A new Malaysia still possible
comment I was in a bookstore in Petaling Jaya on the evening of March 8, 2008, when incredulous news trickled in via SMS and was whispered all round - that election history was being made.
That morning, I had voted at the polling station in the Bukit Damansara school where, surprisingly, there was rather muted activity. I had remarked to my wife that there was a strange atmosphere about it all.
Queues were relatively short, orderly and brisk, as if everyone had already made up their minds, and that there was no longer any need to engage in debate or polemics. When I asked, a police personnel said early morning voting had been quite vigorous once polling began.
By midnight, this watershed election had been labelled a “political tsunami” by stalwart oppositionist Lim Kit Siang (left). Later, a beaming Anwar Ibrahim declared (too prematurely) that by Sept 16, defectors from the ruling Barisan Nasional would lead to a new government.
The opposition in Malaysia had indeed made significant headway, wresting four state governments from the BN's grip. At parliamentary level, the two-thirds stranglehold of the almighty government was at last broken.
Optimism and hope for change percolated down to the growing numbers of suddenly awakened if incredulous Malaysians who had dared to believe. At last, it might all be possible… 'Change' became not just a buzz word, but a possibility!
At last, after some 50 years of uninterrupted political dominance, some much needed change might finally emerge to chip away at the fossilised ramparts of a tired government.
That morning, I had voted at the polling station in the Bukit Damansara school where, surprisingly, there was rather muted activity. I had remarked to my wife that there was a strange atmosphere about it all.
Queues were relatively short, orderly and brisk, as if everyone had already made up their minds, and that there was no longer any need to engage in debate or polemics. When I asked, a police personnel said early morning voting had been quite vigorous once polling began.
By midnight, this watershed election had been labelled a “political tsunami” by stalwart oppositionist Lim Kit Siang (left). Later, a beaming Anwar Ibrahim declared (too prematurely) that by Sept 16, defectors from the ruling Barisan Nasional would lead to a new government. The opposition in Malaysia had indeed made significant headway, wresting four state governments from the BN's grip. At parliamentary level, the two-thirds stranglehold of the almighty government was at last broken.
Optimism and hope for change percolated down to the growing numbers of suddenly awakened if incredulous Malaysians who had dared to believe. At last, it might all be possible… 'Change' became not just a buzz word, but a possibility!
At last, after some 50 years of uninterrupted political dominance, some much needed change might finally emerge to chip away at the fossilised ramparts of a tired government.
Accustomed incumbency, perceived widespread corruption and perhaps mulish arrogance had made the BN lose its bearings, its human touch, its debilitating sense of justice and fairness, and its vaunted connection with the rakyat.
Much has been made of the tottering behemoth of BN's supremacy now under siege: Umno-led BN, chained to the long shadows of its own much-maligned institutions; its deadbeat racially-focused politicians, its blatantly biased and selectively prosecutorial police and attorney-general's chambers, its seemingly beholden judiciary, its subservient bloated civil service…
In the giddy euphoria following the elections, though, many underestimated the dogged resolve and wiliness of the ruling elite…
The weakened BN was not yet defeated - it was shaken, but clearly stirred to react even more rambunctiously. If anything, they have stood fast and fought with all the Machiavellian tools that they have at their disposal still.
Vibrant awakening
Certainly, in the heady days and months following that historic moment, there was a vibrant whiff of possible real change in the air - fresh, even invigorating.
For many Malaysians, cobwebs literally fell off our dust-blinded eyes. Clarity of purpose and hopeful assertiveness burst forth, creating an unprecedented blast against tightly constrained emotions, fearful self-censorship and resigned apathy.
The independent if unruly blogosphere exploded. Malaysia's alternative media erupted into a viable if plangent chorus for the more discerning, perhaps more so for the stubbornly disgruntled.
A new phenomenon of spontaneous opinion-making and uncensored commentary was unleashed upon the cyberspace.
The escaped genie of uncontainable outspokenness shocked yet enlightened a whole new segment of the people to actively engage and attract increasingly more credibility, and even demand to be heard.
Exposés became standard must-read and juicy fare when leaked documents found their way into the cyberspace, to badger the authorities to scramble to respond… Secrets and cover-ups, especially those that bordered on dubious legality, became harder to obscure, to hide.
