You be the judge

We’re beginning to witness the first fruits of the political tsunami that hit Malaysia on the March 8 – the ruling Barisan Nasional, reeling from a major setback dealt by voters during the general elections, no longer has the monopoly on truth, particularly the non-blog variant.

Yeah, sure, the ruling party still controls the mainstream media, the English and Malay-language press being more subservient than others. But it will be hard to ignore the opposition now that they control five out of the eleven states in the peninsula. And not just any five either – the biggest and most important of the lot. I mean, you just cannot black out completely what five Chief Ministers are saying, can you? We are already seeing evidence of a less restrictive flow of information.

Take for example today’s headline news, in which Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi warned the freshly minted Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng, not to make statements that could stoke racial tensions. So I thought to myself, what incendiary and irresponsible rhetoric has this Guan Eng chap been up to, that has so moved our Prime Minister to give him a firm ticking off? Has Guan Eng been waving a dagger in the air and declaring his fervent intent to protect his ‘people’? Well, judge for yourself. Here are a selection of quotes made by the secretary-general of the DAP since March 8.

[March 9] Guan Eng to be Penang CM
“We are humbled by our win and pledge not to disappoint the people of Penang.

“We also want to stress that the new government will be for Malaysians of all races. We will be fair, just and not discriminate against anyone – offering assistance to all in need. Talented Penangites can expect equal opportunity from a coalition that is united by a common love for democracy that respects basic human rights, political equality and socio-economic justice.”

[March 10] Thanking out-going Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon for showing him around the office (what a stand-up guy, this Dr, Koh), Lim thanked his predecessor for “welcoming” the party into his office. “I appreciate and thank him for his willingness to accept the people’s decision and we welcome his views. The new administration is one for all Penangites, not just one particular party.”

[March 11] Guan Eng pledges to pursue investor-friendly policies
“The people demand transparency and accountability in the issuance of government contracts, and this new state government shall insist on an open public tender system.”

[March 12] Guan Eng sworn in as CM
After the swearing in, Guan Eng was driven to his new office, and when he sat on the chief minister’s chair for the first time, he quipped: “I already feel the heavy responsibility.”

Rabble-rousing stuff, isn’t it? And all these from reports carried by the government-controlled press. Reading this, do you feel an uncontrollable urge to rush out and incite some racial hatred? I think not.

What Pak Lah was really taking aim at was Guan Eng’s declaration that the state government was going to do away with the New Economic Policy, an ethnic-based affirmative action programme. If before, we would only hear one side of the story, now you can compare the quotes side-by-side and decide for yourself.

Pak Lah
The PM said that the NEP had in fact benefited everyone. “I would like to ask the DAP which community has been made poorer because of the NEP.”

Guan Eng
"The NEP is good but its benefits are only enjoyed by some as many Malays in the country, including those in Penang, are still poor. The implementation of NEP has only made the rich richer and the poor poorer due to malpractices.”

Pak Lah
“Do not marginalise the Malays. I want to ask Lim Guan Eng what his plans are for the Malays in Penang What are his plans for the Indians in Penang? What are his plans for other minority groups in Penang?”

Guan Eng
“When I said that I would run the government administration free of the New Economic Policy (NEP), I emphasised on asking the tender process to be made publicly. I do not think Malay contractors object to the open tender system as it is more transparent compared to the present process which is subject to corruption, cronyism and nepotism.”

See? It’s all hanging out there. We, everyone, especially the bulk of Malaysians who have no access to the Internet, can judge for ourselves. It is no longer possible to silence the other view. By swinging massively to the opposition, the voters not only ushered in a slew of fresh faces and new state governments, they may have ignited a new information era.

By the way, I hope the trend in a few opposition-controlled states to have two Deputy Chief Ministers representing the other ethnic groups catches on at the Federal level. Who’s for a Chinese Malaysian and Indian Malaysian Deputy Prime Ministers?

The end of the politics of race?

If Malaysia’s 12th general elections marked the end of the politics of fear, what about the politics of race?

Malaysiakini ran a very optimistic piece today, headlined ‘Polls shatter race-based politics’ (subscription only). That would be a great dream come true if it were completely true.

