too timidly. I don't know how, but she seemed to sense that this would not settle easily on us. I looked at my husband, not as an attempt to persuade but for an affirmation of our decision. "Nope. I'm not going to sign." He walked away to signal his unwillingness to waste more time on this matter. I let out another big sigh as I found myself losing patience too. "Look, we have no problem signing a consent form for HIV testing but we do have a problem with this clause here. It says, if tested positive, you guys will be notifying the government authorities," I explained. "But this is the law," she tried to convince me. So if the law requires you to jump off the Penang Bridge, you would? "I know but we don't agree with this law. So we're not going to consent as a sign of our protest," I said instead. We were asked to wait at the lounge while she consulted her manager. After 10 minutes, an older woman came and asked to speak to me privately. She ushered me to the corner of the room and said to me in a low voice, "M'am, your medical package includes HIV screening. We're not sure whether it is possible for us to exclude this testing." I stared at her. It was my turn to look shocked, confused, uncomfortable and judgmental. By then my patience had hit a record low and I couldn't help but to retaliate in full force. I can't remember what I told her precisely but I surprised myself that day for being eloquent as I made my case. The conviction and anger inside me helped me to articulate my argument to her and in summary, I told her that nobody could force my husband and me to test for HIV/AIDS. "Of course, of course. You're right. Let me go and check with the company who offered you the package to confirm that it's OK for you to go through the check-up today without the test." My husband looked defeated. He was convinced that we were not going to have our routine medical check-up that day. I said to him: "If she comes back and tells us no, I swear I'm going to give them hell." After waiting for another 15 minutes, hell remained mine. For close to 10 years, my husband and I have gone through routine HIV tests annually. In fact, before we had sex the first time, we had ourselves tested. This is how strongly we feel about protecting each other from HIV/AIDS. The episode above was the first time that we had actually skipped a HIV test. Many of you may wonder why we made such a ruckus over this. I had recently learned from a friend that testicular cancer is apparently rather common among Canadian adolescents. According to her, because most adolescents are embarrassed to talk about their private parts, many choose to remain silent when they feel an abnormal growth on their testicles. By the time they decide to seek treatment, the cancer has unfortunately advanced considerably. I suppose the same principle applies here, except multiplied by 10 because of the stigma HIV/AIDS carries. Because of our strong fear of stigmatisation, we would rather not get ourselves tested. Because of the lack of information, we are not sure what the government authorities would do with our medical record. In the meantime, the hospital does nothing to help us understand the procedure of HIV disclosure. If anything, the hospital did everything wrong that day to gain our trust. This problem could have potentially been solved by sound public relations and communications practices. When I first saw that young woman's look when we declined to sign the consent form, and her subsequent looks after that, I knew that I had made the right choice not to sign the paper. She carried a look that spelled, "They have AIDS. That's why they're not signing the paper." She was very awkward with us. She would tense up whenever we appeared before her. Similarly, when we went to collect our test results a week later, we felt unwelcomed. The doctor who went through our report dismissed me when I told him that I thought I felt a lump on my neck. He did not even feel my neck. He behaved as if he couldn't wait to get rid of us. Act 342, section 10 (2) is the clause that compels every medical practitioner to notify the government authorities if he/she is aware of the existence of any infectious disease. Under the same section, it also compels anyone, other than a medical practitioner, to do the same. This means, if I know my work colleague has HIV/AIDS, I must report this to the authorities. In the United Kingdom, the General Medical Council states that a disclosure of HIV positive patient to anyone other than a healthcare professional is unlawful. Their Data Protection Act provides legal redress to people living with HIV/AIDS if their confidentiality rights have been breached. In Malaysia, there is no such law yet unless the personal data is used for commercial purposes. In the United States, hospitals do report to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, but only after they have removed all personal information from the patient's record. This is mainly because the federal and state funding for HIV/AIDS is often targeted at areas where the epidemic is strongest. An American survey revealed that one-third of 20,000 respondents knew at least one person who is afraid to take HIV test for fear of prosecution if they are tested positive. More than 60 per cent of Americans do not know whether their state has a HIV specific disclosure law. Accordingly, many people at risk may prefer not to get tested for HIV rather than risk being accused of or criminally charged for non-disclosure if they are tested positive. In a similar survey, when asked what motivated people to disclose their condition, the majority of them cited moral or ethical reasons; honesty, love, desire to protect their loved ones. Less than 1 per cent said that the law is the primary motivation. All these studies point to the understanding that having a disclosure law such as the Act 342, section 10, does not help to reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS. On the contrary, it has significant repercussions because it stops people like my husband and me from getting tested and seeking appropriate treatment once diagnosed. Driven by curiosity, I called two organisations* relevant to this subject matter for more information. I could not get through to one but the other told me that I could get an anonymous HIV test for free. "Total anonymity? How come the law doesn't apply to you guys?" "That's because we're an NGO. There are a couple of NGOs around that do anonymous testing. Do drop by and get yourself tested. It's important." Free anonymous testing with an NGO versus a private hospital that doesn't seem to give a toss, it's a no brainer really who will have a more successful campaign against the spread of HIV/AIDS. * The identities of the organisations have been deliberately kept confidential to avoid them getting into trouble with the authorities. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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