By Yeo Yang Poh
The word “politics” can have different meanings in different contexts.
The one that I wish to presently discuss concerns the processes of acquisition of power and authority in order to govern a state or a country; or in other words, to rule over a group of persons defined by geographical boundaries.
In this context, politics is widely regarded as something “dirty”, insidious, manipulative, devious, treacherous, often immoral, and sometimes downright evil. To be a successful politician, it is generally believed, one has to be cunning, deceitful, unscrupulous, and preferably with as little conscience as possible. Thus, many people stay away from politics, and discourage their children from being involved in politics. By staying away, it is as if one would avoid dirtying one’s soul or one’s conduct.
That kind of reaction (of distancing oneself from dirty politics) cannot be more mistaken, more dangerous, or more self-deceiving. Nevertheless, it is a viewpoint that is rather prevalent in many parts of the world, Malaysia included.
The word “politics” can have different meanings in different contexts.
The one that I wish to presently discuss concerns the processes of acquisition of power and authority in order to govern a state or a country; or in other words, to rule over a group of persons defined by geographical boundaries.
In this context, politics is widely regarded as something “dirty”, insidious, manipulative, devious, treacherous, often immoral, and sometimes downright evil. To be a successful politician, it is generally believed, one has to be cunning, deceitful, unscrupulous, and preferably with as little conscience as possible. Thus, many people stay away from politics, and discourage their children from being involved in politics. By staying away, it is as if one would avoid dirtying one’s soul or one’s conduct.
That kind of reaction (of distancing oneself from dirty politics) cannot be more mistaken, more dangerous, or more self-deceiving. Nevertheless, it is a viewpoint that is rather prevalent in many parts of the world, Malaysia included.
It is a pervasive practice that I wish to discredit.
It is politics that ultimately controls our lives, our dos and don’ts, our aspirations, and our hopes for our future generations. It is politics that causes poverty, creates discrimination and injustice, and brings wars and oppression to our doorsteps. That being the case, should we want to walk away and have no say in these matters? Do we do the minimum, and leave the rest to others or to chance? By staying clear of politics, and burying our heads entirely in making a living and minding our own business, will politics leave us alone and cease to regulate or govern us? The answers, I would imagine, are rather obvious.
If politics is dirty, it is only because we allow it to become so. It is our inaction and our abandonment that allows dirt to harden, and rust to corrode.
On each occasion when someone complains that politics is dirty, the obvious question that should follow would be to ask that person whether he is prepared to be governed or controlled by something so dirty? If he is, he truly deserves what he gets. If he is not, then he cannot hope to simply wash his hands of the dirt, by turning his back and pretending that he sees not.
Neglect and desertion are not neutral positions that one could take. Inaction and insufficient action may seem passive at first blush, but are in truth an active contributor to the perpetration of wrongs against both oneself and others. Closing a blind eye to a wrong is a betrayal of one’s social responsibilities. Declaring that politics is dirty, and therefore refusing to have anything to do with it (including non-participation in its broad cleansing process), in fact promotes the furtherance and worsening of an already bad situation.
Democracy is self-governance, as opposed to being ruled by an emperor whose word must be obeyed. Democracy is never a system that enables the people from time to time to vote in a group of angelic saviours who would miraculously put things right, provide fair and equal treatments, and let everyone prosper. A democratic system merely allows its inhabitants to vote into (and out of) office their representatives to temporarily perform the job of governing, on their behalf and for their benefit. The multiple tasks of self-governance always remain on the shoulders of the citizenry. What takes place is that the citizens have delegated those tasks to their elected representatives, not indefinitely, but for a (revocable) period of time.
Therefore, the strength of a democracy, and hence the well being of a society, does not, ultimately, depend on the strength and integrity of its elected leaders. Rather, at the end of the day, it depends on the vigilance and constant participation of its ordinary citizens. Democracy cannot rely on a few good men or women; it needs to be cultivated by a large number of ordinary but diligent participants.
Things go horribly wrong in a democracy, usually because the vast majority of voters go into a long slumber in the period between elections, simply expecting their representatives to do the right things while they themselves disown continuous participation in politics. Such prolonged hiatus plays into the hands of those who have acquired power. Hibernation of the governed is such fertile ground for the exponential growth of the greed and self-gratification of the governors. The scourge of inaction is a gift to the corrupt. The crime of silence is sweet sound to the ears of the political robbers of national wealth.
The saying that every people deserve the government they have is only partially correct. In a democracy, even after disregarding the cheating mechanisms, it is still a numbers game. Often it is the majority of the people who deserve any disgraceful government that they have allowed to be in power, while the minority (or some of them at least), despite their persistent struggles, are victims of the follies of those who outnumber them. The fact that many of these outnumbered victims continue at personal risk to educate and empower the majority is a source of both inspiration and admiration for those of us pessimistic about the future of human societies.
In fledgling democracies, politicians in power would do their best to discourage the general masses from political activism, except of course for their own supporters. Even with the latter, what is asked of them is blind loyalty, rather than participation with independent thinking.
There is an endless number of ways in which a population can be hoodwinked, deterred or cowed. Censorship and control of the media are common tools, as is harsh treatment of dissent. Subtler forms include the farcical delineation of politics from other spheres of life, as though political activities can be detached from other aspects of everyday life. In Malaysia, for example, an association of persons is not permitted to be involved in activities touching on politics, unless the association is registered as a political party. This is as absurd as saying that any group of persons who wants to play football must first register themselves as a football club, or that anyone wishing to advocate a healthcare system must be a doctor or a worker in the medical field.
