The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Di Canio’s a fascist… so what? Posted: 01 Apr 2013 05:15 PM PDT
APRIL 2 — Sunderland's decision to sack their manager Martin O'Neill and replace him with the charismatic former Italy international Paolo Di Canio has caused quite a fuss. Firstly, there's the question of whether O'Neill deserved to be sacked or if Sunderland's American owner Ellis Short has simply given an unnecessary knee-jerk reaction to a poor run of form. Secondly, it's debateable whether Di Canio has done enough to earn the opportunity of managing a Premier League club, having spent only 18 months in management with third-tier Swindon Town. Thirdly, and most intriguingly, there's the unusual problem of Di Canio's politics. The Italian, you see, is a self-declared fascist. In the past he has thrown a Nazi-style salute to the right-wing ultras of his then-club Lazio and spoken of his deep admiration for wartime Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, describing him as "misunderstood." His appointment has even resulted in the resignation of high-profile Sunderland board member David Miliband, the former British foreign secretary and brother of the current Labour leader Ed, who announced that he was quitting his position "in the light of the new manager's past political statements." While it's inevitable that Di Canio's strongly stated political views are newsworthy, I don't think they should be regarded as an impediment to his suitability for the job. He is a football manager. His job is to win football matches; in the short term, his specific job is to keep Sunderland in the Premier League. Nothing more. And that is all we should be concerned with. Of course, there are limits. If Di Canio was a law-breaking mass murderer who acted upon his more extreme views to perpetrate hate crimes, then he would clearly be unsuitable; but then again, he wouldn't have been available for the job because he'd be in prison. In his enlightening and enormously influential 1859 book On Liberty, English political-philosopher John Stuart Mill wrote of the importance of tolerance in a free society: "There is a limit to the legitimate interference of collective opinion with individual independence; and to find that limit, and maintain it against encroachment, is as indispensable to a good condition of human affairs as protection against political despotism... "The object of this Essay is to assert one very simple principle... that the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number is self-protection." The values espoused by Mill should form the cornerstone of any free and open society. If we really pride ourselves "on liberty", we should possess a civilised ability to tolerate the views of other people, even if — especially if — we don't agree with them. Miliband's reaction is childish. He is effectively saying: "I can only work with people with whom I agree." That is an entirely unrealistic viewpoint. Any successful and happy organisation or society has to be able to incorporate people who can work together in harmony and understanding even when they disagree on fundamental issues. Miliband's resignation suggests he cannot do that, which hints at a great weakness in his character. Some would argue that as a Premier League manager, Di Canio is in an elevated position of responsibility, trust and public confidence, and that he is a role model to children. True — to an extent. His behaviour in sport-related matters is indeed important and we should judge managers like Di Canio for their ability to adhere to values such as sportsmanship and mutual respect among competitors. But we can hardly claim to uphold those standards — otherwise Neil Warnock and Jose Mourinho would have been permanently out of work a long time ago. Outside the sporting arena, Di Canio should be perfectly free to hold whatever political beliefs he wants and, in fact, they are irrelevant anyway. We shouldn't take any notice of them or give them more credibility than they deserve by reacting to them at all. He is a football manager, not a political leader, and if he believes that fascism is the best way to organise a society, that's up to him: beyond his ordinary vote as a citizen, he's not the one deciding. And if you allow yourself to be influenced by his views, more fool you. Why should you even listen to him? You'd be much better off paying heed to a specialist in the field. In our fame-driven modern culture, we are often guilty of bestowing far too much importance upon the uninformed views of sportsman and other celebrities, which is entirely wrong. Just because Lionel Messi is the most gifted footballer of all time, that doesn't mean we should seek his views on the ethical problems of genetic engineering. Usain Bolt, likewise, is not the man to solve the Israel-Palestine