MARGINALISASI ISLAM DI SELATAN THAILAND: ANALISIS TERHADAP DASAR PEMERINTAHAN THAILAND (SIAM) DAN ISU-ISU KONFLIK KE ATAS MASYARAKAT ISLAM PATANI

THE MARGINALISATION OF ISLAM IN SOUTHERN THAILAND: ANALYSIS OF THAILAND’S (SIAM’S) GOVERNMENT POLICY AND CONFLICT ISSUES ON THE PATANI ISLAMIC COMMUNITY

Abstract

Artikel ini memfokuskan tentang komuniti masyarakat Melayu Islam Patani sebagai golongan minoriti yang mengalami marginalisasi akibat tekanan dari pemerintah setempat, yang menghancurkan dan mendominasikan semangat nasionalismenya. Marginalisasi merupakan proses peminggiran yang melibatkan satu usaha membatasi peranan kelompok tertentu. Ini bermaksud, marginalisasi adalah proses pengabaian hak-hak yang seharusnya diperoleh oleh pihak-pihak yang dimarginalkan. Melalui dasar-dasar kerajaan seperti dasar Thesapeban, dianggap sebagai perintis kepada penindasan ke atas masyarakat Melayu Islam. Hal ini dimulai dengan penghapusan institusi raja-raja Melayu di tujuh buah negeri milik Patani. Perjanjian Bangkok yang dimenterai pada tahun 1909, secara jelas menyaksikan Patani berada di bawah jajahan Siam. Kemudian, dasar Rathaniyom yang diperkenalkan pula memulakan proses asimilasi melalui identiti dan budaya. Seterusnya, dasar Nikhom Sang Kon Eng pula dilihat sebagai usaha kerajaan Siam-Thai untuk mengurangkan jumlah majoriti masyarakat Melayu Islam di kawasan Selatan Thai. Penulisan artikel ini mengunakan kaedah kualitatif dengan merujuk sumber sekunder iaitu buku, jurnal, tesis, kertas persidangan dan kertas kerja yang diperoleh dari Perpustakaan Hamzah Sendut I (Universiti Sains Malaysia), Perpustakaan Hamzah Sendut II (Universiti Sains Malaysia), Perpustakaan Tunku Hamimah (Institut Pendidikan Sultan Abdul Halim) dan Perpustakaan Awam (Sungai Petani). Hasil kajian mendapati masyarakat Melayu Islam Patani ditindas dalam pelbagai aspek sama ada aspek politik, ekonomi dan sosial. Sejarah kekejaman pentadbir Siam-Thai yang menjalankan proses marginalisasi melalui pengasimilasian merupakan rancangan politik dan sosioekonomi kerajaan Siam-Thai ketika itu. Proses ini bertujuan mengukuhkan dasar politik ‘Negara Thai Untuk Bangsa Thai’. Ketiga-tiga dasar yang dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan Thailand bukan sahaja mengubah populasi penduduk Islam tetapi turut mengancam ekonomi dan pendapatan penduduk setempat. Keseimbangan demografi di kawasan Patani turut diubah apabila masyarakat Thai-Buddha digalakkan berpindah di sana. Dasar-dasar yang dilaksanakan diibaratkan sebagai virus yang disebar oleh kerajaan Siam (Thailand) untuk melumpuhkan imunisasi masyarakat Melayu Islam Patani. Walaupun masyarakat Melayu Patani terpaksa mengubahsuai diri mereka dengan mengikut perancangan kerajaan Siam-Thai tetapi hari ini, tidak sepenuhnya masyarakat ini berpakaian, berbahasa dan berfikiran seperti Siam-Thai malah mereka tetap utuh dengan anutan agama Islam.

Kata Kunci: Marginalisasi, pengasimilasian, dasar Thesapeban, dasar Rathaniyom, dasar Nikhom Sang Kon Eng, minoriti, demografi, dasar Siamisasi

Abstrak

This article focuses on the Malay Muslim community of Patani as a minority group that experiences marginalisation as a result of oppression by the local ruler, which obliterated and dominated their spirit of nationalism. Marginalisation is an alienation process that involves an effort to restrict the roles of specific groups. This means marginalisation is a process of neglecting the rights that ought to be attained by the marginalised parties. Goverment policies such as the Thesapeban policy, are viewed as the beginning of oppresion of the Malay Muslim community. This began with the abolishment of the institution of Malay kings in seven states that belong to the Patani. The Bangkok Treaty of 1909 clearly demonstrates that Patani are under the domain of Siam. Furthermore, the Rathaniyom policy which was introduced initiated the assimilation process through identity and culture. Moreover, the Nikhom Sang Kon En policy is seen as an attempt by the Siam-Thai government to diminish the number of Malay Muslim majority in Southern Thailand. This study uses a qualitative approach by referring to secondary sources which include books, journals, theses, conference papers and working papers acquired from the Hamzah Sendut Library I and Hamzah Sendut Library II (University of Science, Malaysia), Tunku Hamimah Library (Sultan Abdul Halim Teacher Training Institute) and the public library in Sungai Petani. Results of the study indicate that the Patani Malay Muslim community has been oppressed in a range of aspects including politics, economy and social. Records of brutality of the Siam-Thai administrators who implemented the marginalisation process through assimilation were the political and socioeconomic plan of the Siam-Thai government at the time. The process was intended to solidify the political policy of ‘Thai For The Thai People’. All three policies that were implemented by the government of Thailand not only altered the Muslim population but also posed a threat to the economy and income of local residents. The demographic equilibrium in the Patani region was also unbalanced when Thai-Buddhist community was persuaded to migrate there. These implemented policies can be compared to a virus disseminated by the Thai government to paralyze the immunity of the Patani Malay Muslim community. Even though the Malay community of Patani had to adapt and obey the plans put in place by the Siam-Thai government, today they do not entirely dress, speak and think like their Siamese-Thai counterparts; they remain steadfast in Islam. 

Keywords: Assimilation, demography, marginalisation, Nikhom Sang Kon Eng policy, Rathaniyom policy, Siamisation policy, Thesapeban policy