Published by Malaysiakini, images from Malaysiakini.
China’s decision to invite waves of foreign diplomats to Xinjiang is an interesting development.
China generally has a reputation as a behemoth that pays very little heed to external criticism, because it does not feel it needs to.
The fact that it would take such diplomatic measures at all could well be interpreted as indications that, for once, Beijing appears to be feeling some heat.
It is probably fair comment to say that on the balance of probabilities, China’s latest moves are likely to be more cosmetic than substantial, with regard to atrocities being conducted in Xinjiang.
The history of conflict in Xinjiang is, of course, a long and complex one, while the controversy surrounding Xinjiang’s “re-education camps” has intensified considerably since the current Communist Party secretary for Xinjiang took up his position in 2016.
Instances of widespread brutal abuse and torture are also fairly well documented and make for very grim, horrifying reading.
Malaysia is a small country, and surely our ability to influence what China does to its Uighyur population in Xinjiang is fairly limited.
That is not to say that we have no role to play whatsoever.
As we can see, it seems that a concerted international voice speaking out about China appears to be yielding some effect.
An international publicity stunt?
Needless to say, we should not be overly optimistic or patting ourselves on the back, to say that we have already effected change in Xinjiang.
A closer look at China’s latest moves points to progress, but not yet substantial progress.
We can see a glimpse of this in the list of diplomats that have visited Xinjiang so far.
“The country’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that Geneva-based diplomats from Pakistan, Venezuela, Cuba, Egypt, Cambodia, Russia, Senegal and Belarus were visiting Xinjiang on a trip that ended on Tuesday,” according to Reuters.
“Six diplomatic sources told Reuters that the government had invited for the next visit China-based diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Russia, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Hungary and Greece.”
This list of nations obviously hardly inspires confidence when it comes to questions of human rights. Many of these countries have terrible reputations of their own with regard to human rights abuses, while others have close relationships with or are dependent on China.
The morally blind leading the morally blind
Notable, of course is, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s recent visit to China, in which he announced a US$10 billion Saudi investment into China.
Along with this investment, Mohammed bin Salman gave a spirited defence of China’s activities in Xinjiang, saying that China has a right to be doing what it is doing.
Such endorsement was surely as valuable to China as it was morally reprehensible.
Mohammed bin Salman’s reputation in the international community has taken a beating from which he is most unlikely to recover. In the eyes of the world, the blood of journalist Jamal Khashoggi will ever be on his hands, visible for all to see.
Mohammed bin Salman’s investment in China was similar in a sense to his US$20 billion investment in Pakistan as part of a wider Asian tour.
Pakistani lawmakers, in a move made in particularly bad taste given the Khashoggi case, saw fit to gift Mohammed a gold-plated sub-machine gun.
These large nations can band together in their times of need to demonstrate considerable economic and political might, but surely, whatever little moral capital they may have once had, is fast dwindling.
MCA’s archaic communal thinking
Next comes the question of how Malaysia should react to all this.
It appears that at least one politician (albeit a relatively low-ranking one), Perak MCA Public Services and Complaints bureau chief Jimmy Loh, seems to take a similar view to the Saudi crown prince, in saying that other nations should not “interfere” in China’s internal affairs.
Loh was commenting on a meeting between Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mujahid Yusof Rawa’s and the World Uighur Congress and Uighur American Association last month.
The optics is obvious: an MCA member criticising a Muslim minister for being concerned about the plight of Muslims in China.
It is exactly this type of communalist thinking that is constantly sabotaging efforts to forge true Malaysian unity.
As a multiethnic nation, we need to stop seeing everything through a communal lens. We most definitely should stop any inclination for Chinese to see China as a big brother, or for Indians to see India as a big brother.
Those countries are not our big brothers. We have already seen how the previous BN government, of which MCA was a part, allowed China to exploit Malaysia through ridiculously one-sided deals such as the East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) deal.
An opportunity for nation building
It is abhorrent to take sides in a debate based on primal communal identification, instead of looking at what is actually happening on the ground.
Whether we are a big or small nation, we owe it to ourselves to at least speak the truth, and help as much as we can when human beings across the globe are being persecuted and tortured.
We should be encouraging a culture where Chinese will speak up for the Rohingyas, Muslims will speak up for the Tamils in Sri Lanka, Hindus will speak up for the Palestinians and so on.
This is important not only as a part of a humanist global solidarity, but also as part and parcel of our own nation building at home.
This can be one of many important first steps we need to take in developing empathy for one another, and for looking beyond the colour of our skin to find the ties that bind us all.
Nathaniel Tan is Director of Media & Communications at EMIR Research, an independent think-tank focused on strategic policy recommendations based upon rigorous research.
Diterbitkan oleh Malaysiakini, gambar-gambar daripada Malaysiakini.
Keputusan China untuk menjemput wakil-wakil diplomatik ke Xinjiang merupakan perkembangan yang menarik.
China yang begitu kuat dan besar biasanya tidak begitu mengendahkan apa-apa kritikan luar. Mereka rasa tidak perlu tunduk kepada siapa-siapa.
Bagaimanapun, kali ini Beijing agak terasa dengan tekanan yang dibawa mengenai isu Xinjiang.
China, seperti mana-mana negara lain, harus diteliti secara objektif. Tidak wajar untuk kita membuat penilaian yang tidak berasaskan fakta.
Namun, rasanya cukup tepat jika dikatakan secara amnya, langkah-langkah terkini yang diambil oleh China dalam mendepani isu Uighyur di Xinjiang lebih bersifat kosmetik dari substantif.
Sejarah konflik di Xinjiang memang lama dan rumit ceritanya, dan kontroversi berkenaan kem-kem di Xinjiang semakin bertambah sejak bertukar pemimpin Parti Komunis di Xinjiang pada tahun 2016.
