The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| DAP CEC dilemma will prove Malaysians’ maturity Posted: 18 Apr 2013 05:51 PM PDT
APRIL 19 — The decision by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) not to recognise the DAP's central executive committee, or CEC, is a surprising move indeed even if it is an issue that has been talked about before this. Why did the RoS decide to do so only two days before Nomination Day when it had earlier already decided that investigations would be postponed till May 9? As far as perception goes, this would actually make it look as if the decision taken by the RoS is a politically-motivated one that would benefit the caretaker Barisan Nasional government. If this is the case, then it would make full sense for the DAP not to challenge the decision and play the "victim" card to gain sympathy and turn the situation around for their own benefit instead. Also, this decision by the RoS would mean that the DAP would have no recognised leaders to authorise their members to use the party logo during the election. DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng has already declared, with the agreement of the PKR and PAS leadership, that DAP members can run under the other two parties' logos. But there are implications to this decision if it were indeed to be taken. There has always been the dilemma of the Chinese community really accepting PAS or not, and through the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, a vote for DAP would really mean a vote for PAS. If the DAP were to run under the green moon logo, this would highlight the dilemma even more, and this could cause the Chinese DAP voters to be more conscious of it. And this would be a disadvantage for Pakatan Rakyat. But then again, there is also the opposite dilemma where Malay supporters of PAS might not feel comfortable voting for the DAP because it is considered a Chinese non-Muslim party, And if these Malay voters don't see the rocket logo, they might just feel more comfortable in having to cross the box next to whatever Pakatan Rakyat component logo appears on the ballot paper. And this would be an advantage for Pakatan Rakyat. But all this is of the assumption that Malaysians are still looking at race-based politics. And I would like to think that my fellow countrymen have reached a higher maturity level. Ideally, I would like to believe that this crisis or challenge that has emerged at the eleventh hour as something that will show the true spirit of Malaysia. The true spirit of Malaysia where we are truly a multiracial and multireligious society that can look past our ethnic and spiritual differences in order to focus on what is important. By forcing the DAP to run in the election under different logos would mean forcing Malaysians to accept that these different parties are now really banding together for a greater cause. So there might just be a silver lining to this thick shroud of grey clouds suddenly appearing in Malaysian politics that would mean that Malaysians have indeed matured. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. | |
| Taking the rural voter for granted Posted: 18 Apr 2013 04:49 PM PDT
APRIL 19 — Most political pundits are predicting a close race between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the upcoming general election. In part, this is explained by the urban popularity of PR being neutralised by the deep hold BN has on the rural vote. It somehow seems that this is as real a factor as the rich-poor divide, the Malay-non- Malay divide, the young-old divide and the conservative-liberal divide. In actual fact, the rural-urban divide as a predictor of electoral outcomes is misplaced. While how old we are, how much money we make, what our religious beliefs are and what our take on corruption is are all factors that help determine who we vote for, whether we live in a kampung or in KL is losing its impact on how we vote. Firstly, there just aren't that many people in rural Malaysia any more. According to a World Bank report published in 2012, the rural population of Malaysia was at 27.8 per cent of the total in 2010, declining at an annual rate of 1.65 per cent, the fastest in a decade. Typically, migration is a business undertaken by the young. As they get access to information and develop more sophisticated worldviews, these are shared with their families during balik kampung. Simultaneously, household broadband penetration reached 61.5 per cent of all households by October 2011 as reported by The Edge, with rural areas especially targeted under the Universal Service Provision project. Increasingly, whether through the Internet or as in the case of rural Sarawak through distribution of free radios, the rural population has access to alternative political news and views. The world is brought even closer with the improvement in physical infrastructure like roads and rail, improved access to air connectivity, advances in literacy, higher education and modern healthcare. While there is unevenness in the delivery of all of these, depending on a myriad of factors including corruption and their relative importance in terms of population metrics, it is clear that rural Malaysians are able to close the information gap at a much faster pace today with their urban cousins. With this access to competing ideas, it seems baffling that politicians still continue to believe that the rural voter will continue to vote the way they have in the past just because pre-election handouts have worked in the past and politicians have been able to make voters believe that they should be grateful for whatever the government of the day has done for them, it has decreasing resonance today, in tandem with the rise in access to information across the political spectrum. Of course, there will always be voters who are resistant to change, are genuinely grateful for the opportunities provided to them and have seen a steady improvement in their material condition, just as there are voters who believe a lot more could have and can be done with reduction in corruption, a better educational system and an end to race-based politics. But the battle for the hearts and minds of voters is much more likely to be a product of this competition of ideas than that on where they live. Politicians would be much better off tailoring their messages on a different set of attributes predicated on their social and economic situation rather than merely those of geography. Otherwise, with time running out there could be a lot of bloody noses in rural constituencies this general election. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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