ANWAR IBRAHIM: I AM A MUSLIM DEMOCRAT

Anwar Ibrahim’s 3^rd World Forum of Muslim Democrats opening remarks read out by Nurul Izzah Anwar with her special introduction.

INTRODUCTION

It is truly an honour of mine to continue the legacy of Anwar Ibrahim, a legacy of course he shall continue when he is out, as he was the original convenor of 1^st World Forum of Muslim Democrats in 2014. It is very fortunate for all of us here to be together in this third instalment in Tokyo, Japan.

My father remains occupied in the solitude of incarceration. And if we take into account of the years spent behind bars, it has been eleven and counting. It is however a soulful reminder that Muslim democrats worldwide continue to be living proof and testament to the importance of having working, viable and meaningful democratic systems.

I might have lost my voice for attending a peaceful demonstration last weekend but at least I have my freedom. It is precisely in preserving and protecting democratic systems that many, including Anwar, choose a difficult path, a riskier path in standing up against autocracy. And for me it is gracious really. I cannot really extend, I cannot express my utmost appreciation to Sasakawa Peace Foundation for allowing our ideals and our meaningful pursuit to transcend the shackles of imprisonment.

We are here as a testament. Unfortunately democracy requires struggle and sacrifice, and that democrats, Muslims and Non Muslims have to be and must stay united in facing a multitude of challenges in the tumultuous new order of the world. It is with great sadness with  Anwar’s absence but I stand here with great pride in his contribution and leadership.

And I shall now read to you his remarks, my father, the pioneer Muslim democrat, the leader of the democratic opposition in Malaysia and the champion of transparent and accountable governance worldwide:-

My dear friends, it is hardly news that the Muslim world, with very few exceptions, suffers from a severe democracy deficit. It is equally true that everywhere Muslims long for representative and accountable systems of government as the only sustainable means to secure freedom, justice, equity and the rule of law, to usher in measurable improvements in their personal lives and in the welfare of their nations.

However, urgent need and fervent hopes cannot by themselves deliver change. The stark reality is that too many citizens of Muslim majority countries are routinely frustrated in their yearning for change by the entrenched power of authoritarian governments, corruption, in Malaysia’s case kleptocracy, tyranny, terror and despotism. The question that the young always asks remains: how to mobilise and how to best manage and effect change? Now these are the democratic conundrums for populations intimidated and alienated generations of misrule.

And yet behind all the rhetoric and ferment for change stands a profound confusion. It is a confusion about how Muslims relate to democracy and what democracy should mean to Muslims. We are horrifically familiar with the murderous extremists who peddle the perverse proposition that Islam requires a kind of totalitarian autocratic governance system, which they claim to have the monopoly on interpretation and which they have demonstrated the demonic will to impose. The more we see of these monsters, the more self evident it becomes that in fact it is they that embody the ultimate tyranny.

However my gravest concern is for well meaning and faithful Muslims who genuinely believe that somehow ‘authentic’ Islamic governance must necessarily differ from the concept of democracy as it exists around the world. Being a Muslim in a modern context creates a quandary for some over what to do next.

Are compromises possible or acceptable? How could we reconcile traditional teachings within modern structures of governance? Can we be sure that our ijtihad is correct? Is the old and familiar the only true Islamic option?

The structure is further exacerbated by what we call a democratic Islamic apologist. Those who concede a compatibility between Islam and democracy in theory but they offer a litany of excuses with regard to why such an ideal cannot be fully realised in practice or at least not now. These apologists routinely undermine the legitimate cause of democracy by grudging concessions, equivocation and caveats in their endorsement of the fundamental system of selection, operation and replacement of modern structures of government. Apologetic rhetoric and its trite clichés can connive with the status quo in Muslim nations and simply preserve a stagnant and regressive society. Apologetics are simplistic off ramps from the admittedly challenging highway to reform and we must not let these provide an excuse to divert us from a noble path of fostering popular engagement in the development of our nations.

So let me be clear, my dear friends. I stand for the straightforward proposition that democracy is a moral imperative inherent in the very definition of being a Muslim. Muslims are called as individuals to accept responsibility engaging in society to uphold human dignity and to work to eradicate poverty, need and the scourge of disease. Muslims are duty bound to engage in mutual consultation, to negotiate policy to have consent of the majority and to hold those in authority accountable for the administration and for the delivery of good governance. To be Muslim means striving to uphold ethical standards across the whole gamut of human activity whether that be in economic transactions or care for the environment. To achieve moral ends by ethical means, Muslims are required to work with everybody no matter their origin or beliefs.

In the indisputable objective driven by faith is to institute freedom, justice and equity as the basis of all relationships. Now Islam promotes, requires and mandates democratic engagement as a universal principle. Universal values, the moral and ethical precepts of Islam are open ended, ongoing and ever present imperatives. Islamic values are neither the possession nor exclusive preserve of Muslims. They are yardsticks,  al rahmatan lil ‘alamin – by which all actions are critically examined. They are matrix by which anyone no matter their nation, ethnicity, colour, creed or language can achieve the best interest of human achievement and well being. I think this is the Islamic vision of making a better world for all and this is the agenda of the Muslim democrat.

What I advocate is beyond question rooted in the principles of maqasid al shariah, the highest order in purposes of governance. These principles are timeless. However their application must always be reinterpreted and understood in the context of the present situations, challenges and opportunities. The application of the maqasid al shariah must protect and uplift ever diverse multicultural pluralistic societies with a strong ethical foundation.

