Some PKR leaders appear to behave more like ex-Umno/MCA/MIC politicians. But then again, that’s not surprising because many of them ARE former Umno/MCA/MIC politicians! In fact, PKR is in danger of becoming BN Lite — athough there are a fair number of politicians who remain idealistic and committed to the cause. But will they be able to stand up to the culture of realpolitik now spreading across the party?
To Zaid Ibrahim: Learn the Art of Compromise and Teamwork or Don’t Join a Political Party
by Dr. Farish Noor*
COMMENT: I once had the misfortune to watch an episode of a program called Desperate Housewives, and as the title suggests, the program was precisely about that and it reminded me of just why I loathe such chick-flicks and chick-pulp so very, very much.
This particular episode had some forgettable character (Housewife A) in a fit because of her marital problems with Husband A. Housewife A then goes to chat with her neighbour, Housewife B, to vent her spleen about all her husband’s problems.
Though I confess that I haven’t watched all the episodes of this rather tiresome series, I gathered that Housewife A wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box, as she obviously didn’t suspect that Housewife B also happened to be the local neighbourhood radio station, so to speak.
In time Housewife B did what she does best, which was to run along to Housewives C, D, E, et al and to tell the whole street about the problems between Housewife A and her husband – namely, that he suffered from erectile dysfunction and there were some problems in his plumbing department. The rest, as they say, is herstory and what a tedious story it was too.
The moral of the tale could be summed up in one sentence which would have spared me 60 precious minutes when I could have polished my shoes instead: Don’t go gossiping about your problems to people who can’t keep their mouths shut. Ho hum.
Ho hum, indeed. Yesterday I was asked why I rarely write about Malaysian politics these days. The answers are prosaic: Malaysian politics today is boring, tedious, juvenile (bordering on infantile at times) and downright crass and vulgar.
I would also like to point out, if I may wear my academic hat for a bit, that to write about Malaysian politics means writing about its political economy, about institutions, power-structures and power-differentials. It is NOT about writing about Datuk This, or Datuk That, or their wives, or their holidays, of their petty bitching among themselves and their fellow party members. That is not writing about politics, it is writing about stupid politicians.
The stupid things politicians do
And on the subject of stupid politicians and the stupid things they do (of which there are too many and even Facebook does not have enough memory storage for me to upload all of it), allow me to remark on a rather silly thing done recently by at least one politician, Zaid Ibrahim.
Of Zaid’s reform credentials I need not speak as they are well known. So is the fact that the man has on occasion taken stands that were not popular and has paid the price for it. Kudos to Zaid for that.
However Zaid’s recent revelations that were displayed for all and sundry in the mainstream press have left me quite baffled, and reminded me of the antics of Housewives A and B alluded to above.
For a man who has himself been a victim of media sabotage, I am comfounded by Zaid’s decision to speak to the very same newspapers that once hounded and demonised him. We are told that in a free society a politician may speak to any newspaper or media outlet she/he chooses to; and that one cannot talk about freedom of the press if one engages in selective boycotts of the media. True.
However, let us remind ourselves that we need to talk about politics here – and this means talking about institutions, power-relations and power-differentials. In a free, just and equitable society there might be some semblance of a free and independent media.
And perhaps in such a Utopian society any politician can go to any newspaper and complain “Mami dat fellow in de committee say he dont want to fren me anymore so I also dont want to fren him and den I wan to sabotage his kempen because he say he dont like my face wan.” (Mommy then pats politician on the head and says “there, there, Datuk, here is a lollipop and you can go and create your own splinter party now with some foreign funding from abroad.”)
Unfortunately we do not live in an equitable society where everyone has equal access to the media. Unfortunately we all know that almost all of the mainstream media in the country is controlled directly or indirectly by powerful political parties and their funders. Unfortunately we also know that there is no truly unbiased non-partisan alternative media either, as the opposition parties are likewise wont to control their respective media organs.
Life sucks, get used to that
And unfortunately we know that the mainstream media’s task is to render all attempts by the opposition to govern as untenable and uncomfortable. Unfortunately life is not idyllic, equal or just: Life sucks, and one should get used to that as one enters adulthood.
Under such circumstances one would be rather stupid indeed to think that one can get one’s way in one’s own party by jumping across the fence to moan about one’s fellow party members to a hostile press.
During the days when the Labour Party of Britain was led by Neil Kinnock, the party was wary of tabloids like The Sun that were instrumental in the campaign to destroy their image. And even President Obama – everyone’s favoured dude at the moment – has also avoided dealing with the rabidly right-wing Fox News channel.
That’s because these are politicians who are smart enough to know that power differentials and structural biases exist in the media industry; and they know that it would be silly to offer themselves to a media that is already hostile to them and their political aspirations. One doesn’t need to be a philosopher to achieve such wisdom: It’s called common sense.
Some of us had placed some hope on Zaid Ibrahim as someone who might have injected a modicum of objectivity, reason and common sense to the party that he decided to join. But parties are composite entities made up of a myriad of personalities who do not necessarily agree with each other all the time. The need, therefore, is to learn the art of compromise and teamwork, even when the odds are stacked against you.
Occasionally one must also accept that one cannot have one’s way all the time; in which case the time would come to quit and bid a quiet farewell. But no party – not PKR, not UMNO, not PAS, not DAP or even the Labour and Conservative parties of the UK – can or will continue to tolerate mavericks who rush out to the street to complain whenever they do not get their way.
