Is he really as nice as he claims he is?

Yonks ago I read a comment by Anas Zubedy in The Malaysian Insider entitled "Open Letter to Lim Guan Eng" which really gave me pause. In it he demanded that DAP "completely accept history that this country is sired from a Malay polity; with history, religion and way of life that are from the Malay-Islamic tradition". He also wanted an apology from DAP on behalf of the Malays. He prefaced all this with an assertion that he is a centrist.

Fairly or unfairly, this "open letter" has been the filter through which I interpret everything this gentleman has said or written. I used to think he was a real moderate, but since then I haven't been able to shake the feeling that he is a Malay supremacist masquerading as a centrist.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't bother with your garden variety bigot but Anas Zubedy is a different kettle of fish. He has real influence because people perceive him to be a moderate.

Today, I came across a letter written by Commander (Rtd) S. Thayaparan published on the website of the Centre for Policy Initiatives rebutting Mr Anas' claims. It is entitled, "The Outing of Anas Zubedy" and among the Commander's many pithy remarks is this:

Right, now we get to the crux of the matter. You do not think that non Malay culture is equal to Malay culture. Behind your benign rhetoric is really a supremacist, wanting his due. Yes, we are all equal. In other words, you probably are a firm believer in Ketuanan Melayu. I trust you realize that PAS has abandoned that perspective. Thankfully most Malays are not like you. When you finally ever read Malaysian history you will be disappointed to discover that what you think of as Malay has got a lot to with non Malay cultures. I hope the DAP never bows down to the supremacy you subscibe. I hope no party ever bows down to your racist and bigoted views.

I almost cheered out loud!

Of course, Mr Anas rebutted the rebuttal. In a blog post, he insisted:

I did not advocate Malay supremacy. I advocated the historical understanding of the transformation of this land. In no way do I consider the Malays as more supreme than any other culture. All cultures are equal in the eyes of God. But in Malaysia I will put pre-eminence to the Malay and native cultures of Sabah and Sarawak. But in no way would I like to live without the Chinese and Indian cultures around me. My love for these cultures perhaps surpasses many of the people from the cultures themselves.

I distinctly remember asking Mr Anas via Facebook about this original letter and he said yes, Malay culture and traditions supercede all others in Malaysia because the Malays were here first. And he winked! Yes, he gave me the old ;) as if to mitigate the pain of his truthfulness.

If he's not a supremacist, then he has an insufferable superiority complex. So as he advocates his Third Force notions while continuing to subtly insult the Chinese (see his post on the Psy effect in Penang), my filter will remain firmly in place.