When history is written in the future, the present period may be described as the most exciting, challenging and momentous period in the nation’s history since Merdeka and formation of Malaysia as for the first time in half a century, Malaysians feel that it is within their power to effect far-reaching changes affecting not only themselves, but their children and children’s children.
Just look at the news on online portals and they reflect the multi-facted turmoil affecting the country.
For instance, if we look at the main news headlines on The Malaysia Today, we read the following:
• “Kit Siang, Soi Lek agree race column outdated”
• “Ku Li calls for RCI on power deals”
• “Ex-cop claims AG concealed billion-ringgit scandals”
• “Najib: People, not slogans, decide who wins Putrajaya”
• “PAS polls outcome a win for DAP, says Najib”
The first headline gets to the very root problem of Malaysian nation-building after 54 years as well as the rationale of the 1Malaysia concept – the 2-year RM74million slogan of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
When Selangor DAP Assemblywoman for Subang Jaya Hannah Yeoh and her husband Ramachandran Muniandy tried to register their newborn daughter as an “Anak Malaysia”, it exploded to smithereens the utter hollowness of Najib’s 1Malaysia concept.
Under the official definition of Najib’s 1Malaysia in the expensively-printed 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme Roadmap launched by Najib in January 2009, 1Malaysia sought to create a Malaysia where every Malaysian perceives of himself of herself as Malaysian first and race, religion, geography and socio-economic status second.
Hannah and Ramachandran sought to be the 1Malaysia pioneer generation by registering their newborn child as “Anak Malaysia” but their 1Malaysia efforts were utterly crushed by the anti-1Malaysia forces in the government bureaucracy – not to mention the Umno hierarchy!
It is a total failure of Malaysian nation-building after more than half-a-century of nationhood that ethnic identities occupy greater primacy than Malaysian nationality.
Malaysians will forever have their separate ethnic identities but they should all be subsumed and subordinated to their common Malaysian nationality – which is why all government documents must be revamped where nationality takes primacy to ethnicity.
In the case of registration of new-borns, the power of National Registration Department to refuse registration of those who refuses to fill in the ethnic column must be taken away.
Who gives the National Registration Department Napoleons the power to decide whether a Malaysian is born in the country or not?
The five headlines in The Malaysian Insider which I cited are just examples of the great changes and turmoil taking place in our country, requiring all leaders to be agile in mind and nimble on foot so that they are always on top, rather than being overwhelmed, by roiling events and developments.
I will just end on the fifth headline: “PAS polls outcome a win for DAP, says Najib”.
Najib cannot be more wrong as PAS polls outcome is a win for Pakatan Rakyat and a loss for UMNO.
This is why Umno and all the Barisan Nasional component parties are panicking as reflected by their reactions to PAS party polls.
The brutal truth is that UMNO and BN have now realised that the Pakatan Rakyat coalition of DAP, PKR and PAS are now a more credible Malaysian option than UMNO and BN to save Malaysia!
{Speech (3) at the opening of the DAP State Assembly Reps’ Workshop in Sibu on Saturday, 11th June 2011 at 10 am:}
#1 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 6:40 am
Since 308 tsunami – and the spate of by elections/S’wak state election that saw Chinese support at least irretrievably swinging to PR- the ruling party has strategized to drive a wedge between PR’s component parties, maintain if not aggravate Non Malays’ anxieties of PAS’s fundamentalism whilst at same time garner more support of its traditional Malay/Muslim constituency via 3 approaches: (1) continue to paint PAS as religiously fundamentalist compared to UMNO’s progressive” Islamic credentials; (2) play the race card by calling for Malay Unity (PAS-UMNO merger) and PAS being voice of Non malay Karpal/LKS (3) separate PAS from supporting Anwar/PKR based on Anwar’s alleged moral peccadilloes (Sodomy II & sex video).
#2 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 6:45 am
Whilst it remains to be seen how far PR’s cause will actually be advanced in next GE by PAS’s new team, the fact that it is a line up of non ulamas and relative moderates now throws a (monkey) wrench in the works/calculations of UMNO in respect of all the 3 strategies outlined above.
