The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Posted: 23 Apr 2013 06:03 PM PDT
APRIL 24 ― A friend and I were up on the highest level of the Thean Hou Temple, in Seputeh, two weekends ago. We were up there for two reasons: my friend, a social worker wanted calm, and I was there for my research. Instead, we sat on a bench and looked up at the sky, while a porcelain figure of the Goddess Kuan Yin poured water from a fountain attached to her nearby. We were both exhausted by the campaigns, the anger and bitterness, and yes, excitement. The latter is high octane energy but it can sap you. Facebook, Twitter, emails are all harping on about what's right and wrong, who would win, everything and anything that is political in the country. Our politics is about extremes; you're either with us or not. You cannot be objective, you cannot see the truth for what it is. It is their truth, not yours, that matters. Anger, righteousness and sneers are virtues these days. For some, posturing and a lot of swagger. We all want change. I certainly do. But I wonder if this desire for change can be detached from the bitterness and spite. Yes, many of our policies, however well-meant they were at the time of creation, have fallen to abuse and corruption. There is so much to be angry about, and with the kind of politics we have been experiencing since 1998, can we be forgiven for being jaded? My friends and I have been engaged in rather unsettling conversations with friends. Whether they are Barisan Nasional supporters or not, you cannot question or even think aloud some of your misgivings. One example is this, which was bandied about among friends of all political leanings. If Pakatan Rakyat takes over Putrajaya and implements new economic policies or revises and strengthens current developments and policies, and in four years they are voted out, will the new government disregard all the work they had done and start afresh? The same question was put to a few friends who support BN. In the end, who loses in this ping-pong match? The rakyat. I have learned my lesson: my poor ears were singed good and proper. And I have learned another lesson from expressing other views about other things that will affect Malaysia in the future: if people don't consider these issues, and you, seriously enough, they'll brush you off. Karen Armstrong, in her book, "12 Steps to A Compassionate Life", states that we are addicted to egotism. "We cannot think how we would manage without our pet hatreds and prejudices that give us such a buzz of righteousness." Armstrong's book pinpointed what I feel is missing in our landscape: Compassion. You see, anger, salaciousness, cynicism sell. They sell especially well in the media, and the media needs them to thrive. It's not just advertisements that keep the media afloat. And because of what many Malaysians have gone through, they feed on these, to feel justified in their anger. When we vote on May 5, 2013, we will vote with many emotions and thoughts. The first-time voters I interviewed will be excited. Everyone who votes on that day, will have a special place in Malaysian history and change. Perhaps, prior to voting, we should ask ourselves what power is to our country and us. What kind of power do we Malaysians want? The Vietnamese Buddhist Zen master, poet, scholar and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh, wrote in his book, "The Art of Power": "Our society is founded on a very limited definition of power, namely wealth, professional success, fame, physical strength, military might and political control. My dear friends, I suggest that there is another kind of power, a greater power: the power to be happy right in the present moment, free from addiction, fear, despair, discrimination, anger, and ignorance. This power is the birth-right of every human being whether celebrated or unknown, rich or poor, strong or weak. Let's explore this exact kind of power…" Do you want a dogmatic government? Do you want a heavy-handed government? What and how would you like the government post GE13 to exercise power? And don't forget. When we vote, we are exercising our own personal power. Just don't vote angry. Be generous and kind to yourself. Selamat mengundi. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist | |
| Posted: 23 Apr 2013 05:55 PM PDT
APRIL 24 ― Life in Kuala Lumpur in the past few weeks has been a constant reminder of our flawed democracy. If you are in the city, look all around you. You will see banners and posters of political parties almost everywhere. Superficially, the colourful show of political flags is a sign of democracy. Now, look closer at those belonging to Barisan Nasional and especially those with Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin on it. Be mindful of their messages. Those messages celebrate the achievements of Raja Nong Chik as a minister. It highlights what he has done over the past few years, with him heading the Ministry of Federal Territories. It appears like the all too admirable democratic judge-my-record, thank-me politics. He even thanked himself in many of his political banners and posters for stuff he did in the city. Yet underneath this veneer is acid corroding the pillars of our democratic institution. The campaign narrative told by BN to the voters in the city implicitly makes one think that Raja Nong Chik is the mayor of Kuala Lumpur. This is all the more so in Bangsar where he is contesting in the general election. If those messages are to be believed, it would appear that he was both the mayor of Kuala Lumpur and the Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai, the parliamentary seat which Bangsar is a part of. If all those achievements highlighted for electioneering purposes are truly his, then he must have directed the very public resources belonging to the city to do what he did. He takes credit for things that are the normal function of City Hall, like the maintenance of drainage around the city, which is funded by taxpayers' money. There is a problem with this if one views it through a democratic lens. Truth is that Raja Nong Chik is an unelected senator appointed as the minister for the Federal Territories. He is not the elected mayor of Kuala Lumpur and he is not the elected representative for Lembah Pantai. The 2008 general election saw BN win only one out of 11 Parliamentary seats in Kuala Lumpur. While Parliamentary seats are an inadequate proxy to the will of the majority in the city, it is the best proxy we have got since there is no local election. Based on that proxy, the majority in the city conclusively rejected BN candidates and BN itself then in March 2008. In spite of that, BN continued to control City Hall through the Ministry of Federal Territories as if they had the moral mandate to do so. With that, the party was the one that determined the development agenda of the city. Or perhaps, more importantly, BN controlled the spending priority of City Hall. Add in the fact that the actual mayor of the city also is unelected, voters of Kuala Lumpur are quite simply unrepresented in the very authority that governs the affairs of their home. The elected representatives are dependent on the goodwill of City Hall and the ministry to execute the normal functions of an elected representative. It is Putrajaya with its pretentious grandiose buildings that dictate the affairs of Kuala Lumpur. The city of millions is being governed from a desolate town erected in the middle of nowhere. That is undemocratic. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly the premise that BN's campaign messages rest upon. How long more will the Kuala Lumpur electorates continue to be politically unrepresented in the running of the city? There is no reason for BN to change the status quo because it is the beneficiary of things as it is. If BN continues to be in the minority in the city, it is in their favour to keep the whole undemocratic structure intact. Even if BN somehow miraculously wins a majority of Kuala Lumpur Parliamentary seats and by proxy, the will of the voters of Kuala Lumpur, the moral authority BN might gain through this democratic process is only a redundant bonus. That begs a question. If Raja Nong Chik and BN do not require a win to do what he did in the next Parliamentary term, why vote him in at all? * This is the personal opinion of the columnist |
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