By batsman
Is our hero undergoing male menopause? All this sighing and banging on drums is a little foreboding. With PR shaky and fractious, a strong hero to lean on is not a bad thing. Hopefully RPK will be able to charge up and rally the forces in good time. Still, we are all human and Mandela himself admits he went through some very bad times.
Anyway, RPK’s “crossroads” article seems to reflect his sense of gloom and shows some distraction. There is altogether too much emphasis on lousy politicians and not enough attention paid to civil servants. In line with his assertion that UMNO rules very much like communists, there should be some discussion of the role of civil servants in contributing to Malaysia’s malaise.
Communism is the rule of bureaucrats in cahoots with politicians and as Micah says – one party rule will result in politicians of low caliber. This can only mean that the way is open for abusive and power hungry bureaucrats to strut their stuff.
This is clearly reflected in Malaysia with the loss of the original idealism of UMNO and the rise to power of abusive judges, policemen, MACC officials, state secretaries, etc. After all, Perkasa claims that many of its VIP members are ex-army chieftains, and former top directors in the civil service. These are the “hidden” forces of conservatism and abuse of power along with those currently “serving”. UMNO has allowed the civil service to turn corrupt and abusive and these corrupt bureaucrats are now the power base and pillars of UMNO’s strength.
All this is inevitably going to reflect on the PR’s ability to undertake reforms. It is not as if we are in a revolutionary situation where revolutionary justice holds sway and corrupt bureaucrats can be dragged out and shot. We are a reform movement and we still have to stick to the rules of the game however biased and violent they are against us.
When the ANC took power in S Africa, there was a reconciliation effort and white supremacists were allowed to roam free in spite of past abuses. Similarly, when Cambodia opted for peace, the Khmer Rouge were not only given amnesty, but many of them were incorporated into the Cambodian armed forces and some even became ministers.
So it has to be in Malaysia. Besides – the people have no stomach to drag out corrupt an abusive bureaucrats for punishment since the people themselves seem to be apathetic and politically immature.
MACC’s famous NFA policies and attitudes are a case in point. There is hardly a ripple of indignation among the voters. RPK himself says that Mat Zain Ibrahim’s letter would have brought governments in civilized countries to the brink of collapse, but not so in Malaysia. Apparently we are still politically uncivilized – among other things.
So the apathy and political immaturity of the people has also to be given some attention too since this will impact on the ability of the PR to undertake reforms. Reforms must be pushed from the bottom as well as from the top for better chances of success. If we rely only on the top politicians for reform initiatives and depend on abusive and corrupt bureaucrats to implement reforms, then we are dead ducks.
But does that mean there is a need for a 3rd force? Well, yes and no. There is a need for a 3rd force to act as counter balance – some sort of check and balance against abuse and sin in the ranks of both the government and the opposition. However, a 3rd force organized as a separate entity in competition with the PR will be an exercise in distraction and dissipation at this time. Concentration is still needed to force a breach in the power of abuse, sin and corruption. We still need to win basic freedoms and we need to get rid of the disease before we can struggle to maintain a healthier lifestyle.
Masses of people have to be galvanized and organized to push for reforms. This requires money, organizing skill and sacrifice. After all, the People’s Declaration is just a piece of paper with words written on it. For it to be translated into reality a lot of things have to be done. If the People’s Declaration needs a year to be written down, it will probably take 10 years for it to be at the beginning stage of implementation.
Similarly, RPK’s writing is genius in verse, but for them to be translated into reality money, organizing skill and sacrifice from a great many people need to be liberally consumed in copious amounts. I am sure RPK’s writings will be legendary in time to come, but it may be decades before this happens. I hope will be able to overcome his gloom as Mandela did.
Writing with regards to reform is like sex with regards to marriage. Sex is a few hours of pleasure while marriage is a lifetime of commitment. I think women more than men will be able to understand this better.
To have a good life, women in the past had only themselves to offer as wives and mothers. This meant a lifetime of sacrifice as flesh and labour in the bedroom and kitchen. Women yearned to be able to express themselves and their identity emotionally and intellectually, so there was a women’s liberation movement. Unfortunately, after much time and sacrifice, women still find that their efforts and talent face difficulty finding acceptance and the avenues for progress are actually tiny narrow little lanes blocked by corruption and filth. So sex and motherhood is still the major part of what a woman can offer especially so since commercialism and modern mass media exploits sex as an avenue of progress.
This means that women in the main have little taste for women’s liberation these days since the promises far outweigh the reality. It is the same with people’s attitude towards reforms. This does not mean that women resign themselves to be sex objects or that people forego reforms. It just means that it will be a harder, more complicated and more painful sacrifice than what most people expect and will take a much longer time to achieve.
At this time, I would like to link the discussion of sex with PAS to break the boredom. PAS works in a tireless and patient manner. For its pains, it is able to win 2/3 of the seats it contests. People can draw lessons from this – that one has to work tirelessly and patiently, and that PAS is the most stable and most disciplined of the 3 components parties of the PR since it is armed with some very serious ideals, but there is still another lesson to be learnt.
In spite of PAS’s efforts, it still cannot win 90% of the seats it contests. This is life. In a way it is saying UMNO controls the civil service and the mass media and these are forces to be reckoned with and not to be taken lightly. So it is not all the fault of the PR.
Politics is a serious matter, but there will inevitably be opportunists who will crowd around for personal gain. Writing is also a serious matter, but unless and until masses of people truly believe its arguments and reason and are willing to take action for their own as well as for other people’s progress, and until great leaders rise from the ranks of the masses to lead them, the road will continue to be long and arduous, maybe even a little gloomy.
