The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Posted: 01 May 2013 05:31 PM PDT
MAY 2 — Sunday decides if Malaysians are to shut up for another five years. All said and done, that is the only referendum at stake when the votes are counted. Ask yourself objectively, in this reality we exist in if Barisan Nasional continues to rule come May 6 will you the average voter get to impose your will on your government? The nature of man, the basis of man, is to impose his belief within his personal space. That if he has spoken then he matters. Which is what a democracy intends to guarantee, a sense that all of us equally own our space and that no voice is by birthright better than another. The individual is expressed by his belief. Without expression, the individual ceases to be. The BN continuously espouses the ethos that the individual must refrain in order for the regime to flourish. BN does not only engineer its ascendancy it does in fact damage the national psyche. It forces millions to compromise their individuality, in essence live unnaturally. They use elections not only to silence the many, but to underline their right to silence us. To repeat to us, the rakyat, thereafter for decades that we chose the situation. The breakdown of the will and the neutering of millions through gerrymandering are afterthoughts, within the democracy an outcome proves the people who rule the nation, not those elected. We are often wrong, but we cannot be wrong simply because of who we are. And they cannot be right by default because everyone else has been prohibited the chance to be right. The circular reasoning only justifies the mad, and champions the insincere. This is why BN fails the moral test. It is a group that begrudges the right of the rest of Malaysians to decide if it continues to rule. BN spends the immediate years after winning to show its swagger and opportunity based on its relationships — life is good if when you are an Umno division chief. Life is tough when you are just a grasscutter — because, for example, the municipality contract has to factor how much a good life certain politicians can have before commissioning labourers to actually do the work the contract spells out. The distribution of wealth is never as pronounced as when Umno gets to determine the conditions of the contest. And nothing announced is appearing to be good enough for those living off the party. But principles are for those who can afford it, eh? My step-grandfather loved his family, raised turkeys and was always careful. He also worked at the city's main market as a general worker and took perishables the traders gave away cheap at closing time. And since there was no gas stove, rice cooker, refrigerator or electric iron, the family made do with what was available. I would be surprised if he did not collect the extra wages at BN election campaign offices and even voted the coalition out of gratitude. I don't blame him or any of my hundreds of relatives who are assuredly BN voters in the past. For people who grow with less will be thankful for goodies. And within that behaviour lies BN's strategy for this election. That by giving more than what is usually given the slight aberration of support numbers — the drop of them — will be corrected. There is a certain amount that when given will garner enough votes to stay in power. The asking price may increase but there is no fear that there is an appropriate price for most voters. Will they win by doing so, presenting inducements? What will prevail? To say the truth is to be naive. To say the old guard will prevail is to deny history building up, a swell of fortitude rising above the pettiness. I want to say the people. The basic core of a democracy is celebrated when millions exercise their right wilfully and without coercion. They must find a way to prevail and that is all one can do. Personally, it has been stressful and the anxiety levels intolerable. But I should expect it, since we are so close to what will surely be the finest day in the short history of our country, to see a new dawn of change. We should expect things to be tricky, but remember the task is simple. To show up and vote. Vote early, and then tell everyone else you have voted. Remind people that you affect change when you show up, and on Sunday it is time to show up. Ini kalilah! (This time!) * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. | |
| Why politics is not the answer Posted: 01 May 2013 05:06 PM PDT
MAY 2 — If you think changes in the political arena will bring about changes in our lives, you're right and wrong. There will certainly be changes but not the real changes that matter. I'm talking about the things that make our lives meaningful and worth living, not about things becoming more affordable or us having higher incomes. Of course, the latter things help to make our lives easier, but they are not the things that give meaning to our lives. I am talking about the relationships that we have with others and, most importantly, with ourselves. Our dignity and sense of worth should come from ourselves, not from a position or title, or the number of possessions we have in our storeroom. Today, I wore three watches on my two wrists. It didn't make time more meaningful to me. But the laughs I shared with my wife certainly made my day. Well, if politics is not the answer, what is? Good question. To me, the answer is education. Let me tell you why. Politicians are trained to sell, not to speak the truth. And we, being the emotional consumers that we are, fall for the sales pitch especially when there's a promotion. Why use old technology (BN) when there's a new one (PR). Believe me, if PR wins this round, we will be complaining about them in a couple of years, if not months. In contrast, education speaks the truth. Well, at least good education. It's about equipping us for life, not about propaganda that will make us vote or buy a certain ideology or brand. Unfortunately, education has also become a business. Indeed, the contents of today's education perpetuate the mindset in which we are caught. Alas, we don't often remember what Albert Einstein said: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." The education system that exists today (to be fair, not only in Malaysia) is a relic of the past. Indeed, it was designed for a previous age. The age of industry. In the information age, we need a different kind of education. One that equips and prepares our children for the reality of a fast and furious world. It must enable our children to think fast but also to stay calm in the face of speed. In the ferocity of today's reality, they must also learn to be kind, gentle and patient. If IQ were all we needed for success, we'd be all very happy beings. Unfortunately, only a very small percentage of us are. And if you investigate what else they have, it's much more than IQ. It's EQ plus SQ (spiritual quotient), and God knows what else. Anyway, let me try to put it simply. When students seek admission to college, they need to fulfil certain entry requirements. Very often, they are three Cs, meaning three credits. These, the students have to fulfil. When students graduate, I expect the staff to fulfil the exit requirements, which are also three Cs: communication skills, creativity and character. In other words, students who graduate today must have these three attributes: good, if not excellent, communication skills, creativity and character. I think it should be obvious why these three attributes are important in our rapidly changing world. Think about it. Then decide if you have contributed to the mis-education of our youth. All those graduates out there who can't communicate properly. And the lack of creativity. SOPs are good up to a certain extent but they certainly don't have SOPs for innovation. As for character, why do you think many of our youth lack pride in their work and why is there no commitment to excellence? We — parents, school teachers, Scoutmasters, sports coaches, professors, clerics, etc. — have an immeasurable influence on the lives of children, the future leaders of our country. The political and business leaders of today are products of the past. All of us need to contribute to the education of a whole new generation of leaders that will lead by principle and positive human values. Values that will sustain our earth for generations to come. Values that respect all life, not just human life. Values that appreciate and celebrate the diversity of life itself. Values that make our lives meaningful and worth living. That, we can find in education. And that, our politicians do not have the courage to sell. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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