By M Nadarajah
Jul 16, 11 | MalaysiaKini

Recently, I had to go to IJN to be with my brother-in-law who recently went through open-heart surgery to replace a faulty valve in his heart. He was in ICU.

As my trip was from PJ during peak hours, I had time to chat with the taxi driver – something I normally do with drivers who are friendly and willing to chat.

Most of the time, such conversations lapse into topical political issues, race relations, the economic situation and sometimes, personal challenges.

This time it led to conversation on Bersih and what it stood for. He was completely for it, showing a lot of knowledge about it.

He thought Bersih is for everyone. In fact, he also educated me on the fact that EDSA, the peaceful revolution in Philippines in the late 80s that saw the removal of the Marcos regime, also extensively used the symbolic import of the yellow colour.

So I asked him if he would participate in the event calling for the recognition of the principles for establishing fair and free elections in Malaysia.

He said: “I have a family … I have a sick mother… If I get into trouble, there will be no one to take care of my family … Not even those who I want to support … How can I participate? The only thing I do is pray … Without fail, I pray every day for what Bersih stands for…”

I am not sure how this response will sit with people who demand and pursue the need for everyone to put their signature on petitions or take part in confrontations, for those who say “you are either with us or with them” – people whom they call such Malaysians as scared or cowards.

Nation’s needs, the magnet

But it offered me, through a voice from the ground, another confirmation of ‘Bersih values’ and how far they have reached. It also showed me the many ways citizens are responding to the needs of the nation.

So if on July 9, you did not see your friend or neighbour in the peaceful rally, just entertain the possibility that they were there in spirit.

The support for a free, fair and corruption-free polity is far wide and deep coming for a peaceful rally to, perhaps, be considered a really good indicator. Numbers cannot capture the spirit behind it.

I reached IJN and waited with my family. The visiting period will start in about 15 minutes.

There are people of all races and religions – some praying in their own chosen way, some hoping all will be okay with their relative or friend in ICU. I recognised a wonderful social behaviour at this edge of life and death.

All are concerned with each other, checking out on each other’s relative or friend, one consoling the other, one informing the other of keeping them in their prayers, taking care where necessary – the doctors and nurses make sure that patients of all communities who have had gone through a long and tough operation, strapped to all kinds of sophisticated machines, are brought back to their normal, healthy self without ‘showing face’, without any gesture of disgust or displeasure, an inspiring service orientation.

The relationship among the people, doctors, nurses and patients at the ICU area reflected a Malaysia I always want to see, participate and experience.

Cruelty of outside world

Yet, when I walked away from IJN into supposedly the healthy world out there, it seemed to completely lack that mutual and cohesive spirit of care and concern for each other… the ‘healthy world’ out there is so divisive and ‘sick’ – devoid of a cohesive ‘We’ spirit on critical matters that involve the ‘health’ of the nation and all its citizens.

Over 50 years of independence, and now moving towards the 13th election, our polity is so badly divided we seem to have been unable to get our act together and positively move forward as a national community, with all our differences. It has become an ailment.

If an ailment is not recognised, the body is doomed to pain and eventually demise. That is where the nation is. It is sick and we are refusing to take care of it by coming together, as a cohesive surgical team would, with not only the required competence but also compassion and hope.

The old ‘We’ is so tragically fractured. And within the national consciousness, there is a state of denial of our national ailment which is not beneficial for us now or the well-being of the common future of our children, and theirs. Now there are many fancy and expensive symptomatic treatment of the ailment.

A housewife friend of mine puts it in exasperation, “What is really wrong about Bersih’s appeal. It is good for all, isn’t it? It is a cure, isn’t it?”

And the conversations, casual and involved, with other ordinary citizens suggest that we should all celebrate the call for of our polity, not go on the path to further hurt ourselves with roadblocks, checking, interrogation, legal actions, victimisation, arrests and incarceration, creating frightening scars on the national body and soul that history will judge us for…and ask the question ‘Was this the Malaysian way?’ It is unbearable, meaningless self-flagellation not preventive action.

Another more analytical conversation covered the following: “Is the government upset with the principles Bersih stands for or with Bersih itself as a political initiative or the way it wants to express those principles to the world?

Principles vs Malaysian way

“Looks like it is upset with it as a political initiative since the party representing the government see and demonise it as an opposition ploy not the voice of substantial number of citizens. They seem to be also upset with the way it is expressed, claiming that it is not ‘the Malaysian way’.

“Very difficult to define the Malaysian way in our complex political culture, seems more like a convenient ploy.

“Actually they should come out strongly in support of the principles and show to an objectively chosen independent body that they are actually addressing those principles in terms of institutional changes.

” But frankly, I do not see any sincerity or seriousness about the principles first. And it is perhaps this that is really causing the whole problem.

“Eventually these concerns should be the government’s not Bersih’s or the 60 odd organisations that support it.

“Our government should stand above parties for them, practice them and endear itself to all citizens. We can then nationally celebrate those principles anywhere… even in the Merdeka stadium!”

But that is not happening, so we badly need a therapeutic intervention. Bersih is certainly an attempt to cure and to help rebuild the country’s polity and re-form a new ‘We’ that the nation so badly needs – an honest, transparent and unifying We.

Bersih is really a platform to create the basis of a new “We” the nation is desperately looking for.

A new “We” based on the simple principles of transparency and honesty, particularly for organising and managing our public life. That must mean something if we are a nation of God-fearing people.

These principles – expressed through clean the electoral roll, reform postal ballot, use of indelible ink, minimum 21 days campaign period, free and fair access to media, strengthening of public institutions, stopping of corruption and stopping of dirty politics – are meant for all citizens, and certainly go beyond sectarian or party political selfish and myopic interests, beyond race, religious, class and gender.

Neglected side of political power

As I overheard in a restaurant, it is not so much about capturing power as much as it is for practicing power, responsibly and accountably.

It is also certainly for building a multi-cultural sustainable democracy for institutionally sustaining the new We. It must be in the interest of any government to see the value in the principles promoted by Bersih.

In corporate culture, it is about re-branding Malaysia, reducing political risks from pervasive, systemic and chronic conflict areas, building a stable environment of peace and trust thus reducing transaction risks and enhancing business performance.

Certainly, it must be in the interest of the government. So what would have gone peacefully and without much international media attention, what would have given KL huge economic benefits, and what would have improved people’s perception of the government, finally became highly visible social, political and media event and very negatively-charged.

So while we now debate the victory, success, or failure of the July 9 peaceful protest, which is rather perspectival, it is imperative we do not lose sight of the principles and the essential values they are based on.

Only if we feel oriented this way can be move towards healing a nation that is getting sick day by day with the old “We”.

We need a new lived unity to animate the heart of the nation. And we need it now… expressed through inclusive and compassionate symbolic, legal and institutional realities.

Walls must come down and bridges must be built. That will be our moral and political victory. And it should belong to all of us…

My family and I go to a temple to pray for my brother-in-law’s quick recovery and well-being.

It is customary for Hindus to wash and clean their feet, their hands and face before entering the sacred space of the temple. As I go through the process, all I could think was “bersih”. Isn’t it after all the precondition to enter any sacred space, including our nation… together?