Cendekiawan Lestari Series (CLS) is back in 2022. This time, the Malay Heritage Foundation (MHF) invited one of its founding leaders, Mr. Zainul Abidin Rasheed as the guest speaker to discuss the impact of historical realities on the future of Malay heritage here in Singapore.
[ MHF General Manager, Mdm Julina Khusaini, gave a brief welcoming address before introducing MHF Chairman Dr. Norshahril Saat, who delivered his opening speech and later moderated the session. In his remarks, Dr. Norshahril thanked the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) and Rohan · Mah & Partners LLP (RMP) for supporting CLS 2022. ]
Saturday, 2 April 2022 — Mr. Zainul, a Singaporean diplomat and former Senior Minister of State (Foreign Affairs) and Member of Parliament, began CLS 2022 by touching briefly into the history of Singapore, highlighting major historical events from Sang Nila Utama’s Temasek, the colonial period, the journey towards independence, challenging Malaysia days and the trying development of Singapore post-independence. He explained how each event in our history significantly impacts the current profile and the type of challenges that Singapore underwent. Mr. Zainul urged the Singaporeans to look deeper beyond the British 200 years for a more holistic understanding of our heritage and its current globalised state today. From being a majority indigenous population to a minority with the advent of an influx of immigrants of Chinese and Indians to a majority under Malaysia and reduced to a minority again post-Malaysia independence, the impact on their Malay psyche was tremendous.
Mr. Zainul also shared personal anecdotes of his life journey that shaped his perspectives on life challenges, culture, heritage, and religion in the Malay community. One instance was his experience during the 1964 racial riots, which shaped his belief in the importance of maintaining a harmonious, multi-racial, and multi-religious society. The International Youth Conference in Libya in 1973 with other Muslim leaders, who collectively emphasised the importance of working together with the non-Muslims, further reinforced this belief. This emphasis meant an integrated approach to develop Singapore’s Malay/Muslim society.
He also delved into his efforts to form PEMIAT, a Southeast Asian Muslim Undergraduate Association, which struggled to achieve a commonality of purpose in gaining a better understanding of the development of the Malay Muslims in Southeast Asia. From Pancasila in Indonesia to the Islamisation of Malaysia to the Muslims in secular Singapore, there was no common ground. PEMIAT was short-lived as members could not agree to a common understanding. This prompted Mr. Zainul to study minority Muslim communities and the different Muslim models worldwide. He concluded that a single Muslim model does not fit all and that each community would have to develop its own, contextualised to its own needs.
Mr. Zainul also shared his involvement in the Suara Mahasiswa Radio Programme and Seni Asli, where he contributed to developing different aspects of Malay culture. He made special mention of his experience of learning how to grow mushrooms in the Philippines through the Yayasan Rakyat and Misereor Catholic Foundation funding, which aimed to plant a spirit of self-reliance amongst the Malay community. To build trust and better understand the Malays, Mr. Zainul got involved with LBKM, Jamiyah Youth, and the People’s Association Youth activities and worked closely with Muis and Mendaki.
Touching on the development of Kampong Gelam and the Malay Heritage Foundation, Mr. Zainul was happy to note that the Malay TV Channel highlighted both the Istana Kampong Gelam and the Sultan Mosque in its news opening visual, together with the First World Singapore City profile. They both signify the centrality of Malay heritage and identity. Thus, his life journey, filled with enriching experiences, taught him many aspects of the Malay heritage and, in turn, helped him envision how the Malay heritage can further develop in the globalised future, especially for the millennial and the young.
Mr. Zainul raised the importance of cultivating the younger generation to value the Malay heritage in the context of modern, globalised, multicultural, and multireligious Singapore. He urged fellow prominent figures and leaders in the Malay community to be equipped with current developments and technologies to engage the younger generation in order to understand their concerns about the value of preserving the Malay heritage and identity.
A Q&A session followed the presentation, with Mr. Zainul Abidin answering questions posed by the participants on-site and those tuning in via Facebook Live. CLS is one of our initiatives to provide a discursive platform for featuring ideas and perspectives from prominent figures and key thought-leaders in the Singapore Malay community. Close to 30 participants attended the first CLS session in 2022, and more than 400 people were reached via FB Live.
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