So please don’t prey, prey on the drums too much or for too long. heeheehee
Is our hero undergoing male menopause? All this sighing and banging on drums is a little foreboding. With PR shaky and fractious, a strong hero to lean on is not a bad thing. Hopefully RPK will be able to charge up and rally the forces in good time. Still, we are all human and Mandela himself admits he went through some very bad times.
Anyway, RPK’s “crossroads” article seems to reflect his sense of gloom and shows some distraction. There is altogether too much emphasis on lousy politicians and not enough attention paid to civil servants. In line with his assertion that UMNO rules very much like communists, there should be some discussion of the role of civil servants in contributing to Malaysia’s malaise.
Communism is the rule of bureaucrats in cahoots with politicians and as Micah says – one party rule will result in politicians of low caliber. This can only mean that the way is open for abusive and power hungry bureaucrats to strut their stuff.
This is clearly reflected in Malaysia with the loss of the original idealism of UMNO and the rise to power of abusive judges, policemen, MACC officials, state secretaries, etc. After all, Perkasa claims that many of its VIP members are ex-army chieftains, and former top directors in the civil service. These are the “hidden” forces of conservatism and abuse of power along with those currently “serving”. UMNO has allowed the civil service to turn corrupt and abusive and these corrupt bureaucrats are now the power base and pillars of UMNO’s strength.
All this is inevitably going to reflect on the PR’s ability to undertake reforms. It is not as if we are in a revolutionary situation where revolutionary justice holds sway and corrupt bureaucrats can be dragged out and shot. We are a reform movement and we still have to stick to the rules of the game however biased and violent they are against us.
When the ANC took power in S Africa, there was a reconciliation effort and white supremacists were allowed to roam free in spite of past abuses. Similarly, when Cambodia opted for peace, the Khmer Rouge were not only given amnesty, but many of them were incorporated into the Cambodian armed forces and some even became ministers.
So it has to be in Malaysia. Besides – the people have no stomach to drag out corrupt an abusive bureaucrats for punishment since the people themselves seem to be apathetic and politically immature.
MACC’s famous NFA policies and attitudes are a case in point. There is hardly a ripple of indignation among the voters. RPK himself says that Mat Zain Ibrahim’s letter would have brought governments in civilized countries to the brink of collapse, but not so in Malaysia. Apparently we are still politically uncivilized – among other things.
So the apathy and political immaturity of the people has also to be given some attention too since this will impact on the ability of the PR to undertake reforms. Reforms must be pushed from the bottom as well as from the top for better chances of success. If we rely only on the top politicians for reform initiatives and depend on abusive and corrupt bureaucrats to implement reforms, then we are dead ducks.
But does that mean there is a need for a 3rd force? Well, yes and no. There is a need for a 3rd force to act as counter balance – some sort of check and balance against abuse and sin in the ranks of both the government and the opposition. However, a 3rd force organized as a separate entity in competition with the PR will be an exercise in distraction and dissipation at this time. Concentration is still needed to force a breach in the power of abuse, sin and corruption. We still need to win basic freedoms and we need to get rid of the disease before we can struggle to maintain a healthier lifestyle.
Masses of people have to be galvanized and organized to push for reforms. This requires money, organizing skill and sacrifice. After all, the People’s Declaration is just a piece of paper with words written on it. For it to be translated into reality a lot of things have to be done. If the People’s Declaration needs a year to be written down, it will probably take 10 years for it to be at the beginning stage of implementation.
Similarly, RPK’s writing is genius in verse, but for them to be translated into reality money, organizing skill and sacrifice from a great many people need to be liberally consumed in copious amounts. I am sure RPK’s writings will be legendary in time to come, but it may be decades before this happens. I hope will be able to overcome his gloom as Mandela did.
Writing with regards to reform is like sex with regards to marriage. Sex is a few hours of pleasure while marriage is a lifetime of commitment. I think women more than men will be able to understand this better.
To have a good life, women in the past had only themselves to offer as wives and mothers. This meant a lifetime of sacrifice as flesh and labour in the bedroom and kitchen. Women yearned to be able to express themselves and their identity emotionally and intellectually, so there was a women’s liberation movement. Unfortunately, after much time and sacrifice, women still find that their efforts and talent face difficulty finding acceptance and the avenues for progress are actually tiny narrow little lanes blocked by corruption and filth. So sex and motherhood is still the major part of what a woman can offer especially so since commercialism and modern mass media exploits sex as an avenue of progress.
This means that women in the main have little taste for women’s liberation these days since the promises far outweigh the reality. It is the same with people’s attitude towards reforms. This does not mean that women resign themselves to be sex objects or that people forego reforms. It just means that it will be a harder, more complicated and more painful sacrifice than what most people expect and will take a much longer time to achieve.
At this time, I would like to link the discussion of sex with PAS to break the boredom. PAS works in a tireless and patient manner. For its pains, it is able to win 2/3 of the seats it contests. People can draw lessons from this – that one has to work tirelessly and patiently, and that PAS is the most stable and most disciplined of the 3 components parties of the PR since it is armed with some very serious ideals, but there is still another lesson to be learnt.
In spite of PAS’s efforts, it still cannot win 90% of the seats it contests. This is life. In a way it is saying UMNO controls the civil service and the mass media and these are forces to be reckoned with and not to be taken lightly. So it is not all the fault of the PR.
Politics is a serious matter, but there will inevitably be opportunists who will crowd around for personal gain. Writing is also a serious matter, but unless and until masses of people truly believe its arguments and reason and are willing to take action for their own as well as for other people’s progress, and until great leaders rise from the ranks of the masses to lead them, the road will continue to be long and arduous, maybe even a little gloomy.
So please don’t prey, prey on the drums too much or for too long. heeheehee
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