The Malaysian government: A dreamy dilemma
By LEE ZHI WEI
They say there is no achievement when there is no vision, and no vision when there is no dream.
A man’s dream can spark developments for himself, the society he lives in, and the nation. But some dreams are dangerously hopeful, and when we are consumed by a particular dream, we cuddle in the comfort of an optimistic oblivion.
The Malaysian government is caught in an optimistic oblivion, especially regarding the issue of racial integration.
We pride ourselves with the our racial tolerance. Those two words are everywhere – in newspapers, government proposals, even in our moral education syllabus. However, tolerance is really all that we have. Our supposed harmonious co-existence exist because we were raised to tolerate the differences.
If we were really harmonious and united, we would not have people lodging ridiculous complaints about an advertisement being prejudice, just because the protagonist was from a certain ethnic group. There wouldn’t be political parties that are racially divided.
Have we forgotten that we are all Malaysians?
As I see it, this “tolerance� that we claim to have cultivated is nothing but a wall that separates and prevents us from each other. Honestly, why should we waste our bricks on walls when we can build a bridge to narrow the gap among the different ethnic groups? Why tolerate, when we can understand, and embrace our differences?
Does the Malaysian government acknowledge and address these issues publicly?
The answer is no.
The government tries very hard to convince Malaysians that racial tensions are not critical. In addition, the education system, better academic results, free speech, and many other issues are also caught in the optimistic oblivion.
Unfortunately, the government seems to be blind toward these concerns. We are instead, constantly bombarded with new development plans, long-term investments, promises and ideals.
Let’s hold our breaths and think about this.
Is striving for progress really that relevant when there is a more pressing problem at hand? If this goes on, we won’t be developing that much. We might even regress. It is about time the Malaysian government started to address the true state of affairs.
Winston Churchill once said, “The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but at the end of the day – there it is.� And I can tell you that the truth is never pretty. However, it is better to acknowledge it, than to leave it in the dark.
It is never wrong to dream, for what is greatness but a dream realised.
But we have been building our castles in the sky for far too long. Malaysia should not be turning a blind eye towards the obvious. It is not shameful to acknowledge and act on our problems.
Sadly, until that happens, the Malaysian government will merely be telling its citizens fairytales.
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LEE ZHI WEI is a contributing writer for theCICAK.
He is a melodramatic 16-year-old Malaysian guy, who believes that there is something more to being Malaysian than nasi lemak and singing Negaraku before the start of a concert.
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The discussion of ‘Bangsa Malaysia’ and all other obvious issues we hear in the papers - that’s just the sideshow.
Essentially, political parties try to sell ideas. If they win an election, they get elected and supposedly they are made to work for the people. What do they get in return? Salaries obviously. But the bigger and yet less obvious benefits is the monopoly of distributing wealth and the system of patronage.
By the stroke of a pen, authorities can convert the status of land and property thus raising its value instantaneously. Acts and laws supposedly to protect the public, are done in the interest of friends’ and family business.
This is undoubtably why anyone would want to form government, in our country at least. Who, in his right mind, would want to work in Putrajaya, wear an ugly Bush Jacket, attend boring Parliament, want to visit displaced villagers, shaking hands with sweaty palms? There are so many other more glamourous jobs out there, and looking at the salary of MPs and Ministers, it just ain’t worth it.
It is all the other ‘fringe benefits’ that prompt people to join/form Government.
Sidetracking a little, take a look at how political parties work:
In terms of how ideas are sold to the public, think of it this way.
Elections are times when people go out to purchase policy packages. Well, that’s what they think they are doing. Policy packages are like:
- islamic state, low taxes, support America, suppress this particular race
- secular state, high taxes, hate America, all races treated equally
The thing is, with representational democracy, it’d be quite difficult for everyone to get everything they want. The process will thus lead to a ‘compromise’.
Different people have different policy preferences. If you belong to a certain group, or possess a certain characteristic X, you’d tend to support a certain policy package more than the other. Of course you won’t like everything in that package.
By groups, we can mean either:
- race
- religion
- location
- occupation
- education
- political philosophy
- income
Political parties try to sell a package that would satisfy the most number of people from the different types of groups. And in a democracy that is the reality.
