Democracy and the power of the mind

By Stanley Koh
COMMENT Why do Malaysians continue to support a government that has been abusing its power for so long that its credibility has become thinner than toilet paper?
Are Malaysians really too naive, gullible or blind to see that it is their failed collective political will that is the stumbling block to any real national progress?
One may of course argue that there is no such thing as a perfect government, that Utopias exist only the minds of idealists and romantics, or that the human mind, as played out in the real-world political arena, is far from being plain, perfect or even honest.
Cynics say we deserve the government we elect. But Barisan Nasional apologists tell us to look into what they vaguely refer to as “the statistics,” as if to say that these would show BN’s legitimacy as the ruling coalition in Malaysia.
Still, does it make sense that in 2008 only 4.08 million of 7.94 million voters chose BN to rule over a population of some 27 million? Is it fair for a minority to determine the future of the majority or the nation’s destiny?
The sad truth about the Malaysian majority is that its collective mindset is so passive—some would say deformed—that it does not seem interested in bringing about the revolutionary changes our nation needs for its betterment.
General elections reveal another shortcoming of the collective Malaysian mindset: it lacks focus on national issues. Most of us are foolish, naïve, apathetic and gullible, distracted by side issues thrown at us by power players.
Nevertheless, our national consciousness continues to be shaped by recent political trends and the increasingly strident voices of public interest organizations against the BN regime’s excessive control over civil society and its undemocratic tactics in undermining the opposition coalition.
Is the BN a good and credible government?

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Most ordinary Malaysians have yet to learn how to choose leaders with integrity and credibility, progress towards democratisation will remain a distant dream.

Most ignore the regime’s propensity to depend on draconian measures against political opponents: the Internal Security Act, the Sedition Act, the Printing Presses and Publication Act, the Sedition Act, the ban on rallies and a host of other instruments of power abuse.
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once said that ninety percent of politicians gave the other ten a bad reputation, raising a serious question about human mindsets. This remark also points to the danger of electing mediocre politicians to office, especially in a country like Malaysia, where democratic progress has been painfully slow. These mediocre minds can actually retard national progress, if they have not done so already.
It is therefore imperative for the Malaysian mindset to evolve so that we are predisposed to elect a deserving government. But can this happen?
Malaysians should no longer return a government every time it goes to the people unless its policies are democratic or serve the ends of democracy. We should no longer allow BN to claim that democracy is alive and well in Malaysia just because there are regular elections.
“Once re-elected, the government again claims it has a mandate, even a blank cheque, to do as it pleases, unhindered and unchallenged,” writes Askiah Adam of Sisters in Islam in her article “Islamic NGOs and Electoral Politics.”
Human mindsets are difficult to change because humans are creatures of habit and generally resist change. It gets even more difficult when the mindset is coloured with prejudices and biases and tainted with selfish interests.
Chinese wisdom has it that it is easy to change one’s occupation or profession, but enormously difficult to reverse a stubborn mindset, particularly one poisoned by negative perceptions and mediocre thinking.
Some mindsets do evolve in time, but most remain stagnant, obstructing growth and progress and impeding human evolution.
In the realm of politics, mindsets determine the quality of leaders and thereby whether they would lead their people towards progress or bring them misery.
It is nothing short of a tragedy that some nations are governed by unscrupulous and greedy leaders with mediocre mindsets.
Leadership mindset
Some convincingly argue that the difference between a poor country and a rich one has nothing to do with the age of the countries but a lot to do with leadership mindsets. Countries with little or no natural resources can be wealthier than those rich in natural resources, especially if the ruling elites squander that natural wealth. And some nations with civilisations stretching back thousands of years are today economically backward because of poor leadership. Yet there are countries hardly 150 years old that have developed in a short time and are today among the wealthiest.
Political analysts take Switzerland as an example of a small country that stands tall in the community of nations. It is a country famous for high quality dairy products, including chocolates, despite not having a single cocoa plant on her soil.
Other good examples of successful nations are Japan and our immediate neighbour, Singapore. Both have quality leaders and exceptional human resources. Their labour populations are well respected for their hardworking and positive attitudes. These two countries are the very image of social order and economic security.
Most ordinary Malaysians have yet to learn how to choose leaders with integrity and credibility, progress towards democratisation will remain a distant dream. The power wielders will continue to exploit this major weakness in the Malaysian mindset.
Perhaps we should pay attention to Sharaad Kuttan, co-founder of the Centre for Independent Journalism, who wrote:
“Politics as usual in Malaysia these days seem increasingly to inspire little more than political boredom, mute disaffection and apathy among everyday citizens.
“Periodic elections, with their now familiar routines and rituals, arguably play an important role in habituating citizens to the idea that perfunctory and dutiful voting, on the rare occasions when it is required, is the sum total of the citizen’s political participation, involvement and responsibilities; after duly reinstalling, with their votes, an elected autocracy, all they should and must do is to go home and fall inert again for another four to five years.”
We should regard those words as a reminder that we as citizens must change if we want to see change in our political landscape. The Malaysian mindset must be invigorated and incited to constructive action so that we will make wise choices at the ballot box.

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Stanley Koh is a political observer and a contributor to Free Malaysia Today.