By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 11, 2011
BANGI, July 11 — Social anthropologist Datuk Shamsul Amri Baharuddin today advised the Najib administration to modernise its internal security to deal with present-day threats, instead of holding on to “Cold War” tactics just to be able to deploy them on political rivals.
The professor from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) reminded the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition that the “enemy” was no longer armed communists battling a jungle war but a civilian movement consisting of politically-awakened middle class that is wired to the global community.
“It’s a telling point on the ruling coalition when they are still dealing in traditional security, which is based on the Cold War concept of weapons and [physical] fighting,” he said.
“The ruling coalition needs to switch from traditional security to non-traditional,” he added, explaining that there are finer aspects to defence, which now consist of five components.
He named them as power or energy, water, food, health and education, saying the five components are integrated.
“The issues put forward by Bersih 2.0 are legitimate issues in the [Federal] Constitution and an ongoing issue, in terms of freedom of assembly and freedom of association.
“It’s a continuous thing and it’s not going to be the end,” Shamsul Amri said.
“But the state is behind the times and the incumbent group has been very slow to respond. They’re too used to respond to a Cold War situation,” he said.
“If you study their training manuals, their emergency response, the police and the army, it’s the same as during the Emergency years,” he noted, referring to the battle with communists pre-Independence.
Shamsul Amri noted that too many contemporary analysts tend to comment without looking back at history.
“When the public demonstrated in front of the US embassy previously, over the Palestinian issue, did the police come? No. So why did they come for this?” he quizzed, referring to Saturday’s rally, which Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had declared illegal on July 1.
Asked for his view on whether the rally had birth new social icons of dissent from the middle class against the ruling coalition, such as Bersih 2.0 chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and national laureate, Datuk A. Samad Said, Shamsul Amri said: “Icons are icons… they don’t effect change unless they contest in the general elections and win,” he said.
“Karpal Singh is still more relevant than them,” he said.
“In the end, it’s all about translating into votes,” he added.
The academic explained that the average voter wanted to see his elected representative voice out the grassroots’ concern in Parliament.
Shamsul Amri noted that many Members of Parliament have failed that test, including politicians from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact.
He admitted with some embarrassment that some of them used to be his students, such as Machang MP Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who is PKR’s secretary-general.
#1 by Cinapek on Tuesday, 12 July 2011 - 10:16 am
Datuk Shamsul, do not fret. Najib and UMNO has RM70m advisers who are experts at the art of dirty tricks. Thats all they need. They also have “carma” (cari makan) institutions such as the PDRM, MACC, EC, Judiciary, AG’s office, etc in the palms of their hands to do as they please and to support the dirty tricks.
Datuk you might have spent too much time in your academic confines so let me share with you a layman’s view of why the Bersih rally strikes a chord with the public. Most of the marchers on 709 knows full well that even after the march, the EC is not going to change. Superficially they might , to wayang the public. But at the end of the day they will still bend over backwards to accomodate their BN political masters.
The public is marching because of the larger picture of disgust and dissatisfaction with the BN Govt. They just want to show the BN Govt how much they are pissed off. Comprende???
#2 by habis on Tuesday, 12 July 2011 - 10:34 am
Whatever way you look at it the EC is NOT FULLY INDEPENDENT and plays to the music of BN although the members were appointed by the King.The same goes to the MACC,PDRM,Judiciary and the AG.All of them danced to the BN tone.Bersih is Righteous in their demand for a Clean and Fair Election and any Govt worthy of Rakyat’s support should NOT hesitate to lend their weight to this cause.Sad to say absolte power for TOO LONG decays and the Fear of losing such tremendous power will not STOP these corrupt political leaders from doing sinful acts to the detriment of the Rakyat.
#3 by dagen on Tuesday, 12 July 2011 - 10:42 am
Oh no dear UKM prof, believe me. The umno’s ever loyal police force could well come out to announce that they have evidence of communist activities in the midst of the bersih people. Remember how parangs and molotov petrol bombs were found together with (curiously) bundles of bersih T-shirts. What is more curious is the fact that none of these dangerous weapons were ever deployed by the bersih marchers. Then again, hah, that proves that the umno’s ever loyal police force was 100% effective in, yes yes, ERADICATING all such weapons during the run-up to 9th july rally.
Oh boy, this UKM prof obviously does not understand umno at all. He would do well to advocate the cessation of BTN for a start. And 30 well maybe 20yrs later, when the last remnants of those severely BTN indoctrinated umno idiots were finally flushed out, then umno can think about improving.
But umno do not have such luxury of time. In fact time is running out on umno. So in conclusion, umno is doomed.
Habis cerita.