Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on October 17 - 23, 2016.

 

Recent assaults on the Bersih 5 convoy that is on a nationwide tour to publicise the upcoming rally planned by the electoral watchdog coalition Bersih 2.0 on Nov 19 indicate that some sections of the population may be nervous about their future.

It is important to be sensitive to the emotional subtexts in the national conversation that may or may not manifest in such disruptive ways because a sympathetic understanding of their motivations can make the difference between a cohesive social transformation and internecine political conflict.

Both the advocates of change and proponents of the status quo need to recognise that their current trajectories may be setting the stage for a standoff that could take the nation into a downward spiral. To avert a vicious struggle, everyone involved must look for ways to put the larger national interest before the priorities of any one side.

For the group that is pressing for electoral reform, its supporters may need to take a step back to consider whether an adversarial approach is the best means of moving forward, or whether incremental and inclusive alternatives should be considered as well.

As for the defenders of the current paradigm, it may be necessary to face up to the challenge of reforming an administration that is overdue for a major overhaul. This may entail a greater willingness to undertake a serious soul-searching to acknowledge the many unproductive and even corrosive habits that have become entrenched in the political culture of the nation. Besides, it requires a willingness to adapt to new realities in the political and socio-economic environment.

Unfortunately, it is a common trait that those who champion a cause tend to identify themselves with a fixed position, giving them virtually no room to accommodate alternative viewpoints without feeling a personal sense of defeat. This, of course, is really unnecessary and not productive in the final count.

Also, it is important to note that this same flaw is not exclusive to any group and would probably be evident both in the reform camp and the ranks of the conservatives.

So, while it is perfectly valid for the Bersih 5 rally to have the aim of “institutional reforms for a new Malaysia”, it is a virtual certainty that the massive show of force that is being built up for the event will send the establishment and its allied institutions into a lockdown.

This is not at all to say that the public should not be free to gather peacefully to express their displeasure at the poor state of governance that has allowed a scandal of the magnitude of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd debacle to drag on until today, as well as at the continuing institutional decay that has left the system of democracy with more form than substance.

The point is to recognise that an “us versus them” approach will only yield endless conflict. Hard as it may be to imagine, Malaysians must find the resourcefulness to rebuild their institutions, social ties and common vision from the ground up, inclusively, with no one left outside the sheltering arms of our national identity. There is no “enemy” except in our heads.

And for those who stake their allegiance to the bumiputera-centric agenda, the recognition that the implementation of the New Economic Policy has deviated from its original purposes ought to open their eyes to the abuses that have been justified in the name of protecting the national interest.

If this reality is acknowledged, then the need for a healthy democracy to flourish to check on the abuse of power and misallocation of resources can be surely seen.

In the light of this, the importance of upholding the freedom of expression and of assembly that the Bersih 5 rally rests upon can be appreciated. So, for the interests of the bumiputera community to be best served, and indeed of all others as well, movements such as Bersih 2.0 must be allowed the space to hold the public institutions to account.

Certainly, society’s best interests cannot be ensured if any group seeks to intimidate those who seek to voice their opinions about the state of national affairs.

It is about time that the culture of open debate be enshrined in our collective psyche as a keystone of a democratic society. It is a sign of maturity that differences of opinion can be aired without resorting to threats and violence against those whose opinions are different from ours.

Although Umno leaders have distanced themselves from the aggressive acts against the Bersih convoy, it is no secret that many members of the Red Shirts group that was involved in the encounters are from the party. The group’s leader Datuk Jamal Md Yunos, the Sungai Besar Umno division chief, acknowledged as much to a news daily last week.

Not only does Umno’s image suffer by association with these negative developments, indeed, the party’s standing as a platform for rational-minded leadership takes a beating as well.


R B Bhattacharjee is associate editor at The Edge Malaysia

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