question. The fact that they are extraordinarily talented in one field of human endeavour doesn't mean they are qualified to comment with authority upon anything else. In fact, it's more often the reverse. The single-minded commitment and dedication required to become a top-level athlete (or artist, or musician, etc) demands a selfishness and narrowness of focus that generally precludes an ability to excel in other areas. So let's just leave Di Canio alone and judge him solely on his abilities as a football manager. You don't have to agree with his political views but neither should you condemn him for them, as long as he's acting lawfully. Of course, it would be a different matter if his opinions impacted upon his ability to carry out his duties — if, for example, he refused to pick black players. But until that happens, he should be regarded as a football manager, not a political activist, and allowed to do his job. If you don't, you stand accused of impeding Di Canio's right to freedom of expression... and isn't that exactly the kind of fascism you're supposedly opposing in the first place? * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. | |
| Posted: 01 Apr 2013 05:06 PM PDT
2 APRIL — Sebagaimana semua menunggu bila Parlimen hendak dibubarkan, maka semuanya menunggu bila pula DAP hendak diharamkan? RoS (Registrar of Societies) sudah mengingatkan supaya DAP mengadakan undi semula pemilihan pimpinan pusatnya jika tidak mahu dikenakan tindakan. Tindakan itu mungkin diharamkan. Dan pihak yang benci DAP memang mendesak supaya RoS membatalkan pendaftarannya. DAP setakat ini enggan mengadakan pemilihan semua pimpinannya. Ia telah memaklumkan sendiri berlaku salah kira atas keputusan pemilihan itu dan ia tidak dibetulkan. Tiada siapa tahu DAP melakukan kesilapan jika ia tidak memaklumkannya kepada umum. Sekarang semua menunggu bila RoS akan membatalkan pendaftaran DAP. Dalam waktu yang suntuk ini jika diharamkan, sulit sedikit baginya bagi mendaftarkan yang baru. DAP bersedia untuk diharamkan. Penasihatnya Lim Kit Siang menyatakan DAP sedia bertanding atas nama PAS dalam PRU13 ini. Dan reaksi Setiausaha Agung PAS, Datuk Mustapa Ali ialah PAS sedia memberi laluan. Soalnya sekarang bila RoS hendak mengharamkan DAP? Jika RoS sebuah agensi yang tegas dalam serba serbi, maka ia mesti haramkan DAP dengan segera sekurang-kurangnya sebelum hari penamaan calon. PAS sekarang dipercayai menunggu. Ia tidak mendoakan supaya DAP diharamkan, tetapi kalau diharamkan, maka ia satu cabaran yang menarik bagi menguji kematangan politik Pakatan Rakyat dalam suasana baru politik Malaysia sekarang. Semua akan menyaksikan pejuang Islam dalam PAS menawarkan kemudahan kepada sekutunya bagi membuktikan kemantapan dan kematangan kerjasamanya dan DAP pula di lihat berani menghadapi pengundi tradisinya untuk menggunakan lambang PAS, Bulan Penuh Purnama. Ia menguji kematangan pengundi bukan Islam mampu membuat perubahan untuk bersama PAS. Sikap baru Kit Siang itu seperti satu letupan bom yang menggamamkan BN khususnya Umno dan MCA. Sikap DAP itu bukan suatu pendirian gila. Ia sikap yang berani. Dan PAS juga tidak gila. Mereka sama-sama berani. Muapakat kumpulan yang berani biasanya membawa kejayaan. Jika DAP diharamkan, apa yang dapat dibayangkan betul DAP bertanding atas nama PAS, maka kita akan melihat bendera Bulan akan memenuhi semua kota besar di Malaysia seperti Pulau Pinang, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Sseremban dan lain-lain. Tenggelam semua bandar dengan Bulan dan Dacing. Biasanya yang hijau lebih menyerlah dari yang biru. Di Gelang Patah orang akan mengarak Bulan bersama Lim Kit Siang. Karpal Singh selalu dibayangkan orang yang asing bagi PAS. Tetapi kali Karpal akan berada di bawah payungan Bulan yang hijau. Pada malam mengira undi nanti kita akan mendengar pengumuman demi pengumuman. Bukit Bintang dan Siputih dimenangi oleh PAS. Ipoh Timur, Batu Gajah dan Taiping dimenangi calon PAS. Kuching, Miri, Sibu dan lain-lain PAS juga menang. Gelang Patah? Patahlah Umno dan BN. Paling ditunggu-tunggu ialah di Pulau Pinang. Majoriti yang menang ialah PAS termasuk Ketua Menteri Lim Guan Eng. Ketua Menteri itu adalah calon PAS. Maka Presiden PAS Abdul Hadi Awang akan merestui Guan Eng sebagai calon PAS untuk mengangkat sumpah menjadi Ketua Menteri kerana pada masa itu DAP belum lagi ada parti sendiri. Untuk berapa hari kita belum tahu, tapi sejarah akan tercatit PAS ada kerajaan di Pulau Pinang. Ini semua kerja Allah. Kita tidak tahu. Tuhan boleh menjatuhkan kerajaan yang Dia mahu dan Tuhan boleh menaikkan kerajaan yang Dia mahu. Putrajaya dapat ditawan atau tidak itu cerita lain. Tetapi sekarang Pakatan/PAS bukan saja di Kelantan dan Kedah tetapi di Pulau Pinang dan beberapa negeri lagi. * Ini adalah pandangan peribadi penulis. |
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