Of Seksualiti Merdeka

The road towards a genuine change in the country will not be merely bumpy, rocky or teemed with potholes. It will be, metaphorically speaking, one of the worst road you ever travelled on. It will also, to borrow Robert Frost’s poetic expression, a road less travelled. But trudging the muddy path, we must, because there is literally no elevated highways to create a democratic and just Malaysian society.
In a heterogeneous society like Malaysia, the socio-political challenge towards preserving harmony and peaceful co-existence is not only limited to understanding and managing the structural or substantive religious or racial gaps and differences; in Malaysia, we also live and share the wonderful space we have in the society with communities that reflected other form of diversities; indigenous people, persons with disabilities, street or homeless citizens, refugees and asylum seekers. But we are, most of the time, willing to cope and tolerate these communities because to some of us, they are victims of economic marginalization or politics disposition. We are still, however, unable to accept, let alone tolerate or understand the plight of the LGBTIQ community.
When I was studying in the United Kingdom, David Kato, a fellow that was placed under the human rights defenders scheme at the Centre of Applied Human Rights, York, was brutally murdered and his slashed body was founded at his doorstep in Uganda. I never get to know him in person but among his fellow comrades, he is remembered as one of the gentlest and most passionate human rights activists that they ever knew. If moral conduct and conscience were the factors leading to Kato’s murder, then I hereby declared that the murder of David Kato is undeniably inhuman and immoral. What hope is there, if our zealousness and prejudice cause blood to spill?
Human rights framework has always encourage openness and culture of dialogue in reconciling societal conflicts. Shamrahayu, in her article on the issue of Seksualiti Merdeka argued that the so-called civil rights activism such as the LGBTIQ movement, selectively championed for rights that work in their favour and ignore the limitations provided in the international human rights treaties. But here is the situation; the LGBTIQ community in Malaysia is struggling even from the beginning in getting their voice heard. They had to endure social stereotypes and media misrepresentation, which more often than not, defeat any efforts for a constructive dialogue. To make things worse, their vocal call for the society and government to understand LGBTIQ issues in Malaysia is more often than not, misconstrued as an effort to promote or impose their sexual orientation or choice of lifestyle on others.
Media distortion of “Seksualiti Merdeka” as a “Free Sex Festival” is the last nail on the coffin. Such misrepresentation is a sad reaffirmation of the society’s misconception not only pertaining to the complex discourse of sexual orientation in the contemporary society but also on how we frame our views and actions in response to the question of sexuality. The LGBTIQ community’ effort in organizing “Seksualiti Merdeka” annually was not because they found a way to manipulate human rights principles for their own interest. “Seksualiti Merdeka” was driven by the community’s on-going resistance against discrimination. I argue that if those limitations stipulated in the international human rights documents are enforced pre-emptively without having any preliminary regard for the protection of the community’s rights, then the rights enshrined in these documents will remain a meaningless dead letter.
The strong division of opinion on “Seksualiti Merdeka” is an indication on how profoundly complex and grey this issue is. Yes, we have our religious and moral compass to guide our action and I am not asking us to disregard our religious or cultural beliefs, but apparently, we have not utilized our compass enough when we navigate our ways, thoughts and actions in the society. And now, the need to use the compass is more urgent than ever; not to punish or judge the LGBTIQ community. But rather, to search into our iman and conscience and seek for the strength to be compassionate, understanding and patient in engaging one another.
The plight of the LGBTIQ community is not a “buffer issue” for the upcoming General Election, where political parties may opt for various stances on this issue as part of their populist strategy. It is also not a battle of good against evil as some of us like to brand it.
This is a quest to overcome our prejudice and understand the LGBTIQ community better.

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