The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Posted: 23 May 2013 06:08 PM PDT
MAY 24 — I'm going to be honest and say outright that I'm afraid of the recent turn of events in our country, with the numerous arrests being made and copies of newspapers being confiscated. But it's a complicated situation that everything is in right now. And I am seriously tired of all these complicated situations that we've been in since the election. Yes, the election has come and gone. And yes, Barisan Nasional (BN) won and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lost. It's the worst faring by BN and the best by PR. BN was quick to swear in their prime minister, while PR was quick to declare the election process being a fraud and not recognise the results. And since they won the popular vote, PR leaders started organising rallies all around the country, knowing full well that the turnout would be huge. Yada yada yada. And that's when all hell broke loose in the BN camp. It started out with racist statements being made by the BN camp which rightly angered not just the PR camp, but many Malaysians, me included. And now, the cavalry has been set loose. Four people have been detained, Adam Adli, Haris Ibrahim, Tian Chua and Tamrin Ghafar, for sedition. The cavalry also went on a spree around Malaysia, confiscating PR newspapers Harakah, Suara Keadilan and Rocket from newsstands, and even from the back of the distributor's lorries. Any sane, logical and rational human being will realise that this is a wrong step to take by the ruling government if they want to improve their standing with the rakyat. I dare say that no matter how hardcore your support is for the ruling party, it has to be very difficult to justify this sort of action in this day and age. It may have worked in 1987 when they carried out Ops Lalang where 106 individuals were arrested and three newspapers were banned. But it doesn't work now. The rakyat are not as susceptible and gullible as they were decades ago when information was limited and not accessible as it is today. Some may argue that it's all legal, and the PR camp and the activists knew the consequences when they did what they did. Of course they would have known the consequences of their actions. But I feel that this is hardly an argument since there really is no other way to express what they have to say. Aside from the legal aspects (of which its ethics can be debated), I really see no wrong in whatever they have done. Not even the sedition part. I may not agree to violence as a form of overthrowing a government, but I agree to the fact that they have a right to say what they want to say. And I definitely agree that the rakyat have a right to gather and assemble to express their beliefs as this is one of the basic tenets of democracy. So when I said at the start of my article that I am afraid about the recent turn of events that have occurred in our country, I wasn't afraid of the current situation. What I am afraid of is the consequences of the actions taken by the ruling party in handling the situation, and whether they realise it or not. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. | |
| Keadilan’s successes in the 13th general election Posted: 23 May 2013 05:47 PM PDT
MAY 24 — In the immediate aftermath of the 13th general election, there are many things that Keadilan leaders nationwide are rightly preoccupied about: the blatant electoral abuses by Barisan Nasional and the Election Commission; the vicious racist cycle being perpetuated by Najib Razak's "balanced" administration and some soul-searching on how to improve ourselves moving forward. It is significant that in spite of the populist cash handouts and an expensive public relations campaign by Umno-BN, it was Pakatan Rakyat that won the popular vote. Let us not dismiss the magnitude of this: it clearly shows the differences between the two political coalitions in Malaysia today. Umno, and by extension BN, is still stuck in the past. Umno's ethos is still of an authoritarian, rural party that it is increasingly if not totally out of touch with the product of the NEP that it created: a younger, diverse and urban Malay community that is fast becoming comfortable, indeed melding with Malaysian society as a whole. The race-based component parties too are stuck with their assigned roles that originated from the divide-and-rule policies of the colonial period. The MCA and MIC presidents largely restrict themselves (and also get treated by Umno) as modern-era Chinese and Indian kapitans respectively. Originally multiracial parties such as Gerakan or PPP have become largely irrelevant, squeezed by the racial ethos of Umno-BN on one side and the success of Pakatan's non-racial approach in the urban areas on the other. While Najib branded the swing against Umno-BN as a "Chinese tsunami", Keadilan is the best evidence that it was anything but. The 14-year-old party has emerged from the election as the only party that won at least a seat in all states of the federation and the Federal Territories — from Perlis to Sabah. Indeed, Keadilan has the largest number of state assemblymen in Sabah. Our MPs and state assemblymen now consist of Malays, Chinese, Indians, Iban, Orang Hulu and Kadazans. Keadilan has continued the trend of making mixed constituencies — once the mainstay of Umno-BN — its stronghold. Continuing the development from the 2011 Sarawak state election, the party has continued to make inroads in east Malaysia, largely overcoming its previous, underserved reputation as being a "Peninsular party." Nevertheless, the east Malaysian Bumiputera segment remains the biggest hurdle for Keadilan and Pakatan. While the party has one less parliamentary seat than in 2008, it has increased its total votes at the federal level from 1.5 million to 2.3 million, or 18.6 per cent to 20.4 per cent of the popular votes nationwide. The quality of representatives has improved significantly compared to 2008. More importantly, youthful leadership — both from the 2008 batch such as Nurul Izzah Anwar, Sim Tze Tzin and S. Kesavan — as well as from the recent election like Rafizi Ramli, Darell Leiking and Shamsul Iskandar — continues to feature strongly among both elected representatives and senior office holders of the party. This bodes well for the future of the party. In addition, Keadilan staggered its announcement of the party's candidates. Many of those who were announced early were able to establish themselves in their constituencies and emerged successful in the elections. This approach should be replicated more extensively in future polls. Keadilan and Pakatan can also take pride in the fact that we largely set the agenda of the 13th general election — both by articulating bold policy ideas that captured the imagination of the voters and exposing corruption scandals that had largely been ignored by the mainstream media. This placed Umno-BN on the defensive to the point that the ruling coalition had to delay the publication of its manifesto and eventually copy many of Pakatan's proposals. The success of establishing a party-related think-tank, Institut Rakyat, advised by many formidable corporate, academic and activist figures, also shows that the party is serious in developing its policy credentials. It was launched too close to the elections to perhaps have an immediate impact but one is confident that it will play a major role in future elections. The party has shown itself to be Malaysia's most successful multiracial party in history. This is despite being attacked by many as a temporary phenomenon or the "weakest link" in Pakatan; 2013 has proven how wrong this all is. The key for us now is to move forward and remain united, to build upon our strengths and iron out any weaknesses both within Keadilan and in Pakatan. While many party supporters may be disheartened by the election results, let us not forget what we have achieved. The road ahead will be long and difficult but ultimately what we're fighting for is a better country for everyone. The campaign for the next general election and indeed for the future of Malaysia has just begun. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan