March 8: What have we gained?
If there are Malaysians who still think politics is a walk in the park, the last two years and all the events associated with the body politic should disabuse them completely.
Ideals are good to have and like aspirations, they can motivate human beings to work for a better world but soon life has a way of beating some reality into us all. The challenge is not to give up but instead find ways to best contribute to the country.
Mar
ch 8 2008 heightened our awareness about politics. The election results, mostly unexpected by politicians, jolted the entire country from slumber. Today, some two years later, politicians are still reeling from the aftershocks whilst Malaysians in general are still left dissatisfied.
14 months is a long time in politics and much has happened. At times it feels like Malaysia has taken one giant step forward and many tiny steps back. Progress towards a two-party system and a more democratic society is frustratingly slow.
Mar
ch 8 2008 heightened our awareness about politics. The election results, mostly unexpected by politicians, jolted the entire country from slumber. Today, some two years later, politicians are still reeling from the aftershocks whilst Malaysians in general are still left dissatisfied.14 months is a long time in politics and much has happened. At times it feels like Malaysia has taken one giant step forward and many tiny steps back. Progress towards a two-party system and a more democratic society is frustratingly slow.
But after some 50 years of one-party rule, Malaysians now realise that there is an alternative to the BN. Malays especially have a real choice and Umno's monopoly over them is well and truly over.
Umno may still consider itself the sole representative of the Malays but they are sorely mistaken if they think that all Malays feel the same way about them. The same can be said about non-Malays thinking that they can trust only Umno to be "moderate" and willing to give them some say in government.
Umno may still consider itself the sole representative of the Malays but they are sorely mistaken if they think that all Malays feel the same way about them. The same can be said about non-Malays thinking that they can trust only Umno to be "moderate" and willing to give them some say in government.
Malaysians now have a choice
Through Pakatan Rakyat and the examples of Pakatan state governments, a clear alternative has emerged. Malays have not been sidelined. In Penang, for example, more bumiputeras are receiving state contracts. The state allocation for Islamic affairs has doubled. But remarkably, it is PAS that has emerged a party non-Malays can trust.
The only way Umno can re-clai
m its leadership role is to lead by
example. Bribing and scaring Malaysians is no longer effective. Hiring bloggers to do positive spin and occasionally be objective is also turning out to be a short-term strategy.
The only way Umno can re-clai
m its leadership role is to lead byexample. Bribing and scaring Malaysians is no longer effective. Hiring bloggers to do positive spin and occasionally be objective is also turning out to be a short-term strategy.
The problem with ruling for 50 years is that there is always some example in the past that can be dredged up to demonstrate one's faults. If one ruled so well, why is the country in the state it is in? If wealth was distributed so equitably, why is the income disparity so big especially amongst the Malays?
In short, to have any credibility at all, Najib must return Umno to the values of Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Razak: service to the people. He must convince the likes of Tengku Razaleigh that Umno and the BN puts country first.
But emulating and echoing past policies is not enough. After 50 years of BN rule and great material progress, Malaysia is not the same country as the one ruled by the Alliance in 1970.
But emulating and echoing past policies is not enough. After 50 years of BN rule and great material progress, Malaysia is not the same country as the one ruled by the Alliance in 1970.
Most Malaysians are now living in urban centres and the Malays are now a majority in many of our towns and cities. In short, the geo-political divide between rural (Malay) and urban (non-Malay) Malaysia, which forms the underpinning of ethnic politics, is no longer so neat.
Both the BN and Pakatan cannot ignore the collective feelings of
dissatisfaction in nearly all urban centres and the more urbanized
states in Peninsular Malaysia. Dissatisfaction reflected in the way we
voted on March 8, 2008.
Both the BN and Pakatan cannot ignore the collective feelings of
dissatisfaction in nearly all urban centres and the more urbanized
states in Peninsular Malaysia. Dissatisfaction reflected in the way we
voted on March 8, 2008.
The problems of urban poverty, decaying public amenities, corruption and concerns about security are all felt most in towns and cities. It is in the cities that the BN faces its greatest test. For potholes affect us all with race and creed counting for little.
The problem of corruption
If ethnicity is slowly ebbing as a main emotional factor determining the way we vote, religion is now a more potent force. Like it or not, the Malays are now more Muslim and the moral standing of electoral
candidates will determine the way they vote.
If ethnicity is slowly ebbing as a main emotional factor determining the way we vote, religion is now a more potent force. Like it or not, the Malays are now more Muslim and the moral standing of electoral
candidates will determine the way they vote.
Umno has yet to rid itself of money politics. Pragmatists like Sharir Samad openly admitted that it will never be able to do so. But corruption is so chronic that it is no longer a lubricant but impeding smooth delivery of services.
Schools, stadiums, bridges are rendered unsafe; submarines that cannot dive, jet-engines that end up in Uraguay; and then there is PKFZ!
All this corruption can be traced back to the money politics that have infiltrated the BN's coalition of political parties. Umno should be worried for it is destroying the party's credibility. The goodwill built up by its past presidents has long been used up.
On the other hand, the moderate lifestyle of Nik Aziz continues to inspire Muslims and non-Muslims alike. In him, Malaysians realize that it is possible to live a simple life and yet be menteri besar.
On the other hand, the moderate lifestyle of Nik Aziz continues to inspire Muslims and non-Muslims alike. In him, Malaysians realize that it is possible to live a simple life and yet be menteri besar.
More frustratingly to the BN, PAS' commitment to PR has become even more solid. In terms of religious credibility and in the fight against corruption, PAS trumps Umno any day.
Malaysians' eyes are open
To the non-Muslims, Malays becoming more Muslim is not a problem but when the government sits back allowing extremists to say and do as they like, they begin doubt the 1Malaysia slogan they are told.
What continues to amaze most Malaysians is our own self-control. The collective will never to be manipulated by gutter politicians and the refusal to play into the hands of the deranged few, is a signal that we have matured politically. Malaysia did not go up in flames over "cow-head" protestors, a burnt church, a mosque defiled and other stratagems.
A matured electorate can recognise a political ploy a mile away. In
the last 14 months, we have been bombarded by all sorts of political
antics.
A matured electorate can recognise a political ploy a mile away. Inthe last 14 months, we have been bombarded by all sorts of political
antics.
Malaysians had a crash-course in politics but we now have the
technology to exchange views and information. There was also a lot of
misinformation and this meant we had to become more discerning.
technology to exchange views and information. There was also a lot of
misinformation and this meant we had to become more discerning.
Hence, governmental propaganda is no longer effective. The opposition is also learning that it should not "over-promise". From the skull-duggery of the Perak fiasco to the Kelantan oil royalty issue; from Anwar Ibrahim's second sodomy trial to the PKFZ, Malaysians now know how vicious politics can be.
It is therefore not surprising that the target is now PKR. Two years after the electoral tsunami, this loose coalition of disaffected ex-Umno leaders and some committed socialists, have survived virtually intact.
It is therefore not surprising that the target is now PKR. Two years after the electoral tsunami, this loose coalition of disaffected ex-Umno leaders and some committed socialists, have survived virtually intact.
In terms of membership, PKR continues to attract moderate Malaysians and more disconcertingly for the BN, intellectuals and urban Malaysians. Breaking PKR would end Pakatan, deny Malaysians an alternative to the BN and reinstate ethnic politics and all its associated beneficiaries.
Where do we go from here?
Today, two years after March 8, the PKR is rocked by what appears to be a very public display of its disintegration but it must be doing something right for it to be so targeted. They say history often
repeats itself and what the Alliance did in the 1960s to the non-sectarian labour movement and the alternative Malay party (Parti Rakyat), the BN is doing to PKR today.
But ultimately, one must win over the people with ideas and deeds. The BN may very well succeed in re-claiming its two thirds majority in Parliament and will be able to gerrymander its way to another electoral victory come 2013.
Today, two years after March 8, the PKR is rocked by what appears to be a very public display of its disintegration but it must be doing something right for it to be so targeted. They say history often
repeats itself and what the Alliance did in the 1960s to the non-sectarian labour movement and the alternative Malay party (Parti Rakyat), the BN is doing to PKR today.
But ultimately, one must win over the people with ideas and deeds. The BN may very well succeed in re-claiming its two thirds majority in Parliament and will be able to gerrymander its way to another electoral victory come 2013. But it will be only be a matter of time before Umno's monopoly on power fade as an alternative Malay party emerges. Demographically, the Malays will constitute an absolute majority in a decade's time and Umno will eventually meet its match.
It will be impossible to continue sustaining NEP-like policies with dwindling oil reserves. There is no way we can compete for global talent as the last race-based nation in the world. With caning and other prescriptive forms of punishment imposed by an increasingly rigid religious establishment, we have moved closer to becoming a "theocracy".
It will be impossible to continue sustaining NEP-like policies with dwindling oil reserves. There is no way we can compete for global talent as the last race-based nation in the world. With caning and other prescriptive forms of punishment imposed by an increasingly rigid religious establishment, we have moved closer to becoming a "theocracy".
Sadly, the transition into a more knowledge-centric economy is stillborn because we simply did not invest in education properly. Without the reforms that Malaysians voted for in 2008 happening, the country has no future.
Many Malaysians have given up, preferring to leave the country forever. Others are now more resolved than ever before that they made the right decision. It is now up to the politicians to find the will and the ideas to lead.
Many Malaysians have given up, preferring to leave the country forever. Others are now more resolved than ever before that they made the right decision. It is now up to the politicians to find the will and the ideas to lead.
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