Its absurdity lays bare the real motive of disenfranchising the people.
Politics ought to be a competition of ideals and ideas. It ought to be about the people. Politicians ought to race against one another to see who can better serve the public good. Politics, that which regulates our every breath, ought not to be dirty.
But in reality it is. Most of the time politics is only about winning, by hook or by crook. Acquiring power is an end in itself; its benefits for the corrupt are aplenty. Politics is no more about the people. It is no more about right and wrong. This is the curse that we have come to inherit. Unless we quickly do something about it, this will be the curse we will pass on to our future generations, with our own brand of voodoos added to it.
No lightening is going to come down from heaven to strike our decadent, corrupt, virulent and incorrigible politicians. Only we, the people, can cleanse their dirty politics and free our future generations from its curse.
First, we get rid of the monopoly structure of power.
3/11/09
It is politics that ultimately controls our lives, our dos and don’ts, our aspirations, and our hopes for our future generations. It is politics that causes poverty, creates discrimination and injustice, and brings wars and oppression to our doorsteps. That being the case, should we want to walk away and have no say in these matters? Do we do the minimum, and leave the rest to others or to chance? By staying clear of politics, and burying our heads entirely in making a living and minding our own business, will politics leave us alone and cease to regulate or govern us? The answers, I would imagine, are rather obvious.
If politics is dirty, it is only because we allow it to become so. It is our inaction and our abandonment that allows dirt to harden, and rust to corrode.
On each occasion when someone complains that politics is dirty, the obvious question that should follow would be to ask that person whether he is prepared to be governed or controlled by something so dirty? If he is, he truly deserves what he gets. If he is not, then he cannot hope to simply wash his hands of the dirt, by turning his back and pretending that he sees not.
Neglect and desertion are not neutral positions that one could take. Inaction and insufficient action may seem passive at first blush, but are in truth an active contributor to the perpetration of wrongs against both oneself and others. Closing a blind eye to a wrong is a betrayal of one’s social responsibilities. Declaring that politics is dirty, and therefore refusing to have anything to do with it (including non-participation in its broad cleansing process), in fact promotes the furtherance and worsening of an already bad situation.
Democracy is self-governance, as opposed to being ruled by an emperor whose word must be obeyed. Democracy is never a system that enables the people from time to time to vote in a group of angelic saviours who would miraculously put things right, provide fair and equal treatments, and let everyone prosper. A democratic system merely allows its inhabitants to vote into (and out of) office their representatives to temporarily perform the job of governing, on their behalf and for their benefit. The multiple tasks of self-governance always remain on the shoulders of the citizenry. What takes place is that the citizens have delegated those tasks to their elected representatives, not indefinitely, but for a (revocable) period of time.
Therefore, the strength of a democracy, and hence the well being of a society, does not, ultimately, depend on the strength and integrity of its elected leaders. Rather, at the end of the day, it depends on the vigilance and constant participation of its ordinary citizens. Democracy cannot rely on a few good men or women; it needs to be cultivated by a large number of ordinary but diligent participants.
Things go horribly wrong in a democracy, usually because the vast majority of voters go into a long slumber in the period between elections, simply expecting their representatives to do the right things while they themselves disown continuous participation in politics. Such prolonged hiatus plays into the hands of those who have acquired power. Hibernation of the governed is such fertile ground for the exponential growth of the greed and self-gratification of the governors. The scourge of inaction is a gift to the corrupt. The crime of silence is sweet sound to the ears of the political robbers of national wealth.
The saying that every people deserve the government they have is only partially correct. In a democracy, even after disregarding the cheating mechanisms, it is still a numbers game. Often it is the majority of the people who deserve any disgraceful government that they have allowed to be in power, while the minority (or some of them at least), despite their persistent struggles, are victims of the follies of those who outnumber them. The fact that many of these outnumbered victims continue at personal risk to educate and empower the majority is a source of both inspiration and admiration for those of us pessimistic about the future of human societies.
In fledgling democracies, politicians in power would do their best to discourage the general masses from political activism, except of course for their own supporters. Even with the latter, what is asked of them is blind loyalty, rather than participation with independent thinking.
There is an endless number of ways in which a population can be hoodwinked, deterred or cowed. Censorship and control of the media are common tools, as is harsh treatment of dissent. Subtler forms include the farcical delineation of politics from other spheres of life, as though political activities can be detached from other aspects of everyday life. In Malaysia, for example, an association of persons is not permitted to be involved in activities touching on politics, unless the association is registered as a political party. This is as absurd as saying that any group of persons who wants to play football must first register themselves as a football club, or that anyone wishing to advocate a healthcare system must be a doctor or a worker in the medical field.
Its absurdity lays bare the real motive of disenfranchising the people.
Politics ought to be a competition of ideals and ideas. It ought to be about the people. Politicians ought to race against one another to see who can better serve the public good. Politics, that which regulates our every breath, ought not to be dirty.
But in reality it is. Most of the time politics is only about winning, by hook or by crook. Acquiring power is an end in itself; its benefits for the corrupt are aplenty. Politics is no more about the people. It is no more about right and wrong. This is the curse that we have come to inherit. Unless we quickly do something about it, this will be the curse we will pass on to our future generations, with our own brand of voodoos added to it.
No lightening is going to come down from heaven to strike our decadent, corrupt, virulent and incorrigible politicians. Only we, the people, can cleanse their dirty politics and free our future generations from its curse.
First, we get rid of the monopoly structure of power.
3/11/09
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