One of the most popular (yet possibly ambiguous) terms used in the Malaysian socio-political

context is the term 'prophetic'. Malaysians are frequently exhorted to heed the prophetic call to
speak up against the injustices of the Barisan Nasional government and even vote against the
incumbent government (or, more specifically, voting for Pakatan Rakyat).

It’s surely apt for Christians, therefore, to ensure a reasonably sound understanding of any
Biblical term as a pre-condition for its use in the public square. How then are prophets and
prophetic understood in the Bible? Let’s look at the Old and New testaments:

1. Old Testament - a prophet is a person anointed/chosen by YHWH to embody and

perform His proclamation of both judgment and blessing to the kingdoms of Israel and
Judah (and occasionally to her neighbors), to remind her of her covenantal obligations,
her role as light to the world, to chastise them for their economic, political, social and
religious(!) sins/crimes/oppression, to 'threaten' them with exile and punishment should
they continue in their evil ways and to promise them deliverance in the future.

2. New Testament - a prophet is a person who brings a word of (usually apostolic)

encouragement, teaching, futuristic visions and/or direction and leadership to the
Church (in relation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God).

The above are, more or less, what is understood by the term, Biblically speaking1.

Compare this against the generally accepted and exalted way of using the term in Malaysia,
where a movement or person is considered “prophetic” by speaking out, condemning and voting
against a specific political party (we all know which one) and its injustices, failures, lies and
crimes in Malaysia.

This more populist/civilly active definition is certainly right in what it includes but if we wish to
be fair to the Biblical portrait of the prophet we need to ask what it excludes and, hopefully,
understand why.

So, for example, would the term ‘prophetic’ apply to:

• some person (or movement) who speaks out against BN but who votes for them?

• some person (or movement) who speaks out against BN but who chooses not to vote?

• some person (or movement)who speaks out against both Barisan and Pakatan i.e. who
sees injustices, lies and failures in both sides?

• some person (or movement) who highlights the inconsistencies and failures of Pakatan
Rakyat alone?

• some person (or movement) who speaks out against Pakatan but also (quietly?) votes for
them2?
1
The definitions are far from complete but I doubt anyone would wish to substantially subtract from it. The reader is
also most welcomed to add to the definitions as I suspect this would only strengthen the point made in this essay about
the current populist usage of the word being questionably selective and limited.
2
Isn’t this the irony of democracy? It’s a public system which works via private preferences and decisions i.e. we may
NEVER know the true political views of the guy sitting next to us no matter what he complains about…
 • some person (or movement) who speaks out against Pakatan but doesn't vote at all?

• some person (or movement) who insists that the Church as the people of God must keep
an arm's length away from politics and government given the irreducibly demonic
dimension inherent in both (as some see verses like Luke 4:6 and Eph 2:2 to strongly
imply)?

• some person (or movement) who talks about "loving one's enemies" and suspects that the
Cross of Jesus it the ultimate political cum prophetic act by God Himself3?

Strictly speaking, if we’re going by the Biblical understanding of the Word, there is simply no
reason to play down (let alone dismiss) the above definitions.

Yet, it is quite unlikely that we who most frequently use the word will put the bullet-pointed
definitions on the same level as its most frequent form of usage today i.e. that trajectory which
opposes the injustices and failures of the incumbent government. It is usually forgotten that the
prophets were not populist and would have no qualms charging anyone (and any party) with
failure and communal transgression of all kinds (not merely the socio-political!).

Thus the next time we use this ancient-sounding word, let’s be cognizant of the rich dimensions
of meaning that we could be leaving out by our use of the word.

Yet let me be clear: The struggle against injustice in Malaysia does 'map across' to being
prophetic in the sense that to be prophetic is simply to render socially destructive issues
visible to the community, to speak the unspeakable, to declare wrong those acts which are
irredeemably so.

And yet because of the utmost criticality of this prophetic element, it must not be used on a whim
and as a catch-word for any partisan strand (not even those which best appeal to our sense of
justice). Because being prophetic is a properly divine call, it cannot be de-limited and narrowed as
and when it suits our purposes. The prophetic element cannot be one exclusively 'tagged' onto
clearly biased (even if commendable) political agendas and perspectives.

It is for this reason that a partisan-driven sense of being 'prophetic' is problematic i.e. the party
would be itself resistant to being shown in a negative light and will never accept as prophetic
anything which challenges its agendas. Not only that, but to let any party dominate the use of the
word would by definition mean that no member of the 'other' parties can be properly called
prophetic no matter what that person does for the people - as if the prophetic badge is ours to
disseminate and withhold?

3
People who talk like this are also those who believe there must be something of Christ’s forgiveness and sacrificial
peace-making about the Christian’s involvement in politics, failing which the Body of Christ can bring nothing
distinctive to the political conversation.
By all means, let us act and talk and think and share and vote (or not 4) according to our
conscience and the calling God has given us. We must never be apathetic but let’s not believe our
ways or actions are the only ones sanctioned by God.

And may His mercy and justice rest on Malaysia and all of us - prophets or otherwise.

4
The question of whether voting is part-and-parcel of the prophetic call is unfortunately ambiguous enough to merit an
essay on its own. I would only assert here that, whilst there are obviously reasons to reject the BN government and
reasons to vote Pakatan into power, these reasons are not strong enough (especially given the problems within DAP,
PAS and PKR) to justify condemning as irresponsible, misinformed or naïve any person who chooses not to give
Pakatan Rakyat his vote or, even, to vote in a BN candidate for his particular constituency.