The ruling coalition’s formula – mono-ethnic parties coming together to champion mono-ethnic policies at the (somewhat uneven) bargaining table – is still alive (if not well), as the Barisan Nasional still won the election, garnering 51% of the popular vote, and is forming the federal government. Yet, as this article in the New Straits Times points out, that 51% takes into account Sabah and Sarawak (in which the BN did very well); in the Peninsula, BN secured only 48.1% of the popular vote.

I would suggest that the polarizing politics of race as practiced by Peninsula BN is not the main feature of our north Borneo cousins. That Sabah and Sarawak BN won handily is in no way an affirmation of the entrenched peninsula-driven ethnic politics that BN says is the right formula to bring peace and prosperity to the country, but which did not bring in more than half the votes cast on March 8.

The swing to the opposition, though, was not entirely a swing towards multi-ethnic or non-ethnic politics. Of the three components of the loose opposition coalition, PAS continues to draw mainly from the religious/Islamic/Malay Malaysian vote. The DAP still draws a good portion of its support from the Chinese Malaysian community and has seen its small but important Indian representation and support grow. Its best move, however, was the roping in, especially for urban areas like Petaling Jaya, of NGO activists, community leaders and professionals, who do not reflexively see the world through the lens of race.

And finally, there is the rise of the PKR, which initially was almost solely a vehicle for the promotion of Anwar Ibrahim after his fall from grace. Encouragingly, the party has broadened its scope (and personalities), and is evolving into a credible multi-ethnic party, the likes of which have never been seen on the Malaysian political landscape. It won 31 parliamentary seats, up from one the last time, and is set to be part of five state governments (in coalition), leading one (Selangor).

Whether its multi-racialism has legs remains to be seen; it is still very much a work in progress. Critical to PKR’s survival, and probably the survival of this iteration of multi-racialism in Malaysia, is whether its ideology is resilient, or whether the party lapses into its original intention.

So, no, March 8, 2008 did not mark the end of the politics of race. But we’re getting there, hopefully.

Sek kali farn*, or the end of the politics of fear

[*Cantonese for ‘to eat rice with curry’]

This general elections, Malaysia’s 12th, saw a political tsunami, a phrase used first by veteran opposition leader Lim Kit Siang of the Democratic Action Party in his blog last night as the first unofficial results rolled in, indicating that a wave of change was sweeping across the country.


The opposition alliance of DAP, PKR and PAS not only made huge strides in the parliamentary elections, denying the ruling party its well-abused two-thirds majority, but also swept into power in five of the more populous and important states in the peninsula.

This is significant for many reasons, but to me, the most telling was that it signalled a defeat of the politics of fear.

In one of the rallies I attended, one speaker (whose name I did not get, so apologies Mr. Speaker) talked about how, when he stood on the opposition ticket in the 1980s, he had come up against the ruling party’s fear mongering. Vote for the opposition, they would tell Malaysian Chinese, and your vote could be traced, and soon you will spend many years eating rice with curry, a Cantonese colloquialism for being thrown into jail.

“But people are different now,” he continued. They are more sophisticated and these tactics no longer work. Many have voted for the opposition, indeed, many have joined the parties and stood up for what they believed in, and have not been a guest of His Majesty’s Prison Service.

He is only partially right though. Folks continued to be gripped by a more mundane, yet real and insistent fear; that if the opposition swept into power, the world will turn upside-down, and there may perhaps even be violence and death. One well-educated ex-classmate of mine said of the three opposition parties: “I can't imagine them forming a coalition government assuming they won more than 50% of the seats between them. There'll be absolute chaos with each side going their own way.”

At the same time, folks holding that view believe that stability could only be guaranteed by the current ruling party, which has a monopoly on institutions of armed power.

I have to confess that even we were not immune to the politics of fear. As it became clear what was happening last night, my brother and I rushed out to withdraw some money from the ATM, just in case.

The best thing then that happened this morning was, well, nothing. No victory rallies, no chaos, no race baiting – the latter in large part because significant portions of ALL ethnic groups in the peninsula turned against the ruling party. The opposition party leaders were not gloating; the outgoing Chief Minister of Penang conceded gracefully while the Prime Minister acknowledged, without hints of retribution, that the tide has turned against them.

This morning, Mum and Second Sis went to Tesco in Puchong. There weren’t any instant noodles left on the shelves – there must have been a run on Malaysia’s favourite fast food last night (this particular supermarket closes at midnight). But the situation was calm this morning as they went about their shopping – no panic buying; very few worried faces.