The disappointment expressed about Zaid by some members of PKR is understandable under the circumstances, and it would probably manifest even if he was still an UMNO member who chose to speak to the opposition press. Parties have rules and norms, and collective responsibility happens to be one of them. If you can’t agree with that, then don’t join a party. That’s common sense, too.–www.malaysiakini.com
*DR FARISH A NOOR is a Malaysian political scientist and human rights activist. He is the author of New Voices of Islam (ISIM, 2002) and Islam Embedded: The Historical Development of PAS 1951-2003 (MSRI, 2004).
Gerakan might as well close shop after 42 years of existence. Almost like Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu who has rejected the post of MIC adviser, former Gerakan president Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik has quit as advisor. They are abandoning their sinking ships.
In reality, Gerakan lost its navigational bearings long before it struck its political iceberg on March 8, 2008, when it suffered a devastating defeat in Penang. By then, its idealistic multi-ethnic politics had long been subsumed under the racial politicking banner of the BN and Umno in particular. Self interest and jostling for the spoils of power and position had assumed greater importance.
Even today, Gerakan needs to be held accountable. Its failure to deal with Umno on an equal footing and to put property developers in their place comes to mind. Think of how the right to reclaim land in Penang was given to big developers in exchange for peanuts; examine the roots of the Buah Pala fiasco (carried through to its conclusion under the present administration); look at the grief surrounding the eviction of low-income communities from the inner city with the lifting of rent control, reflect on the general neglect of Penang.
Who can forget the monumental scandal over the PGCC/Penang Turf Club deals that sealed Gerakan/BN’s fate in Penang. I remember attending a meeting of activists with then chief minister Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon over the PGCC during the last weeks of his administration when they tried to persuade him to put his foot down against the project. Instead, he acted like he was in the dark over the PGCC — like “buat don’t know” about the humongous scale of the project.
Gerakan’s lack of traffic planning, its failure to protect green spaces and vegetable farms (the loss of which has driven up contributed to higher food prices in the state), the polluted seas and dirty rivers, and the Komtar eyesore are testament to the party’s failure to practise sustainable development.
The prevention of mass unemployment and the provision of affordable housing in places like Seberang Jaya and Bayan Baru were a couple of its saving graces. But that came at a price: like elsewhere in Malaysia, the BN government in Penang made the state heavily reliant on foreign investment-driven GDP growth — and more vulnerable to global shocks.
Looking back at the run-up to the 2008 general election, it is laughable to recall how the Gerakan folks were unable to see the earth opening up from under their feet. Imagine, they were arguing over who should be the next chief minister when the entire party was about to be dumped at the polls in Penang — the result of a wave of public anger and revulsion over failed leadership.
Now, as vultures circle overhead the writhing carcass of Gerakan in its throes, the ludicrous fighting over positions continues. But what are they fighting for, when the party is about to vanish into the mists of history? To use the sinking ship metaphor again, imagine the Titanic sinking and its officers still fighting to become captain as the ship takes in water! Like MCA, MIC, and of course Umno, Gerakan has shown that it is incapable of reforming itself. They have not learned a thing from the Election 2008 debacle.
Which brings us to PKR. PKR, like Gerakan, was born in the idealism of multi-ethnic politics — in PKR’s case during the heady days of “reformasi”.
But since then, we have seen a string of PKR politicians betraying the aspirations of the rakyat through their katak politics, factionalism and ambition.
Instead of serving the rakyat and struggling for social justice, human rights and democracy on the basis of people-centred policies, some ambitious PKR politicians, sensing that the party could clinch federal power, are scrambling to climb the party hierarchy. That’s to be expected in any political party, I suppose. Sadly, though, the party election campaign has been devoid of any serious debate on policy issues and ideology.
From what we see in PKR and Gerakan today, there is one thing we can learn. Never rely totally on politicians to see through our aspirations for a more socially just Malaysia. If we do leave it to the politicians, we are going to be seriously disappointed and disillusioned. Even if they might seem progressive or better than the alternative — it could be only a matter of time before their betrayals and at times disgusting ambition disappoint us.
How many times we have heard this: in the next election we must go all out and vote and make a difference?
Big mistake. Why wait five years for the next election before you try and make a difference? We need to play our part through a constant participation in the larger democratic process. Make your voices heard — now. Do something — write, speak, campaign, castigate racist politicians and hold them accountable, speak out against corruption, lobby for policy and legal reforms, join a voluntary or civil organisation or even a political party, read, discuss, debate, reflect. Do it 365 days a year.
Think of the great women and men down the ages — how many of them were prime ministers and presidents? Not many, right? That’s because realpolitik and compromises left many promising political leaders neither here nor there; ultimately many of them grew beholden to powerful political and business interests rather than the people’s interests.
Before the elections, these politicians refer to themselves as Team Rakyat, Generasi Reformasi, and people-centric. After the elections, we shouldn’t be surprised if they evolve into Team Developer, Team Kroni, and Team Korporat. It is the rare minority who hold true to their early idealism and genuinely struggle for the people.
So always hold on to your ideals for they are precious — and work towards a new vision for our country based on justice, truth, accountability, democracy and human rights. Eventually, small ripples of change will gradually spread across the country. — Aliran
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