Perhaps finally, we would finally see a swing towards more palpable justice, greater accountability and transparent scrutiny of how this country is run or should be run. Perhaps too, a meaningful voice would be found for our silenced majority: our apathetic, overly cautious, self-censoring, timid, self-interested, oftentimes ingratiating rakyat.
To quote playwright and social critic Kee Thuan Chye: “Malaysians are becoming more courageous… we are struggling to shake off the culture of fear and I think we are succeeding. There is a new spirit of defiance now.”
At a recent gathering to commemorate our supposedly new political awakening, Kee, author of 'March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up', said Malaysians must regain the optimism to “make irreversible the trend to take Malaysia out of the dark ages”.
“Choice is what we have now. We should exercise that choice - for the betterment of our country. And exercise it without fear,” he had said.
Post-March 8, 2008 there was much hype, much bravado, but then again perhaps too much politicking and bombast, with too little achieved.
The encrusted incumbency proved too rock-hard to corrosion at the ossified foundations of obsolescent racial and religious chauvinism, tawdry power politics and rent-seeking patronage. Countervailing powers obstinately refused to fritter away, or to meaningfully adjust for the better.
Broken promises, deflated hope
Thus, two years on, more of us are sensing a pervasive smog of oppressive disquiet. Our earlier bubble of hope and promise has been all but deflated. There is a rising sense of foreboding that reminds every erstwhile expectant detractor that not much has changed. Salacity outpaces sagacity; shenanigans overshadow our natural sense of justice.
Many now feel that our hitherto coarse pastiche of cohesive social fabric and unity of diversity has become irrevocably shredded. Many ethno-religious contentions have raised their ugly heads and have become even more entrenched, even stoked by opportunistic leaders too scared of losing their grassroots support.
Increasingly, we get a sense that many, if not most, of the recent repulsive episodes of bigotry (cow-head desecration, calculated torching of churches, wild-boar heads left at mosques, 'exclusive use of Allah' demonstrations, etc) and exposed unadulterated racism (Biro Tata Negara indoctrination and humiliating techniques) might have been purposely manoeuvred to create a climate of fear and intimidation for'other' Malaysians.
Perhaps such evocation of special ethnic pride and exclusionary rights are designed to buttress the dwindling relevance of supremacy based purely on race. Perhaps there is genuine if unfounded fear of being marginalised within one's 'own' land. We also know that such calls for 'specialness' of status can persuasively unite disarrayed peoples. Collectively, such an agglomerated if benumbed clan can be slanted into single-minded purposes, which could be led by blind rage and taunted insecurity.
In the worst case scenario, such provocations can so easily be manipulated to create a huge groundswell of unreasoning, unthinking 'cornered-animal' responses - tribalistic instincts, which have been known to lead on to murderous genocidal behaviours, elsewhere! Echoes of May 13, 1969 reverberate often enough to inject the fear of the unknown on most peace-loving Malaysians.
Some have murmured that perhaps these have been deliberately orchestrated to stir up potential ethnic and religious tensions. They certainly have! This explicit immoderation terrifies many people. But thankfully, aside from mental anguish, no physical retribution or reactions have erupted due to a much more mature take by an increasingly tolerant if more enlightened rakyat. Instead, some are letting their feet do the walking… enough is enough, some seem to say.
Yet, many misguided intellectuals and rabble-rousers continue to boisterously hanker for subservient acceptance of the fixity of Article 153. These racial guardians insist that citizens must recognise and accept this unalterable social contract if they wish to be part of our nation, even after 50+ years of independence.
They argue and interpret this as an unshakable tenet of the federal constitution, which supposedly enshrines the supremacy and special interests of the Malays. Unfortunately, such ingrained thinking dies hard.
Unyielding conviction in the Malay's irrevocable right to this land as of primogenital birthright remains resolute, if perhaps discordant and out-of-place with today's changing landscape of universal human rights, and assured equality for all. Yet, no one seems to wish to deconstruct the position of the other indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak vis-à-vis the Malays.
Somehow this incongruous if inconvenient truth remains outside the intellectual ambit of these so-called champions. Few bother to challenge or reconsider the modernist view of what it means to be global, to be human, to be free, to be equal, as if such ideas are alien to the Malaysian or Malay psyche.
The rights of others while also enshrined in our constitution, seem to be given short shrift and are enfeebled, just so it is known that these are 'secondary' to the special position of the bumiputeras.
Much has been made of the tottering behemoth of BN's supremacy now under siege: Umno-led BN, chained to the long shadows of its own much-maligned institutions; its deadbeat racially-focused politicians, its blatantly biased and selectively prosecutorial police and attorney-general's chambers, its seemingly beholden judiciary, its subservient bloated civil service…
In the giddy euphoria following the elections, though, many underestimated the dogged resolve and wiliness of the ruling elite…
The weakened BN was not yet defeated - it was shaken, but clearly stirred to react even more rambunctiously. If anything, they have stood fast and fought with all the Machiavellian tools that they have at their disposal still.
Vibrant awakening
Certainly, in the heady days and months following that historic moment, there was a vibrant whiff of possible real change in the air - fresh, even invigorating.
For many Malaysians, cobwebs literally fell off our dust-blinded eyes. Clarity of purpose and hopeful assertiveness burst forth, creating an unprecedented blast against tightly constrained emotions, fearful self-censorship and resigned apathy.
The independent if unruly blogosphere exploded. Malaysia's alternative media erupted into a viable if plangent chorus for the more discerning, perhaps more so for the stubbornly disgruntled.
A new phenomenon of spontaneous opinion-making and uncensored commentary was unleashed upon the cyberspace.
The escaped genie of uncontainable outspokenness shocked yet enlightened a whole new segment of the people to actively engage and attract increasingly more credibility, and even demand to be heard. Exposés became standard must-read and juicy fare when leaked documents found their way into the cyberspace, to badger the authorities to scramble to respond… Secrets and cover-ups, especially those that bordered on dubious legality, became harder to obscure, to hide.
Perhaps finally, we would finally see a swing towards more palpable justice, greater accountability and transparent scrutiny of how this country is run or should be run. Perhaps too, a meaningful voice would be found for our silenced majority: our apathetic, overly cautious, self-censoring, timid, self-interested, oftentimes ingratiating rakyat.
To quote playwright and social critic Kee Thuan Chye: “Malaysians are becoming more courageous… we are struggling to shake off the culture of fear and I think we are succeeding. There is a new spirit of defiance now.”
At a recent gathering to commemorate our supposedly new political awakening, Kee, author of 'March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up', said Malaysians must regain the optimism to “make irreversible the trend to take Malaysia out of the dark ages”.
“Choice is what we have now. We should exercise that choice - for the betterment of our country. And exercise it without fear,” he had said.Post-March 8, 2008 there was much hype, much bravado, but then again perhaps too much politicking and bombast, with too little achieved.
The encrusted incumbency proved too rock-hard to corrosion at the ossified foundations of obsolescent racial and religious chauvinism, tawdry power politics and rent-seeking patronage. Countervailing powers obstinately refused to fritter away, or to meaningfully adjust for the better.
Broken promises, deflated hope
Thus, two years on, more of us are sensing a pervasive smog of oppressive disquiet. Our earlier bubble of hope and promise has been all but deflated. There is a rising sense of foreboding that reminds every erstwhile expectant detractor that not much has changed. Salacity outpaces sagacity; shenanigans overshadow our natural sense of justice.
Many now feel that our hitherto coarse pastiche of cohesive social fabric and unity of diversity has become irrevocably shredded. Many ethno-religious contentions have raised their ugly heads and have become even more entrenched, even stoked by opportunistic leaders too scared of losing their grassroots support.
Increasingly, we get a sense that many, if not most, of the recent repulsive episodes of bigotry (cow-head desecration, calculated torching of churches, wild-boar heads left at mosques, 'exclusive use of Allah' demonstrations, etc) and exposed unadulterated racism (Biro Tata Negara indoctrination and humiliating techniques) might have been purposely manoeuvred to create a climate of fear and intimidation for'other' Malaysians. Perhaps such evocation of special ethnic pride and exclusionary rights are designed to buttress the dwindling relevance of supremacy based purely on race. Perhaps there is genuine if unfounded fear of being marginalised within one's 'own' land. We also know that such calls for 'specialness' of status can persuasively unite disarrayed peoples. Collectively, such an agglomerated if benumbed clan can be slanted into single-minded purposes, which could be led by blind rage and taunted insecurity.
