This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on January 20, 2020 - January 26, 2020
IN the current environment of uneasy race relations in the country, the idea of creating a common future for all Malaysians seems like a fading dream.
Yet, that notion was a key element of the wave of change that swept the old order out of power in the 14th general election, just some 20 months ago.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition was itself forged on the common goal of building a better future for Malaysians, states a young leader with a reputation for advocating change.
In contrast with the ethnocentric language of right-wing populists, Penang state assembly member Syerleena Abdul Rashid, 39, speaks of common rights for all Malaysians.
“We must make life better at all levels of society. This goes for the young, elders, minority groups, people with disabilities and those who may have been forgotten within the system,” she says in an interview with The Edge.
Syerleena wants to be able to bring all of these groups together as a way to promote strong communal values. For national consciousness to thrive, she emphasises, a sense of community is very important.
“When you are able to do this, you can create a wonderful sense of ownership of Malaysians for Malaysia. I feel this sense of ownership was lacking in the old Malaysia,” she says.
The young politician brings a proven record of advocating inclusiveness to her current position as the member for Seri Delima in the Penang State Legislative Assembly.
She won the three-cornered contest on a DAP ticket with a well-deserved margin of 13,211 votes in the 14th general election, sweeping 82.5% of the ballots.
Before entering politics, Syerleena had been an active member of Aliran, the social reform movement that has stood up for justice and integrity since the 1970s.
An outspoken champion of children’s and women’s rights, and not afraid of sharing her progressive views, she has been viciously attacked on social media and has even received death threats.
For quite a few years now, Syerleena has engaged in the fight to reclaim the public space from the purveyors of toxic identity politics. Her writings for news sites such as Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insight mostly push back against the narrow viewpoints of intolerant religious leaders, hatemongers and ultra-conservative groups.
Syerleena acknowledges that PH leaders face an uphill task to rise above the game of identity politics. “Unfortunately for us, identity politics already exists, not just in the political structure but also deeply embedded in our social structure. When we talk about reforms and change, identity is such a sensitive issue: rights, race, religion, that still exist. It requires an overhaul of the people’s mindset.”
The challenge for the country’s new leadership, she says, is how it can cater for the needs of all Malaysians and at the same time, address this underlying issue of identity politics, which takes over whenever an attempt is made to take the country in a healthy new direction.
“You have to choose how these messages are conveyed, in a manner that is not too attacking,” says Syerleena.
“Change cannot happen overnight, especially when you deal with social, economic, political reforms and so on like what we are facing right now as a result of what happened in GE14. We have to make sure that these reforms are able to happen.
“We need to create a solid foundation for the New Malaysia, and that solid foundation includes the communities and the people. If we fail to do this, we are in danger of succumbing to the old ways. PH is very serious about not going down that path.”
Having been at the receiving end of virulent attacks by Islamic conservative groups, Syerleena is keenly aware that it is not easy to reach out to segments of society that subscribe to very conservative views.
“They attack me for my appearance, for belonging to a certain political party, for my beliefs, for being a woman. But I never buckle under pressure. You have to be strong and true and believe in the principles that you want to live up to. There is a cause that gets you up and doing. There’s a reason why I’m doing this — the goals that I want to achieve for the country,” she says with an air of quiet conviction.
“When the attacks first happened, I was scared, but it did not mean I was going to second guess the path that I had chosen,” says Syerleena, recalling her brush with racial and religious chauvinists who attacked her on Facebook and Twitter when she joined DAP in 2013.
“The questions that came to me were: How can I counter this hatemongering? How can I build a support system with like-minded people? We have to communicate, build bridges. It’s quite frightening when you deal with people who can’t see things in a rational manner.”
In that phase, Syerleena’s critics would accuse her of seeking to destroy the country’s Islamic institutions, among other things.
“In this country, we live in a system where morality and religion is enforced. Historically, issues pertaining to religion have been used to control how people think. This goes against religious teachings,” she observes.
“Demonising words like ‘liberalism’ and ‘progressiveness’ is sad. It is embarrassing that Malaysia has come to this in terms of our image in the world.”
The activist in her is encouraged that with the birth of the New Malaysia, a number of young people, community leaders and more seasoned leaders are taking up the challenge of setting a new direction for the country.
“This is an effort where everybody — not just leaders but the average Malaysian — plays an important part. If you feel strongly about such issues, rise up together,” says Syerleena.
“To draw a lesson from the regime change in the 14th general election, this happened after decades of attempts. It took many years up to the point when people saw the need for change, and people had had enough. Then, Malaysians of all walks of life united against the previous administration.”
But Syerleena knows that change is not going to be easy. Vested interests will seek to protect the old way of doing things and subvert attempts to chalk a new path.
Her colleagues in the Penang government had 10 years since 2008 to right the wrongs of the previous administration, says Syerleena. Based on her experience as a former city councillor and currently as a state representative, there are some things that can be done to instil good governance.
These range from basic measures like proper documentation, especially when seeking contributions and allocations. It also entails obtaining multiple quotations from contractors, ensuring that their business registration with the Companies Commission of Malaysia is in order and so forth. With proper documentation and accountability, says Syerleena, transparency is upheld.
“In Penang, we have the CAT governance — which stands for cekap, amanah, telus (competent, accountable, transparent) … The Penang government introduced the open tender system two weeks after the change of administration in 2008. When you have open tenders, this helps eliminate whatever irregularities existed in the previous government,” she says.
“This is the way that you can eradicate corruption for good. Unfortunately for us in Malaysia, this is an epidemic. The culture of corruption has permeated so deeply, not just in businesses or the political structure but even in society.
“When governments have these mechanisms in place, this sends out a clear message that Malaysians, irrespective of race, religion or gender, are given a chance to succeed, and this is in line with the Pakatan Harapan’s common goals.
“A lot of the community leaders in Pakatan Harapan want to make sure that we don’t go back to the old ways. The movement to reform this issue does exist; it’s just that its sound bites are not loud enough compared with what is currently being played out, such as identity politics. Racial and religious issues are drawing attention away from these things that matter.”
Rash Behari Bhattacharjee is associate editor at The Edge
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