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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 28 (4): 2807 - 2822 (2020) SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES Journal homepage: http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/ Scandal and Malay Politics: A Question of Dignity Against Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali Syaza Farhana Mohamad Shukri Department of Political Science, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ABSTRACT Political scandal has become very common in a democratic country as political rivals bid to discredit one another. An open and free media allows politicians from different sides to publicize alleged wrongdoings by their opponents. There are different scandals ranging from financial, political to moral scandals. Using dignity as a framework, this paper argues that moral or sex scandals are most effective to defeat a Malay politician in Malaysia because a section of the Malay population looks upon virtuous conduct to evaluate the capability of a leader. Specifically, this paper uses homosexual accusations against Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali to show that this is the type of scandal that is convenient to bring into question their dignity. The paper concludes that after the same tactic is used over the decades, it appears that voters are reaching a saturation point, especially among middle-class Malays. Keywords: Anwar Ibrahim, Azmin Ali, indignity, malay politics, moral scandal INTRODUCTION also seen its fair share of scandals throughout Scandal is part and parcel of politics these the decades. It is considered a hybrid regime days, especially in a democratic country with because as a dominant-party system since relative freedom of access to various media independence, Malaysia has never been a outlets. Malaysia, being a hybrid regime for fully consolidated democracy; yet, it still much of its history since independence, has has democratic instruments as means of governance (Case, 2005). While there are many types of scandals that range from ARTICLE INFO financial, political to moral scandals, this Article history: paper argues that when it comes to Malay Received: 13 July 2020 Accepted: 17 September 2020 politics, the concept of dignity is pivotal Published: 25 December 2020 in the creation of scandals to bring down DOI: https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.28.4.17 a political opponent. Arguably the biggest E-mail address: [email protected] scandal in Malaysia so far is the ongoing ISSN: 0128-7702 e-ISSN 2231-8534 © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press Syaza Farhana Mohamad Shukri court case on 1 Malaysia Development traditional respect for conservative family Berhad (1MDB) which is considered the values. Therefore, when a scandal breaks world’s biggest financial scandal. However, that purports the politician to have acted in as a financial scandal, it does little to a less dignified manner according to social tarnish Najib Razak’s reputation among the norms, this requires much more effort on Malay population (Firdaws, 2016). When the part of the politician to try to clear Mahathir Mohamad re-entered politics in his name (usually it is a male as there is a 2016, he claimed to have done so in order disproportionately small number of female to save Malaysia from Najib’s kleptocratic politicians in Malaysia). rule, and not necessarily because of Najib’s Every community would have its own undignified character (Welsh, 2018). shared values and norms. For example, the Malaysia is of course not immune to British are known for their stoicism while moral scandals. For example, Anwar Ibrahim Americans are famous for their directness saw the end of his political career in the in communication. As a community, ruling United Malay National Organization Malays in Malaysia are known for certain (UMNO) following his attempts to address attributes such as reverence towards their alleged corruption by Mahathir Mohamad in elders, humility, circuitousness, obedience, 1998. For that, he was accused of sodomy hospitability, and politeness (Zamani, and then put into prison for abuse of power. 2003; Zawawi, 2008). Supposed politeness A decade later, he was accused of the same in the Malay community can be seen in crime, but this time under the administration their behaviour and speech especially in of Najib Razak. In 2019, then Parti Keadilan their attitude to avoid conflict at any cost. Rakyat’s (PKR) deputy president and This politeness also comes from a desire Anwar’s former protégé, Azmin Ali, was to preserve a person’s dignity from being implicated in a gay sex video scandal. accused of souring a relationship (Brown This raises the question: why was the same & Levinson, 1978)—maintaining harmony scandal repeating itself every decade in is another important value to the Malays. Malaysia? Thus, in Malay politics, one effective way to Malays make up a significant majority of accuse a political rival of being incompetent Malaysia’s 32 million population at 68.8% is to attack his or her dignity through actions (this figure includes indigenous people such that are