Islam Hadhari: an Ideological Discourse Analysis of Selected Speeches by UMNO
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Islam Hadhari: An Ideological Discourse Analysis of Selected Speeches by UMNO President and Malaysia Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Azlan R. Yahaya March 2012 © 2012 Azlan R. Yahaya . All Rights Reserved. This dissertation titled Islam Hadhari: An Ideological Discourse Analysis of Selected Speeches by UMNO President and Malaysia Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi by AZLAN R. YAHAYA has been approved for the School of Media Arts and Studies and the Scripps College of Communication by Drew McDaniel Professor of Media Arts and Studies __________________________________________ Karen Riggs Professor of Media Arts and Studies Scott Titsworth Interim Dean, Scripps College of Communication ii ABSTRACT YAHAYA, AZLAN R., Ph.D., March 2012, Mass Communication Islam Hadhari: An Ideological Discourse Analysis of Selected Speeches by UMNO President and Malaysia Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Co-directors of Dissertation: Drew McDaniel, Karen Riggs This research study explored the problem the Malay identity and society in the discourse of Malay politics. The purpose of this study was to understand how the discourse of Islam Hadhari as spoken by prime minister and UMNO president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in the years 2004-2008 demonstrated the hegemony of his administration and party. This study assumed that discourses function within society and is only understood in the “interplay of social situation, action, actor and societal structures” (Meyer, 2001, p. 21). The study also assumed ideologies as the social representations that have specific social functions for social groups (van Dijk, 2001). van Dijk (2001) proposed that discourse is privileged in the (re)production of ideologies as, unlike other social practices, properties of text and talk “allow social members to actually express or formulate ideological beliefs” (p. 192). For the purposes of this study, the critical discourse analysis approach of ideological discourse analysis was used to observe the micro level of ideological (re)production being expressed by UMNO President Badawi in speeches. 19 speeches given by Badawi in various communicative events throughout 2004-2008 were selected to infer the ideological discourse of Islam Hadhari, the UMNO ideological approach to iii Islamism of the Malays, in this study referred to variously as Malay Islamism or Islamist Malayness. The study found that UMNO sought to persuade and influence the divided Malay constituency by engaging PAS in the discourse of the Malay Islamist state through the party ideology of Islam Hadhari. The study advanced two conclusions: First, Malayness is the constant conflict and correspondence with ethnicity and religiosity, Malay and Muslim; and second, a theory of Malay identity should extend to describe Malayness as a civilization, as proposed by Milner (2007). Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Drew McDaniel Professor of Media Arts and Studies __________________________________________________________ Karen Riggs Professor of Media Arts and Studies iv DEDICATION In memory of Dato’ Yahaya Yeop bin Ishak (1932-2007) and Dato’ Zakiah binti Laidin (1938-2011), my parents. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation while written alone was not done in isolation. Select people contributed to the completion of this study. I am indebted to my doctoral committee members whose scholarly guidance, comments, and advice proved invaluable in attaining my objective. Dr. Drew McDaniel, co-director of dissertation, was supportive of my research interest which was, by its nature, innovative. Dr. Karen Riggs, co-director of dissertation, was instrumental in having me reflect on what it meant to be Malay. Dr. Benjamin Bates introduced me to Foucault, whose philosophical perspective was constructive to my understanding Malay political discourse. Dr. Habibah Ashari advised me on a social Malayness I would have otherwise neglected. There were others whose help and support I should acknowledge. I am thankful for the guidance, support, and advice I received from the following people, in no particular order: Professor Dato' Wira Dr Mohd. Salleh Hj. Din, former Tun Abdul Razak chair; Professor Dato’ Mohamad Abu Bakar, former Tun Abdul Razak chair; Professor Dr. Abdul Kadir Din, former Tun Abdul Razak chair; Datuk Ir. Ahmad Zaidee Laidin; Norhuda Abdul Razak; and, Zambri Ahmad Mahyudin. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... iii Dedication ............................................................................................................................ v Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER I: Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Overview ......................................................................................................................... 1 Background and Context ............................................................................................. 2 Problem Statement ................................................................................................... 20 Statement of Purpose and Research Questions ....................................................... 24 Research Design ........................................................................................................ 24 Assumptions .............................................................................................................. 27 The Researcher ......................................................................................................... 28 Rationale and Significance ........................................................................................ 32 Definitions of Key Terminology Used in This Study .................................................. 34 CHAPTER II: Review of the Literature ............................................................................... 38 Overview ....................................................................................................................... 38 Malayness as ideology complex ................................................................................ 38 Discourse of Malay politics ....................................................................................... 45 Discourse analysis ..................................................................................................... 77 Chapter Summary ......................................................................................................... 95 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................. 97 CHAPTER III: Methodology .............................................................................................. 100 Overview ..................................................................................................................... 100 Rationale for Qualitative Research Design ............................................................. 102 Rationale for Critical Discourse Analysis Methodology .......................................... 105 Research Material ................................................................................................... 112 Literature Review .................................................................................................... 113 Overview of Research Design ................................................................................. 120 Data-Collection Method .......................................................................................... 123 vii Method for Data Analysis and Synthesis ................................................................ 128 Limitations of the Study .......................................................................................... 134 Chapter Summary ....................................................................................................... 139 CHAPTER IV: Analyzing Texts and Reporting Findings .................................................... 141 Overview ..................................................................................................................... 141 Finding 1: UMNO was the social group of the Malays. .......................................... 153 Finding 2: The ideological adversary of UMNO was the West and its conceptualization of Islam in Orientalism. ............................................................. 159 Finding 3: The social adversary of UMNO was PAS. ............................................... 169 Finding 4: The ideological conflict for UMNO was the Islamism of the Malays. .... 172 Finding 5: Ideologies were reconstructed or represented in discourse. ................ 177 Chapter Summary ....................................................................................................... 186 CHAPTER V: Analysis, Interpretation, and Synthesis of Findings.................................... 189 Overview ..................................................................................................................... 189 Analytical category 1: The relationship between UMNO and the Malays ............. 193 Analytical