Who are the 25 Malay VIPs that asked Najib to be more moderate?

*UPDATE 1: We found info on Datuk Maulub Maamin. Click here if you’ve already read this article*

*UPDATE 2: It seems that the letter did have an effect. Click here if you… yeah, you know the drill*

Over the past two days, our Facebook feed went crazy over an open letter published in various news publications by a group describing themselves as “concerned citizens of Malaysia” mainly addressing the need for a rational discussion of the role and position of Islam within our constitutional laws and a shoutout to Prime Minister Najib Razak to take the lead in getting all Malaysians invested in an open discourse to solve some of the more major problems within the country.

We have reproduced a copy of the letter here (This is the one published by The Malay Mail Online):

If you looked at the names on the list, you’d know why the media are using the words “Prominent,” “Malay,” and “25” to describe them, cause well, there 25 of them, they’re Malay, and if you look at the titles in front of their names, pretty prominent. Yay investigative reporting!

But that does lead us to the question at hand though….

What makes the 25 prominent Malays so…. prominent?

We initially wanted to do a quick profile for each of the 25, but as it turns out, some of them are really, REALLY low-key. Two-page Google search results, no Facebook, no Twitter, nuthin’. But we should know by now that not being internet famous doesn’t mean they’re nobodies – it just means that they don’t go around making silly statements on the internet. Also, many of their areas of contribution have overlapped over the years so we’ll group them according to what they’re most notable for.

So here are the areas in which the 25 have been…well, prominent in:

1. Representing us as ambassadors in foreign countries (7/25)

Of the 7 ambassadors on the list, Tan Sri Ahmad Kamil Jaafar seems to be the most well-covered. Nicknamed the “Tiger of Wisma Putra,” he was known to rarely smile (even his smile was described as “threatening”) and was known to scold ambassadors, superiors, and subordinates alike – all for the greater good of the country. He’s also touted to be Malaysia’s most famous  in “unconventional diplomacy,” which we can only interpret as “spy stuff” – all for the greater good of the country.

Another well-documented diplomat is Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin, who also served as a judge and legal advisor. Since her retirement she’s been involved in advocating women’s rights; being a founding member of the Women’s Aid Organization, president of the Association of Women Lawyers, helping establish Sisters in Islam, and being a committee member in the National Council of Women’s Organizations (NCWO). And she’s also the only one whose Facebook page we’ve been able to find. Woohoo!

The other ambassadors are Datuk Abdul Kadir Mohd Deen (served 1971 – 2004), Datuk Dali Hashim Mahmud (served 1963 – 1998), Datuk Emam Mohd Haniff Mohd Hussein (served 1966 – 1997), Datuk Redzuan Kushairi (served 1972 – 1996), and Datuk Syed Arif Fadhillah (can’t find anything)

2. Making sure we don’t go broke (6/25)

There are quite a few bankers and business people on the list as well, most notably Dato’ Latifah Merican Cheong; who was assistant Governor at Bank Negara Malaysia. If you don’t know what that is, she’s basically the assistant to the person who signs all our Ringgit notes – not an easy feat okay? (j/k). She was also an Alternate Executive Director in the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). We’re not sure what that is, but it sounds pretty important. She’s also a board member for the Asian Women’s Leadership University (AWLU).

Another board member at the AWLU is Tan Sri Dato’ Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim.

Before his retirement, he worked in planning Malaysia’s development programs, participating in the economic management of the country where he reported directly to the Prime Minister and Finance Minister. He has also previously written about our dual-justice system in a letter to The Star.

Other notable personalities are Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Haji Din, former Secretary-General in the Home Affairs Ministry (1992-1996) and General Manager of the EPF (1987-1991); Tan Sri Dato’ Aris Othman, former Secretary General in the Finance Ministry and author; Datuk Zainuddin Bahari, former Deputy Secretary-General, Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry (no info); and Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad, former Director-General of the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (no info other than a joke we can make about being a board member of the timber industry)

3. Creating groups and policies that allows us to live better (4/25)

If you haven’t heard of Datuk Anwar Fazal, you might have heard of the consumer rights group he founded – the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP). It’s not his only achievement though, and not all his contributions have been local. He also helped establish the Consumer Interpol, a global consumer and environmental alert network. He’s also a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, sort of an alternative Nobel prize. Seriously, the things he’s been involved in are too numerous to list here.

Others on this list are Datuk Faridah Khalid, Deputy President of the National Council of Women’s Organizations (NCWO); Tan Sri Nuraizah Abdul Hamid, former Secretary-General, Energy, Communications and Multimedia Ministry; and Datin Halimah Mohd Said, former Universiti Malaya lecturer and President of the Association for Voices for Peace, Conscience, and Reason (PCORE) – She has a blog! Yay!

4. Helping you (or your pet) get medical attention (3/25)

Alright, everyone in this category is equally well-covered, but we’re gonna start with Tan Sri Ahmad Mustafa Babjee cause he’s… well-covered.

Former Director-General of the Veterinary Services Department, he’s a leading advocate of biodiversity and conservation in the country. He also makes statements like these:

“All my life, I have been curious about nature. I can sit and watch nature at work for hours … A bundle of flowerheads of a wild palm can conjure in my mind, strands of DNA with their bases, or a bunch of rosary hanging in a shop in Medina or an exotic ear-ring for a go-go dancer.” – as quoted in Biomass-sp.net

Also, doesn’t he look like Einstein? We think we may have found ourselves a new hero of the week.