No more fear.

[Update]


The Star seems to have taken a shine to the phrase 'Political Tsunami' as well. Tsk, tsk. People will start talking, you know, if the MCA-controlled paper starts using the rhetoric of its sworn political enemy! ;)

An auspicious day

The writing was on the wall for the ruling Barisan Nasional party in Malaysia's 12th General Elections; well, at least, it was hung on our wall. The Chinese calendar for polling day...


... March 8, 2008, had a detail that foretold what would become of the hopes for change in this country:


I should pay more heed to my wall calendar. It tells me when it is good day to pave the road, marry, bury the dead, and blog. Well, three out of four ain't bad.

Polling day

The day has arrived. March 8, 2008, polling day for Malaysia’s General Election. There are straight fights in both my Petaling Jaya (PJ) Selatan parliamentary and Bukit Gasing state legislative seats: incumbent ruling party MP Donald Lim against Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s relative unknown Hee Loy Sian in the federal contest; while incumbent Barisan Nasional chap Dr. Lim Thuang Seng comes up against local boy, the DAP’s Edward Lee.

On the drive to the polling station this morning, after breakfast had been nicely tucked away, the roads near the school were lined festively with banners and posters.

Flanking the entrance to the school/polling station were two booths, one for the ruling coalition and the other for the opposition. Crowds milled around the Barisan tent, checking the PCs for their names, I presume. The opposition tent had much fewer folks there, by comparison.


We’ve been living in our house since 1966, so my parents have been voting here for a long time. They could tell you many stories about elections and candidates – it seems to me they are fence sitters, waiting to see the quality of the candidates as much as the party they represent. They have idiosyncratic ways of making up their minds, which I guess is the beauty of the democratic system. Two nights ago, at around 3 am, a convoy of cars and motorcycles zoomed noisily through our neighbourhood, shouting the slogans of one particular party (I’m not naming the party, since it’s not clear whether they convoy was from that party or from the rival group, masquerading and irritating the residents). Mum was rudely woken up and had trouble falling asleep, and spent the whole of the next day grumbling about them. I think they lost her vote.

Despite being in their late 70s, they made it to the polling station, with a little help from Second Sis.


There were a steady stream of voters coming and going – not so busy as to make parking impossible, but big enough to create a buzz. We already knew which room we were voting in, but if you weren’t sure, you could check at the polling station.

Voting itself was painless and fuss free. Ushers and policemen were willing to help you along, and once you got to your room, you joined the queue, which wasn’t more than five deep when we were there. Once you turn came, you entered the room.


One of three ladies checked my Identity Card against the roll, and called out my name, IC and registration numbers once she was satisfied I wasn’t a phantom. The second lady tore the ballot papers out (one magenta; one orange), while the third punched a hole through them, carefully sweeping the punched bits into a neat little mountain on her table, before giving me the ballot papers.

As I was about to X the ballot papers, I reflected on how Malaysia was indeed much better than Myanmar, as Donald Lim strove to remind his voters a week or so ago. With that in mind, I made two crosses, stuffed the ballot papers into the box (with a lady hovering near me with a ruler in case I was incapable of competent stuffing), and exited the room.


There, all done. In 5 minutes. I wonder why we don’t get close to 100% turnout, since voting is so easy and painless (and so is registration, nowadays). Are people so apathetic?

Election feevuh

Just got back from another opposition ceramah in Taman Petaling earlier tonight (Wed, March 5). In the previous rally I attended, I had missed Edward Lee, the DAP candidate for the Bukit Gasing state seat, so I was determined to hear him at least once before polling day on March 8. Incidentally, his opponent, the incumbent Dr. Lim Thuang Seng, was holding an event a few streets away.

Just like that last rally, this one was held alongside the area's weekly night market, taking advantage of the higher foot traffic. The DAP pick-up truck was parked in front of Kam Keng Restaurant, a popular PJ joint, and right next to a Thai restaurant as well. The audience could mill about across the street, or they could have their dinner and quaff a few beers while listening to speeches.

Speaking of speeches, there were quite a number at the rally, of varying quality. The best from the first half of the night was undoubtedly Haris Ibrahim, popular blogger, social activist, and a prime mover of Get An MP, a citizen initiative to kick some political butt.