For South East Asia, especially in the experience that we face, the plight of the Rohingya if left ignored means that we are definitely not observing any of these principles.

Arcane terminology and traditional conventions cannot muffle debate about the best route to enacting these principles. Our principles must be articulated clearly and coherently in the terms and language of today. They must address the concerns and realities of our time or they will fail the most basic test of relevance.

The condition of the Muslim world is perilous. Civil wars ravage the lives and livelihood of millions. Devastation and death are humanitarian nightmares sweeping across borders. We look at the spreading of agony and destabilising ever wider reaches of the world. Waves of immigrants seeking shelter and safety demanding our compassion as if it is something they have to demand for. Poverty and the lack of either amenity, opportunity or hope festers in the wake of this dislocation. They confound our ability to effectively cope with our increasing need. But what we need most is a reminder that we still have souls.

Now over the course of generations, the democratic deficit has eaten away at the underpinnings of security, progress and wellbeing in most Muslim countries. It has fomented the crises that have engulfed our societies. What is there to choose when on the one hand we have the fanatic wielding homicidal ideology with suicidal disregard for human values. On the other hand are the autocratic or kleptocratic regimes whose records range from suppression to oppression, to ruthless tyranny steep in the blood of their own people. Are we really left with a particular choice when we embrace democracy and would our choice be realised in its truest form?

The Muslim democrat must be a coherent voice of conscience in the midst of this unfolding chaos. A voice of clarity that with critical analysis condemns the excesses of fanatics and regimes alike. The task ahead is not mere reflexive response. To each new outrage against freedom, justice and equity, the mission is excavating root causes of problems with forensic precision, publishing our findings in unequivocal language and working diligently to spread awareness and understanding of the Muslim democratic ideal and imperative.

The self imposed confusion within Muslim political culture stokes the democratic deficit for the vast majority. Whether it be the legacy of misrule cloaked in the disguise of democracy or openly unrepresentative despotism or the distorting reality of client states to foreign powers that has enriched or secured sectional establishments, all these elements play their part in bringing us to our present impasse. None should be ignored.

Islamophobia is just another new name for the long entrenched venerable prejudice. This prejudice has been taught to Muslims and Non Muslims alike spreading the self fulfilling proposition that Islam maybe inimical to democracy. And sowing the miseducation that strongmen, tyrants, despots, these are the natural features of our landscape. Years of accepting the devil you know over the devil you do not thinking prepared the path for today’s crisis. It is an evil scourge on society and by knowingly supporting such without sufficient incubation of alternatives has been a tragedy with more than a century in the making. These theses resulted in the starving the healthy growth of civil society that might hold Muslim governments to true public account and, provide platforms and the processes to facilitate changes in leadership. Only robust civil society can fortify the aspirations of the people by providing meaningful engagement in political life.

Democracy does not flourish in a vacuum. And unfortunately there is no short cut. The democracy deficit is a man made chasm constructed from a fear of the masses; a lack of trust in the intentions and aspirations of the population at large. What is the difference, really, between those speaking of a guided democracy within and those accepting fragile democracies and hybrid democracies or those regimes without? No matter how well intended the thinking is, the results have been the same authoritarian rule that allows no space to freely articulate critical alternatives or indeed to criticise other than flatter the ruling parties and their core elite.

The ambivalence of Western powers be it US, UK, France or others cannot be ignored. None of them are innocent bystanders. Whether in Egypt, Turkey or in any other country, one cannot pick and choose which popular mandate in a Muslim nation is legitimate and still claim to be a friend of democracy. One cannot endorse regimes while thwarting democratic opposition and not be considered the prop of continued authoritarian rule. The outcome is clear. Pushing back democratic change stokes further misery and increases the democratic deficit, preparing the ground for the prospect of future turmoil.

Friends, we stand at the precipice. This is the vantage point of the Muslim democrat. Now the task ahead, enormous as it is, is to articulate an alternative in coherent language and engage more widely with the people, the agents and the actors in society. Democracy building and the work of our forum must be as inclusive and extensive as our democratic vision. Our intellectual outputs and policy must be lucid, simply stated and disseminated through all the channels of society, intellectuals, civil society, movements both Islamic and non Islamic and organisations. And we must reach out to young people, to women, to give them language and an agenda on which to build a more hopeful future. Our forum cannot be a mere talking shop.

The cause of freedom, justice, equity and rule of law for all is a challenge. We have to make it impossible for Muslim governments to masquerade as democracies while lurking behind flawed and fraudulent elections, bolstered by compromised judiciary, corrupted institutions and lavishly enriched cronies. We have to call into account the displays of false piety and the reliance of compromised ulamat’s claim misrule as an authentic voice of Islam.

I, Anwar Ibrahim, stand as a Muslim democrat unapologetic in critical pursuit of genuine change, the language of Islam and the context of these times is a coherent agenda with clear aims and objectives; free and fair elections, open inclusive access to engagement with all sectors of society, peaceful transference of power and accountable scrutinised good governance.

This is the only acceptable basis for human progress. If I cannot freely stake this ground for our future, democracy continues to wither away and as our democracy deficit mounts, we risk being propelled ever close to the edge of oblivion. So again I repeat, we stand on the edge of a precipice and I clearly say that I am a Muslim democrat. This is my stance. Here I stand. I can do no other.

Thank You.

(Transcibed from Anwar Ibrahim’s 3rd World Forum of Muslim Democrats opening remarks in Tokyo as read out by Nurul Izzah Anwar with her special introduction)