considered un-Malay. as the Orang Asli and the natives of Sabah This paper will proceed with a thorough and Sarawak called the bumiputras). As a literature review on scandals and scandalogy people, the Malay as an ethnic group has by scholars from various background. its own set of values that establishes them Different scandals affect politicians apart from other Malaysians such as the differently depending on multiple factors Chinese and Indians. Values that are held such as social norms, timing, and elite in esteem by Malays include a much more role. The literature review also fits dignity 2808 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 28 (4): 2807 - 2822 (2020) Scandal and Malay Politics into the larger question of scandals. This 1995; Welch & Hibbing, 1997) even though is followed by the three main case studies, the politician’s party may not necessarily be namely Anwar Ibrahim’s two sodomy cases affected (Von Sikorski, 2014). and Azmin Ali’s gay sex video. There is a Given the frequency of political scandals short description on similar accusations that in democratic countries, voters may turn were used against other politicians before to elites to gauge the importance of the Anwar to show that this is not a recent scandalous issue being debated in the media phenomenon. Finally, the paper concludes (Woessner, 2005). Using two experimental by claiming that the people is reaching designs, Woessner (2005) argued that in or close to reaching a saturation point of the absence of obvious incompetency from accepting this same information of supposed a scandal, elite framing of the scandal homosexual acts by the same politician. played an important role in affecting voters’ evaluation of a president’s performance. LITERATURE REVIEW Using the Lewisnky affair during Clinton’s The literature on scandal, or sometimes administration as a case study, Woessner called scandalogy (Brenton, 2013), covers (2005) explained how Democrats framed mostly the different effects of scandals on the scandal as personal misconduct whereas a politician’s longevity in office. In his Republicans framed the scandal as criminal seminal work, Thompson (2000) defined obstruction of justice. Conflicting messages “political scandal” as a moral transgression such as these appear to have little effect on that must be condemned by certain groups the less ideological (Zaller, 1992). Similarly, and might cause damage to the reputation affected parties in Malaysia may use the of the individual in question. According term “gutter politics” to dismiss scandals to Thompson (2000), the apparent rise in of a private nature. Nevertheless, moral exposure to scandals since the middle 20th scandal continues to be prominent in Malay century is due to increased visibility of politics because the unsavoury character leaders, the professionalization of the media of a politician affects his dignity in the industry and technological innovation. community. It is generally accepted that scandal The conception of dignity is is negatively perceived because it brings multifaceted as it can be understood from into question the integrity of a public office legal, psychological, cultural, and political holder. However, the extent to which a perspectives. Furthermore, dignity is a scandal affects the position of a public concept that is discussed prominently in figure depends on the nature of the scandal, religious texts such as the Bible and the the timing of the scandal, and the culture Qur’an, and in the philosophical works of in which the scandal erupted. On average, Cicero, Locke, and Kant. As a starting point, politicians will lose support from the it is possible to go back to as far as ancient outbreak of a scandal (Dimock & Jacobson, times where dignity is associated with a Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 28 (4): 2807 - 2822 (2020) 2809 Syaza Farhana Mohamad Shukri person’s role in society (Hayry, 2004). We over that of individual rights (Howard & may also look at Aristotle’s description of Donnelly, 1986). honour and virtue (Putnam, 1995). Honour, However, it is incorrect to define the or dignity, as conceived about 2500 years Malays in a monolithic fashion. Before the ago is dependent on a person’s stature in coming of Islam and the importation of its society. In other words, a person’s external epistemology to the Malay Archipelago, factors and accomplishments would deem the Malays have already developed a more him to be honourable among his peers and progressive and individualistic outlook thus improves his reputation in society. based on their cosmopolitan nature in The same idea is applied to understand the middle of the east-west trade route. contemporary Malay politics where honour Contemporarily, we see the differentiation is synonymous with dignity. of Malays into an urban-rural divide. Those The above conception of dignity is of belonging in the urban middle class are course different from that discussed by Kant more likely to be concerned with abuse some 250 years ago whereby he argued of power whereas those belonging in the that dignity belongs to all persons by virtue lower income group bracket are more of being human.