Banyak juga laporan yang diterbitkan berkenaan keseksaan yang parah dan mengerikan dalam kem-kem ini.
Malaysia adalah sebuah negara kecil, dan sudah tentu kebolehan kita untuk mempengaruhi dasar China terhadap rakyat Uighyur agak terhad.
Bagaimanapun, ini bukan bermaksud Malaysia langsung tiada peranan dalam isu ini.
Seperti yang kini jelas ternampak, apabila masyarakat antarabangsa berani bersatu bersuara berkenaan isu Xinjiang, ada juga kesannya.
Sekadar publisiti sahaja?
Terlalu awal untuk katakan bahawa tekanan antarabangsa ini telah berjaya membuahkan perubahan di Xinjiang.
Kalau kita meneliti senarai wakil-wakil diplomatik yang dijemput ke Xinjiang (Pakistan, Venezuela, Cuba, Mesir, Kemboja, Rusia, Senegal, Belarus, Arab Saudi, Algeria, Maghribi, Lubnan, Singapura, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Hungary dan Greece), kita boleh lihat bahawa hampir semua negara ini bukanlah negara-negara yang ada rekod cemerlang dalam soal hak-hak asasi.
Ada juga antara negara-negara ini yang ada hubungan rapat dengan China atau bergantung kepadanya.
Ketam mengajar anak berjalan lurus
Lawatan Putera Makhota Arab Saudi Mohammad bin Salman ke China, yang beliau mengumumkan pelaburan ASD$10 bilion juga, harus diteliti.
Pelaburan ini diiringi dengan kenyataan Mohammad bin Salman yang mempertahankan langkah-langkah China di Xinjiang, dengan menyatakan China memang ada hak untuk menentang ‘keganasan’.
Hujah-hujah ini memang bernilai untuk China, tetapi kurang dari segi nilai moralnya.
Hujah-hujah dari bakal Penjaga Dua Tanah Suci boleh dilihat sebagai pengkhianatan yang cukup besar terhadap jutaan Muslim marhaen.
Reputasi Mohammad bin Salman sudah cukup tercemar di mata masyarakat antarabangsa ekoran pembunuhan wartawan Jamal Khashoggi. Isu ini sentiasa menghantui beliau di mana sahaja beliau pergi.
Pelaburan Mohammad bin Salman di China dibuat selepas pelaburan AS$20 bilion di Pakistan.
Di sebalik kegawatan tragedi pembunuhan Khashoggi, Pakistan tetap memuliakan Mohammad bin Salman dengan menganugerahkannya senapang bersalut emas.
Negara-negara besar seperti ini boleh bersatu apabila terdesak untuk memaparkan kekuatan ekonomi dan politik, tetapi dari segi moral, apa jua kredibiliti yang dulu dipunyai kian terhakis.
Pendekatan perkauman MCA
Bagaimana kita di Malaysia harus mendekati isu ini?
Sekurang-kurangnya seorang ahli politik, Ketua Biro Agama MCA Perak Jimmy Loh, nampaknya setuju dengan pandangan Putera Makhota Arab Saudi.
Loh membantah perjumpaan menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Mujahid Yusof Rawa dengan Word Uighur Congress serta Uighur American Association bulan lepas.
Bosan sahaja untuk melihat seorang lagi pemimpin Persatuan Cina Malaysia mengkritik seorang menteri beragama Islam kerana prihatin dengan Muslimin di China.
Pendekatan kolot macam inilah yang sering menghalang usaha-usaha untuk membina perpaduan sejati di Malaysia.
Kalau perkara sama yang dilakukan kepada orang Uighur dilakukan kepada orang Cina di Arab Saudi contohnya, mungkin Loh akan terlompat-lompat nak pula tentera dihantar ke Arab Saudi.
Sebagai negara berbilang kaum, kita perlu henti lihat semua benda melalui lensa warna kulit. Kita mesti hentikan sama sekali sebarang kecenderungan untuk orang Cina menganggap China sebagai ‘abang’, atau orang India untuk melihat negara India sebagai ‘abang’.
Negara-negara ini bukan abang kita. Kita sudah lihat cara di mana kerajaan BN dahulu yang dianggotai MCA telah membenarkan China mengeksploitasi Malaysia melalui projek-projek berat sebelah seperti ECRL.
Peluang untuk pembinaan bangsa
Memang tidak wajar untuk membiarkan sifat perkauman mempengaruhi pendirian kita dalam mana-mana perdebatan.
Sama ada kita negara yang besar ataupun kecil, kita bertanggungjawab untuk bercakap benar, dan membantu sedaya upaya saat umat manusia di serata dunia ditindas dan diseksa.
Kita harus berusaha menzahirkan sebuah masyarakat yang kaum Cina bangkit pertahan Rohingya, kaum Muslim mempertahankan bangsa Tamil di Sri Lanka, kaum Hindu mempertahankan rakyat Palestin dan sebagainya.
Perkara ini penting bukan kerana ia merupakan solidariti kemanusiaan global sahaja, tetapi juga kerana ia sebahagian daripada langkah kita dalam mewujudkan masyarakat yang bersatu di tanah air ini.
Ini merupakan antara langkah-langkah pertama yang boleh kita ambil untuk mewujudkan rakyat yang empati, melangkaui warna kulit, dan menghargai titik-titik persamaan yang dikongsi oleh kita bersama.
Nathaniel Tan merupakan Pengarah Media & Komunikasi di EMIR Research, sebuah organisasi pemikir bebas yang berfokuskan kepada pencernaan saranan-saranan dasar strategik berteraskan penyelidikan yang terperinci, konsisten dan menyeluruh.