Instead of being divided, PR becomes more cohesive; instead of appearing as extreme, PAS appears more moderate and edging closer to the centre; instead of having more misgivings about Anwar, this team led by even a strident critic of Anwar (Mohamad Sabu) preferred to work more closely with PKR within PR; instead of splitting the Malay Muslim votes shared between PKR & PAS, they appear more united now. And instead of showing UMNO could re-invent itself, PAS appears to do it more credibly as evinced by the poll results whereas Najib’s attempt to re-invent UMNO & administration by 1 Malaysia & NEM seem to be resisted ineffectual and stonewalled by his own civil service/bureaucracy and pressure groups like Perkasa, making UMNO look more extreme, veering from centre of Malaysian politics as PAS moves towards it to fill its slot.
#3 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 7:04 am
Playing a race/religious unity has worked but nowadays whatever that has worked seem to change: In a developed democracy like US, they have changed to have a so called “black” president; even in a relatively docile electorate like Singapore the near complete authoritarian control by PAP govt has been shaken by spreading disaffection arising from demands for more democracy/freedom with the election results probably worse or PAP Lee Hsienm Loong had not at the 11th hour humbly apologised for govt’s mistakes! And in the Middle East & North Africa, the Arab Spring has come. Whether it will lead to early winter, that’s another issue. What’s relevant is that the winds of change blow as people clamour or better governance. Can the ruling party presume and vouch with certainty that this trend/ fashion (spring climate) of the present political season affecting large swathes of the world have no effect whatsoever over here and that PAS poll results don’t reflect it ?
#4 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 7:06 am
Sorry typo – “for” not “or”
#5 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 7:15 am
Even a performing government like PAP Singapore feels the pressure of this idea of change in people’s thoughts regarding better governance in politics. Trends do affect behaviour and nothing can stop an idea that has arrived. It is not to be under-estimated as it could be infectious as the flu. To long staying governments esconced in power and fearful of losing it, they hope that this is not true or at least the infection does not spread to its constitutency.
#6 by Bigjoe on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 8:44 am
I will be honest, I am actually not sure its a win for the rakyat yet as PR is not a formal coalition. BUT I am sure its a loss of UMNO and I say its OK because the situation is that bad.
Those who say not to experiment, take risks etc. don’t have a clue what they are talking about. The truth is UMNO/BN have been recklessly experimenting, taking unnecessary risk, paying their mistakes and indulgence with our fortunes, disemboweling the rakyat when they are the ones that have the least right and the least necessary for them to do so given what they have at their disposal.
The truth is our backs is against the wall, our choice ever less under UMNO/BN not more especially for the lower half of the population of this country. NO country in the world, a successful lawyer has to sue Khazanah for a scholarship to send his high performing son to university given the wealth this country has. No country in the world where there are so many straight A students and they find depressing to have to go to a local university. The rest of the world begs for talent like theirs. The only people who have diaspora percentage like ours are the Philippines, the Jews and the Armenians. How do you explain even 4,000 Malays diaspora, mostly highly qualified in Australia?
Like it or not, we are a nation falling apart – not in bricks and mortar (at least not mostly) but in substance – in our laws, institutions, systems, social wealth, even our resources are depleting. And nothing indicated we are getting a risk-adjusted positive return on our investment, be in infrastrure, education, institutions, anymore meaning long term wise, we are still falling behind other countries – 9 years after Mahathir resigned which is the root of much of our problem.
Like it not, the choice is pretty clear about putting Mahathirism behind in our history and the only way is get rid of UMNO/BN entire lot..
#7 by dagen on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 11:32 am
DAP and PAS have moved closer to a common ground which is realistic and workable. It is still a little early to predict whether that common ground will indeed be reached but the signs are positive. PAS downplayed the islamic state issue and DAP now openly engage malay members and support. Umno ought to be shaking in its boots.