You are not alone. Yet all of us feel so helpless that the only thing we are able to do is continue to chant for “reformasi” in the face of our adversary, the stubborn and controlled authorities and the elite rotting our resources away. We may not see the change in our life time, but what we are doing now sets the foundation towards change for the next generation and hopefully takes it to victory.
Where do we go from here?
By Hakim Joe
I wasn’t born the year Tunku Abdul Rahman stood up clenching his upright fist at Merdeka Stadium declaring Malaysia’s sovereignty and because of that, I have always taken for granted the privileges accorded a Malaysian citizen and was misled into thinking that there was freedom and equality in a democratic country.
Where do we go from here?
By Hakim Joe
I wasn’t born the year Tunku Abdul Rahman stood up clenching his upright fist at Merdeka Stadium declaring Malaysia’s sovereignty and because of that, I have always taken for granted the privileges accorded a Malaysian citizen and was misled into thinking that there was freedom and equality in a democratic country.
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513 did not make much of an impact on a four-year-old child in Ipoh as the curfews came and went. Racism was not that much of an issue to me as Ipoh town was predominantly a Chinese enclave. When I was old enough to attend school, the sacrifices made by a few great leaders of this nation failed to impress me as I had better things to consider, like how much pocket money was I getting and how was I to stretch it till the end of the week and those prevalent teenage years were spent chasing skirts and politics were the farthest thing in my mind. After graduating from Sydney University, obtaining employment in Malaysia that pays more than my expenses were the first and foremost priority. Fast women and even faster cars take precedence over almost everything. A time of innocence, a time of ignorance.
Now I am in my forties with a family to take care of. Up until the Perak Constitutional Crisis, the precarious position I was in did not fully register in my mind. Yes, there are the NEP and its transformations, the Ketuanan Melayu, human rights violations, manipulation of the media and ISA but ever since the Political Tsunami, everything seemed headed in the right direction. The Opposition had more than a voice in Parliament, they were in control of five state governments. The BN coalition was pegged back and this was supposedly the onset of full democratization of this nation after more than half a decade. I am speaking here and now as a non-bumiputera in Malaysia. Up until the day when the Sultan of Perak dismissed the legally elected Menteri Besar, I failed to recognize how the Word of Law can so easily be distorted, and how the interpretation of the Constitution is so indistinct that it can be disregarded without summary intervention by the Judiciary.
As the only son of a former MCA member in Ipoh, I have always had a passing fancy in Malaysian politics and I sincerely respect those that have fought hard for the many issues still plaguing the Malaysian society – Freedom of Speech, Human Rights, Government Transparency, Rule of Law, Judiciary Sanctity, Abuse of Temporal Powers, etcetera, but it has never crossed my mind that I would one day, sit down and contemplate the political situation here in my country of birth. Neither have I deliberated that I would one day be writing this article to express my discomfort at the manner in which the central government is ruling this country, nor the chaos unleashed to unsettle its citizens. (To be fair, the Opposition Party does not exactly exude confidence either.) Racial disunity in a multi-ethnic society is but one of the many weapons being utilized to advance the personal agenda of those in power and preventive detention meted out to those who either fail to conform to their views or those they cannot silence. Is this a perverted form of democracy that is being experienced here or is this the dire consequence of having an ultra dominant political party?
Denying the BN coalition the two-thirds majority in Parliament is but the first tentative steps to the creation of an authentic democratic Malaysia. The next step is the formation of either a strong two-party (Republican vs. Democratic in US) or three-party (Liberal vs. Conservative vs. Labor in UK) system. We have the beginnings of the former here but the sustainability of Pakatan Rakyat’s coalition partners is fragile due to differing ideologies. Half a century of decadence is not something that needs to be tolerated anymore.
However, until the Opposition camp can prove to the voters that this coalition can (and will) work together for many years to come, this option remains vulnerable. Additionally, until the these leaders are capable of selecting honorable candidates who understand the word “integrity”, this charade of uniformity is but a method in which the frogs accomplishes their “instant-get-rich-scheme”. To the public eye, these generals must be seen to be leading from the front and not merely churning out unwarranted proclamations (from the rear). 916 is an experience no ardent supporters of the Opposition would desire to endure ever again.
It is therefore imperative that Pakatan Rakyat prioritizes their main concerns before the next federal elections scheduled before 2013. Set forth the momentum that will carry the day thence. Four years is too short a time in politics.
Now I am in my forties with a family to take care of. Up until the Perak Constitutional Crisis, the precarious position I was in did not fully register in my mind. Yes, there are the NEP and its transformations, the Ketuanan Melayu, human rights violations, manipulation of the media and ISA but ever since the Political Tsunami, everything seemed headed in the right direction. The Opposition had more than a voice in Parliament, they were in control of five state governments. The BN coalition was pegged back and this was supposedly the onset of full democratization of this nation after more than half a decade. I am speaking here and now as a non-bumiputera in Malaysia. Up until the day when the Sultan of Perak dismissed the legally elected Menteri Besar, I failed to recognize how the Word of Law can so easily be distorted, and how the interpretation of the Constitution is so indistinct that it can be disregarded without summary intervention by the Judiciary.
As the only son of a former MCA member in Ipoh, I have always had a passing fancy in Malaysian politics and I sincerely respect those that have fought hard for the many issues still plaguing the Malaysian society – Freedom of Speech, Human Rights, Government Transparency, Rule of Law, Judiciary Sanctity, Abuse of Temporal Powers, etcetera, but it has never crossed my mind that I would one day, sit down and contemplate the political situation here in my country of birth. Neither have I deliberated that I would one day be writing this article to express my discomfort at the manner in which the central government is ruling this country, nor the chaos unleashed to unsettle its citizens. (To be fair, the Opposition Party does not exactly exude confidence either.) Racial disunity in a multi-ethnic society is but one of the many weapons being utilized to advance the personal agenda of those in power and preventive detention meted out to those who either fail to conform to their views or those they cannot silence. Is this a perverted form of democracy that is being experienced here or is this the dire consequence of having an ultra dominant political party?
Denying the BN coalition the two-thirds majority in Parliament is but the first tentative steps to the creation of an authentic democratic Malaysia. The next step is the formation of either a strong two-party (Republican vs. Democratic in US) or three-party (Liberal vs. Conservative vs. Labor in UK) system. We have the beginnings of the former here but the sustainability of Pakatan Rakyat’s coalition partners is fragile due to differing ideologies. Half a century of decadence is not something that needs to be tolerated anymore.
However, until the Opposition camp can prove to the voters that this coalition can (and will) work together for many years to come, this option remains vulnerable. Additionally, until the these leaders are capable of selecting honorable candidates who understand the word “integrity”, this charade of uniformity is but a method in which the frogs accomplishes their “instant-get-rich-scheme”. To the public eye, these generals must be seen to be leading from the front and not merely churning out unwarranted proclamations (from the rear). 916 is an experience no ardent supporters of the Opposition would desire to endure ever again.
It is therefore imperative that Pakatan Rakyat prioritizes their main concerns before the next federal elections scheduled before 2013. Set forth the momentum that will carry the day thence. Four years is too short a time in politics.
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