In the worst case scenario, such provocations can so easily be manipulated to create a huge groundswell of unreasoning, unthinking 'cornered-animal' responses - tribalistic instincts, which have been known to lead on to murderous genocidal behaviours, elsewhere! Echoes of May 13, 1969 reverberate often enough to inject the fear of the unknown on most peace-loving Malaysians.
Some have murmured that perhaps these have been deliberately orchestrated to stir up potential ethnic and religious tensions. They certainly have! This explicit immoderation terrifies many people. But thankfully, aside from mental anguish, no physical retribution or reactions have erupted due to a much more mature take by an increasingly tolerant if more enlightened rakyat. Instead, some are letting their feet do the walking… enough is enough, some seem to say.
Yet, many misguided intellectuals and rabble-rousers continue to boisterously hanker for subservient acceptance of the fixity of Article 153. These racial guardians insist that citizens must recognise and accept this unalterable social contract if they wish to be part of our nation, even after 50+ years of independence.
They argue and interpret this as an unshakable tenet of the federal constitution, which supposedly enshrines the supremacy and special interests of the Malays. Unfortunately, such ingrained thinking dies hard.
Unyielding conviction in the Malay's irrevocable right to this land as of primogenital birthright remains resolute, if perhaps discordant and out-of-place with today's changing landscape of universal human rights, and assured equality for all. Yet, no one seems to wish to deconstruct the position of the other indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak vis-à-vis the Malays.
Somehow this incongruous if inconvenient truth remains outside the intellectual ambit of these so-called champions. Few bother to challenge or reconsider the modernist view of what it means to be global, to be human, to be free, to be equal, as if such ideas are alien to the Malaysian or Malay psyche.
The rights of others while also enshrined in our constitution, seem to be given short shrift and are enfeebled, just so it is known that these are 'secondary' to the special position of the bumiputeras.
Even as they acknowledge that young people might not fully understand such a concept, many continue to insist that this must be inculcated into the new generation so that there would be acceptance of this form of Malaysian reality. No one should continue to question and challenge this 'right', they insist.Such unrestrained and tacitly condoned power plays of inflexible insolence and chauvinism only exacerbate one's sense of personal loss and alienation for those of us who are among the 'others'.
They further disenchant our strongest sense of patriotic values and belonging. They corrode and dissipate our debilitating struggle to sustain our nationalistic fervour, whatever little that's left - we, the excluded outsiders.
Shockingly, over the past year when cautious optimism should have been key towards a better future, more than 300,000 Malaysians decided to pack their bags and families and emigrate. Some would have said good riddance to these 'unpatriotic' souls… yet, such desperation must be more than meets the eye.
Can we truly afford these attritional losses of such magnitude? When competition for human capital is so globally keen these days, can we afford such mass departure of our valuable human assets who have clearly lost all hope in this country of ours? Or, is this the same Malaysia that we have once loved and would strive and die for?
Advancing electoral gains
Have the 2008 electoral gains benefitted Malaysians at all? I believe so, despite my brooding pessimism. But, we've a long way to go, yet. Malaysians must persist in working together to translate these electoral gains into political reality and advancement.
We can do this not by backbiting, being self-serving or engaging in self-destructing fights for personal or close-minded gains, but by working towards constructive creation of mature self-confidence, stronger institutions, productive meritocracy, and relentless cultivation of our best core values that mark us as a Bangsa Malaysia.
Forced acceptance of long-lost but outmoded social contracts identified purely for an exclusive ethnic ideology will not do, and will be bound to be fractious and undesirable.
It is clear that nearly insurmountable challenges would continue to sidetrack and derail the stuttering progress of our fledgling two-party system of governance, one that could be driven forwards, devoid of the nasty racial or religious overtones.
We're nearly there, Pakatan Rakyat and BN - let policy and philosophical differences help define and enrich the uniqueness of each, and not simply allow these to be based on crude gamesmanship and personality icons.Blatant and widespread political chicanery must become a thing of the past, if there is any hope for a decent progressive modern Malaysia. We all continue to pray and cross our fingers that better common sense and maturity will one day prevail.
Our political masters must learn to see the wisdom to be bold to lead by denouncing divisive undertones of racism and crude tribalistic intolerance. They must eschew parochial interests, share a better common destiny rather than play disruptive Machiavellian games, which ultimately may bankrupt and destroy our nation.
Let the ambers of our hopes be rekindled rather than be extinguished. Let the new 'Malaysia' awaken!
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