Consider how businesses run. Businesses don’t just sell PRODUCTS. They sell lifestyles. It’s all about branding, the process of immersing a product into an ambiguous identity, an emotion and an aspiration. And that’s also true in Politics.
Thus as much as politicians, opposition and government, talk about up-in-the-air ideas like Bangsa Malaysia, it is a totally flawed and misguided effort. Market research and marketing teaches us that segmentizing society allows us to focus the
business resources in such a way as to maximize sales (ultimately profits).
No politician, benevolent or not, would genuinely want to get rid of this means of dividing up their target audience. Getting rid of the title ‘race’ does not do anyone any good, because ultimately the Chinese will continue to eat their pork, the Indians their mutton and the Malays their ulam. (this is a bad example!).
Try as you might to remove the labelling, but people would automatically fall back on their ethnic traits. Language, lifestyles, proffesions and attitudes - how can the State change that? Unless you’d allow for a deculturalization policy, like China’s Cultural Revolution, or homogenizing of cutlure like in Thailand/Indonesia, which MOST would not agree too in the first place. (Even then you can still tell a Chinese Thai and Indon from their other countrymen.)
As much as we hate to be identified by race, that’s what we are. A chinese remains small eyed yellow, an indian hairy, and malay brown.
In other words, everytime the parties talk about race/religion, they aren’t actually serious about changing the status quo. In fact, they wouldn’ want to get rid of it because it disables the Political Parties to play the race card. Different races (and groups) have different concerns, aspirations and insecurities. Race is used as a means to segmentize the people, so that a party/coalition can have different messages for different people.
That’s why, within the same coalition (like Barisan), you have MCA leaders telling things to the Chinese that would piss of the Malays. Conversely, and in all the other permutations, political parties/factions of the same coalition sell slightly differentiated products to different people. Consider Barisan the Mother Brand and the component parties Sub-brands.
Think Hotlink for the poor student and Maxis for the slightly more affluent. Same underlying product, same manufacturer, different branding and different lifestyle.
Similarly many other ideas are used to stir up emotions amongst the people.
The Bangsa Malaysia CVP (customer value proposition) by DAP/Gerakan - to get the educated secular vote.
The Islamic State CVP to win the Malay Heartlands.
The NEP/Agenda Melayu CVP to win the disillusioned Malay.
The Chinese Education CVP to win the hard core Chinese vote.
The Bumiputera/NEP CVP to win the Malays, and natives.
The Barisan Nasional Stable CVP to win everyone risk averse.
The Reformasi CVP to win the social activist, those with a conscience.
The Nationalist CVP to win the poor, uneducated.
The Malaysia Boleh CVP to win the insecure (the size does matter / form over function people).
Do you honestly think that the Government/Politicians/the People actually want to achieve goals like
- a Bangsa Malaysia? (we don’t even know what that is)
- to go to the Moon?
- an Islamic State? (are politicians religious themselves?)
- reform? (too much trouble, not worth the effort, better to stick with the familiar status quo)
- an equal society, like everyone being as rich/poor as each other? No thanks says the fat cat politician
They only use these issues to:
- distract us from the real issues (how to divide the spoils amongst the warlords, how to get away with their crimes)
- stir up emotions amongst groups, especially through anger AND/OR optimism
Thus it is naive to think that Government and politicians are benevolent.
History has so many examples to show that so called ‘reformers’ enter into power doing nothing promised. Instead they fall into the same temptation and trap that their predecessors fell into.
The sweet smell of money overpowers all. Principles can be conveniently put away when politicians themselves have much to gain.
If anyone is really interested in changing things, it is institutions that have to change:
- strengthen the judiciary
- reduce the power of the executive
- introduce referenda
- create a strong opposition (not that opposition parties are good, but the credible threat of the opposition winning will force Government of the day to be less cocky and more careful)
- free and independent press
Organized government is just an evolved form of thugs/mobs/bandits/warlords who extort money out of the people, promising them protection and jobs. They run’legitimate businesses and fronts’.
Conclusion:
- politicians want to win elections, they are opportunists
- politicians are not dumb, in fact they are SMARTer than we think they are
- elections are a period when the people go shopping for ideas, well that’s what they think they are doing
- unfortunately, elections (not referendums) force us to choose pacakges, not individual ideas
- segmentation, by race, is a reality, and trying to get rid of it is futiile
- change institutions, not politicians
Caveat:
- We cannot deny the existence of Benevolent politicians, but as we learn from personal experience, the top is filled with Cheaters and Liars; thus the likelihood of finding an honest, good politician that has won an election is quite low
- Don’t take everything mentioned in this comment seriously. It is just another (incomplete/imperfect) way of looking at how things are. A product of armchair politicising.
Of course, the very fact that it is sub-optimal and irrational for politicians and their parties to want racial integration and acceptance does not mean that it isn’t desirable.
The point is that you can never, you should never count on these selfish/greedy/deceiving fools to achieve this end.
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Thanks katak - sorry for the mess.
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Racial issues are a very delicate matter…one wrong step and we could end up like Indonesia…why not offer ideas instead of just criticisms?
Having lived in M’sia, S’pore and now in UK, I guess some of us might not have noticed that tolerance has actually reduced race-based crime, etc!
To fully understand another person’s religion requires a lot of effort. Without someone qualified to teach, there might be misteachings and could lead to worse things!
Anyway, i think national schools are the best way to go in this matter as kids make friends with kids of other races and will slowly learn each other’s quirkiness/customs.
We can all dream but if nobody can think of how to achieve our dreams how do you expect to turn dreams into reality?
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i believe in malaysia we tolerate each other so expertly that we forget what is the main reason of diversity that is celebrating it without any prejudice .its all together a different story in malaysia, if we are really a racially independent country then why do we have political parties divided according to skin colour rather than their agenda and the only time we can see them so called coherent is during election .why do we have boarding schools and special pre university education mostly for one race only. there are many more matters that racially divide us and this has forced us to see ourselves by our background rather than our similarities. if the government really wish to see us, malaysians truly united and have the same dream in seeing our country reach the developed country status, its all up to them to take measures to ensure that we don’t do things for the wrong reasons.
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many recognise the need for change, but few of us recognise the need to change OURSELVES.
if we really wanted to move things forward, there are different means besides criticizing the government.
think: with or without the goverment, what can one person do, taking small steps towards larger strides?
if we get creative enough, we can execute initiatives for change (in whatever it is) starting with our best friend, then our peers, community, and society… even better if we are working WITH the government rather than against it.
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Totally agree with Khai Lee.
I have a friend who felt that his vision of what Malaysian Chinese should be like was under-represented in MCA.
Instead of whinging about it, he actually went for an MCA sponsored youth camp, talked to youth there (many of whom were children of MCA politicians and indoctrined with the MCA idealogy of upholding Chinese interests as they saw fit) and spoke out against MCA’s policy of fighting for more priviledges for Chinese vernicular schools in the country.
He felt that vernicular schools failed to help the integration of Malaysian Chinese as Malaysians. He was the only one there that day who spoke in Bahasa Malaysia instead of Mandarin.
This is just one example of how any one of us can work within the system, make an example of ourselves, speak out and make a stand where it matters.
How many of us would do that? Spend a day amongst people who do not believe in what you believe in, yet accept the fact that they are our fellow citizens, and try to talk to them, listen to them and learn?
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Or how many people would spend a day reading more, listening more, sitting back, watching, learning and talking less…especially on issues they don’t know half about.
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not many! =)
Which is why few people make the world happen, more people watch the world happen, and others wonder what happened. (Quote borrowed from a friend: http://www.malaysia.net/bala-interview )
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Message for Jason :
Hello,
Would appreciate very much if you could help me get in touch with your friend (who went to the MCA youth camp)or any other brave friends.
A group of us here is trying to make a difference. We sure can do more with proactive Malaysians to join us.
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AL - he doesn’t reside in Malaysia full time anymore. However, if you want to reach proactive Malaysians, theCICAK’s a good place to look. I think most of our readers are, in some way eager to do something about what they believe in. What’s your agenda?
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Jason,
The agenda is making a difference from within. Absolutely no whiners, please. Only for those who have no qualms doing the right thing (in a palatable fashion, we do not want a return to de-civilisation) Appreciate if you and proactive believers could contact me directly. (Mr Moderator, help?)
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