The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Let’s get Perkasa to Parliament Posted: 19 Oct 2011 04:43 PM PDT OCT 20 — Despite all our misgivings about Ibrahim Ali and his fine — and they are so-so fine — right-wing organisation Perkasa, it must be conceded to no one's credit, they are highly unoriginal. But originality is not the basis of modern politics, relevance is. That is why this column lobbies to send Ibrahim Ali's gang to Parliament. To let Perkasa have as many representatives in Parliament as their support base deserves. Democracy must triumph. Shocking probably, seeing this liberal-leftie advocacy page wanting more right-wing rhetoric on the legislative stage. Suffice to say, an enemy present is less stealthy, a better target. Perkasa... bulls-eye As said at the start, Perkasa's verbal diarrhoea is not completely foreign to the Malaysian lexicon. These crude, relentless and hurtful lines have floated in our collective Malaysian consciousness for decades, and will go on eschewing the oxygen the good works of our other nobler countrymen produce. The columnist has already had enough people in his life call him "Keling" and not blink. As a Tamil, the columnist has been raised to not wallow in the bile that 60 years of Umno has nurtured. He has been raised to look at potential and the future his mind will allow. He is disinterested in the lamentations that non-Malays are selfish, uncaring, exploitive, depending on their ethnicity. That they are populist and cheap. All Malaysian, he knows, are susceptible to modern choice and watch the same sitcoms. But they are more than capable of rising above the muck some are consigned to. The progress minded have to ask, how to move forward? The columnist realises that the real game, the one that matters is about improving Malaysian lives. Representative Perkasa Perkasa did not create hate in Malaysia, they were born of the hate and now inadvertently bear the weight of this hate. In this freer world, having Perkasa as a legislative player provides a tangible space, to put them in a compartment to contest against other ideologies operating from other compartments. In football terminology, while they can go on shooting at will, as they always have, now they also have a goal to defend. The fun of an impetuous child of just wanting to run around with the ball is dowsed quickly when there is the adult demand of keeping a tight backline too. Rather than a faceless predator and exterminator of love arriving at vicious turns and inopportune junctures, there will be early notices, and press conferences announced with letterheads. Allowing right-minded Malaysians to attack the far right. Now that it is has a declared face. No more of those "surat layangs" (poison pen letters) to build fame. Look at how things have played out since Perkasa came into being. Never before have right-wing diatribes taken such a public beating, and Ibrahim Ali's continued vehemence underlines his frustration and continued surprise at the resilience of a larger, more tolerant Malaysia. As argued by this column previously, men from political parties and other organisations are hard-pressed to stay inside Perkasa. When there was no Perkasa, they could milk the grandstanding of race-righteousness while holding on to the political pliability of Umno, PAS, PKR, Gabungan Pelajar (student coalition), youth movements (like Gerakan Belia 4B, Malaysian Youth Council etc) or a combination of them. Now that Perkasa is doing the grandstanding, where does it leave them? Umno, whose role in Perkasa's formation is often speculated, cannot openly side the organisation. If indeed Perkasa was a calculation to outflank Pakatan Rakyat (PR) on race loyalty, while Umno swept home by holding on to inclusivity, then a miscalculation is unintentionally mounting. It is glaringly obvious that the Umno formula of wearing two hats — both championing race and echoing tolerance — is not embellished by Perkasa, the right-wingers have in fact become competitors. Umno is now constantly forced to push a Malay hard-line which is not as hard as Perkasa's, to sustain a degree of distinction. Increasingly it appears the Umno model is having the proverbial rug yanked from beneath it. And more are invited Which is where the weekend's "Gathering of a Million Faithful" joins the equation. What started as the usual "in the name of race and religion" is turning out as a plebiscite on what the real Malay issues are. The right wing will struggle, fortunately, in the aftermath of this impending debacle. First, Perkasa or the "Gathering" asks our population their level of commitment to the cause. A chasm divides clicking the "like" button on Facebook and getting to a decaying stadium in a desolate end of my home state's capital. Those who show up have to actively choose to participate, and then defend the basis of the cause, to themselves at least. It is good they ask these questions; while speech is the doorway to democracy, reflection is the stabiliser of democracies. When the typical