There’s also Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Yahya bin Awang, a cardiothoracic (heart surgeon) who helped establish the National Heart Institute (IJN) AND performed Malaysia’s first successful heart transplant. He’s also written a bunch of research papers on the subject and represented Malaysia in conferences, helping establish the country as a training centre for cardiac surgery. Oh, and he also performed open heart surgery on Dr. Mahathir in 1989.

And then there’s Tan Sri Dr. Ismail Merican, former Director-General of the Health Ministry. Having served for 35 years in the health ministry, the man is a self-described workaholic and lifelong student (Never too old to learn). He’s largely credited as the person responsible for setting up a network of clinical research centers in government hospitals and for five-star ratings awarded to the Health Director-General’s office and the Health Ministry for excellent public service performance. He was also the Agong’s personal physician in 1982.

5.  Making sure our justice system is impartial and fair (3/25)

Datuk Seri Shaik Daud Mohd Ismail was a court of appeals judge who served in the legal system for 38 years till his retirement in 2001. We managed to find news of a speech he gave where he pretty much told off the judiciary for losing public confidence and for being “yes men” to judges. This quote is quite the win:

“It used to be that the tinting of judges’ cars was for my security but now I say it is to hide my embarrassment” -as quoted in this Yahoo archive

Datuk Ranita Hussein is the former commissioner in the Human Rights Commission Malaysia (SUHAKAM), legal consultant, and Member of the Advisory Council of Jurists of the Asia Pacific Forum for National Human Rights Institutions. We found an opinion piece she wrote about ballot papers during the last election which you might be interested to check out. 

The third lawyer here is Hendon Mohamed, winner of 9 consecutive terms in the Malaysian Bar Council including the 2015/2016 term. This is like, literally, so much win.

6. Ummm…. he was the military? (1/25)

We couldn’t find anything on Datuk Maulob Maamin, other than that he’s retired from the Army.

*UPDATE 1: Finally found something*

Thanks to a tip by a CILISOS reader who pointed us in the right direction to look, we finally got some information on Datuk Maulub Maamin. Like mind-blow information ugaiz! 

As it turns out, Datuk Maalub was the head of Kor Risik Diraja, Tentera Darat Malaysia, also known as the Royal Intelligence Corps, also known as the guys who specialize in intelligence work, surveillance, espionage, and psychological warfare. Because the Intelligence Corps was formed partially to counter the communist insurgency in the 60s, Datuk Maalub was thrown in the thick of it in East Malaysia when he had to handle 3 Communist defectors and work with them to arrest or “take out” a high ranking communist leader and his wife.

You can read the whole account here in 7 parts, but we’re going to add a little excerpt so you know what you’re in for:

Dengan erat, saya menggenggam laras senjata SMG yang kehabisan peluru itu lalu melepaskan satu pukulan ke tengkok Commander Fam Tze Heong. Oleh sebab hayunan saya yang begitu kuat dan tepat megenai sasaranya, maka Commander Fam Tze Heong rebah ke tanah dan senjata SMG yang saya pegang juga lucut dari genggaman saya lalu terpelanting ke dalam semak. Saya terus menerpa kearah Comander Fam Tze Heong sambil dengan pantas memulas tengkoknya beberapa kali. Kemudian secepat kilat saya mengeluarkan pisau yang berada di pinggang serta terus membenamkan hujung mata pisau saya hingga kehulunya ke dada Commander Fam Tze Heong dengan dua tikaman.

 

But you know what’s more bada$$ than that? He started an initiative for the Intelligence Corps to take up hydroponic farming as a side project in 1998.

7. Improving our education system (1/25)

Datuk Sharom Ahmad is a distinguished historian who served the majority of his years as an academician in Universiti Sains Malaysia. With the university newly established at the time, he worked to help establish it as one of the country’s major academic institutions. The rest, you might say, is history. Because he’s a historian, geddit?

Is there something that the 25 all have in common?

Well other than that they’re all well-educated and significant contributors to their respective fields, we think that another trait that binds them is passion, both in their professions and their desire to see a better Malaysia.

Yes, we know what you’re thinking…

Then why did it take them so long to speak up? 

Well, we can’t speak on their behalf for sure, but here’s a little bit of research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology that people with extreme opinions were more willing to publicly express their views compared to those with moderate opinions. Now note that “extreme” in this sense works two ways… for both the very liberal and the, well, perkasa. It’s just that these groups are more vocal because they believe that their views are shared and supported by the general public.

“You have a cycle that feeds on itself: the more you hear these extremists expressing their opinions, the more you are going to believe that those extreme beliefs are normal for your community.” – Kimberly Rios Morrison, co-author

So maybe it isn’t that those with moderate views have been silent, they’re just less likely to publicly express how they feel.

Will there be an impact?

Well, other than invoking some name-calling from Isma and Perkasa, we aren’t sure if the open letter would actually initiate any kind of change or open discourse. However, what we do think is that it might inspire other Malaysians with moderate views to speak up.

*UPDATE 2: I am #26*
When we last checked the poll above, about 70% of you guys out there think that the open letter will have some sort of impact… and you are right, it does!

Inspired the Prominent 25, ordinary Malaysian Lyana Khairuddin started an online petition on change.org for Malay Muslim Malaysians to stand in solidarity for the original 25, as #26:

This petition is in support of the stand taken by the group of 25, by standing together in solidarity as #26. – Text from the petition

At the time of writing, it has exactly 3,107… 3,111… 3,145… a growing number of signatories.

I want sign! How do I get in on this????

We got you covered, yo. Click on the image below to link to the petition. We are #26 ugaiz 🙂

(Note: While it says “Malay Muslim Malaysians,” we’ll leave it up to you whether or not you want to sign it anyways if you’re not. Otherwise, you can always support them by sharing the petition)