participant has to wait for the limited bus service to Shah Alam, and then experience the heat and relatively poor facilities in the stadium, stay on for the screaming — upbraiding an unseen enemy, and then head home with equal difficulty, that typical participant might come to a realisation; that's his problems, and of his state and his country might be more than faith. And if that thinking extends, hopefully it does for enough people, that the self-appointed leaders of race and religion are not in their situation, perhaps it will strike that there are differences between the haves and have nots. The real challenge If Perkasa is in Parliament, it cannot just bemoan the reality. It has to advocate a better future for Malays as it puts it. It has to show how by keeping all the things they advocate, they will move Malays forward. They have been saying that the current funding for Malays has to stay, but in the same breath they argue that the manner in which the funds are distributed is not ideal. That more can be done. As a party in Parliament they cannot just point to our perceived shortcomings, they have to show how their proposals jive with the present. They have to become constructive. That is where Perkasa will in its present reincarnation fail irrevocably. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. 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| Posted: 19 Oct 2011 04:31 PM PDT OCT 20 — It is almost midweek but I still wake up in the middle of the night screaming at Jermain Defoe to pass it to the unmarked Jake Livermore and Emmanuel Adebayor. If he had passed the ball late in the game against Newcastle, it would have been three points for Spurs. Yes, strikers are selfish and they will continue to be but a little bit of intelligence too is required when put in a situation as abovementioned. The glory should be for the team but Jermain Defoe, after scoring for Spurs, eventually lost them two points. I recall the same with Gervinho for Arsenal against Blackburn Rovers in the match played at Ewood Park last month, with the Gunners leading 2-1 at the time. Robin Van Persie was in the penalty area, unmarked and ready to put the ball into the net, yet the selfish Ivorian, who had brought the ball to the edge of the box, decided he wanted a second goal in that match and took a shot which was easily blocked. What that possible Van Persie goal would have done is put some daylight between the teams; instead Blackburn got back into the game with three quick goals, two of which were thanks to Arsenal defenders obliging with own goals, and the match ending 4-3 to the Rovers. That just proves my point of how fortunes can turn on a bad decision by a player, whatever his reasons may be. The big match last weekend was one involving the then-league leaders Manchester United against the once-mighty Liverpool. There was a strange doom-and-gloom attitude from some sections after the draw between the two English giants. The Red Devils had not played their best players, some mourned. They did not go for it, whinged others. Contrary to popular belief, it was a very tactical set up from Sir Alex Ferguson with the emphasis on experience and a certain degree of respect for the opponents. Certainly, the game could have produced better football but it is not always going to be like this. After Liverpool took the lead, United brought on the attacking players and duly got back into the game. The question – and one that makes me sick of hearing it over and over again — is why not start with those players in the first place? I am not a betting man, but if I were, I'd put my money on the fact that if Nani, Wayne Rooney and Chicharito had all started the game, the Red Devils could well have been two or three down by halftime. So, leave the romance at home please, as the game of football has to be carefully thought out. The game at Anfield meant players who can and will play better in their own half, had to start. Likewise in Romania in the Uefa Champions League, it was about Rooney and Chicharito being quick on the counterattack. The Red Devils played at a very slow tempo as their opponents sat deep despite being at home. Just so they don't get thrashed, one can only presume. Meanwhile, the Manchester City versus Villareal game never took off as both teams struggled with fluency and cohesion. However, there were enough positives from David Silva and Kun Aguero though, for City to take into the Manchester derby this weekend. The Santiago Bernabeu was the place to be, however, as Real Madrid steamrolled Lyon, for so long their nemesis in the Champions League It was poetry in motion at times and Mesut Ozil once again was great whether with the ball or off the ball. This Real side is going to take some beating as they did seem on cruise control throughout the game. The best is yet to come from the Spanish giants but only if they stay clear off the other Spanish giants. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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