Clad in his trademark Barisan Rakyat tee-shirt, Haris vowed the crowd with his fiery oratory, his dream of a Malaysia rid of race-based politics, and his call to action.


Preferring not to climb on top of the pick-up truck (“I’m afraid I’ll fall down because I move around too much”), Haris stood at street level and eyeballed the crowd. If there weren’t cars passing by now and again, I bet he would have walked straight into the throngs and roused each one of us individually. The crowd, by the way …

… lapped it all up, punctuating his speech with whoops and cheers.

The highlight of the evening for me was the last speaker, Edward Lee.


Edward took the mike to loud cheers. Amazingly, Edward did not sound like a polished and well-rehearsed orator, a mover of crowds like Anwar Ibrahim. Instead, he spoke like an Everyman.


He used an English that your regular, PJ middle-class neighbour with a steady job would use – simple, plain and straightforward, using a typical educated Malaysian accent of an earlier vintage that is authentic and comforting. One could feel large sections of the crowd connecting with him, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many of his constituents share his background and concerns.


I had thought some of them would have left before he began speaking, since it was getting late and many had been there for quite a while. Instead, they stuck around to hear Edward speak passionately about serving the people, words that rang true because of his lengthy track record as a neighbourhood organiser and volunteer, away from the self-serving spotlight of politics. When he mentioned how his opponent would pop up at the last lap for a photo shoot after the residents’ committees had successfully fought the council on this or that issue, I immediately thought of the thick and glossy booklet that landed in our mailbox yesterday showing the incumbent in many pictures shaking hands with this and that group! What great timing!

Anyway, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat candidate for the Petaling Jaya Selatan parliamentary seat, Hee Loy Sian, spoke before Edward.

Sensing a need to balance out the English-heavy speeches, Hee spoke in Malay and Mandarin, sounding much more confident than when I heard him last week. His speech was standard Keadilan stuff – rising petrol prices, promises of a minimum wage etc – that appears consistently in all of Anwar Ibrahim’s speeches.


It suggested that the party has some measure of ideological discipline, with its many members staying on message.

The crowd was promised an appearance by Anwar’s daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar, who is standing for the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat, which borders the Bukit Gasing state seat. Nurul Izzah was stuck at another rally and couldn’t arrive before the approved time limit for the rally had expired, much to the disappointment of the crowd. Could this be why they were hoping for her to make an appearance?


She’s a beaut, ain’t she?

☺

Pasar malam and opposition rally

If you want to know anything about the opposition in Malaysia, forget about turning to the mainstream media, more so during this election season. For example, in today’s Star, one had to enjoy 17 pages of pro-government coverage before the first reports, usually negative, on the opposition appeared.

I wanted to hear what Edward Lee, the DAP candidate for my constituency, the Bukit Gasing State Assembly seat, had to say, and so, I made my way to Section 17 earlier tonight (Tuesday) for a rally/ceramah. The opposition seemed to have settled on a strategy of holding their rallies on the same nights as the weekly pasar malam (night markets) around Petaling Jaya. It makes sense – foot traffic is high, and you can rope in locals out doing their spot of shopping. Parking is a b***h though!


The posters are already up, with the better-funded government parties out-hanging the opposition. I was a little early, so I spent a few minutes exploring the pasar malam, getting bags of keropok lekor and apum balik to munch on while listening to speeches. Small groups of party workers carrying DAP and PKR flags (it was a joint rally) trawled the night market, handing out leaflets and urging residents to make their way up the road for the rally.

Edward Lee, well-known to locals in these parts as a community activist, had a slick handout, in English, that touted his background and explained his manifesto. His helpers who handed them out were equally well-spoken in English – Edward knows his constituency well! Pity about the DAP mascot, though. I know it’s supposed to be a cute version of a rocket, the party symbol, but it still looks like a logo for a prophylactic maker.

The ceramah was held along the small road next to PKR’s operations centre. As I approached the rally area, I could hear the MC trying to rouse the crowd up with a PKR song/chant that was simple and earnest, if a little clunky. After the warm-up act had done his job rousing the crowd, the main action began with Tony Pua, DAP’s candidate for the PJ Utara parliamentary seat.

Tony, Oxford-educated, blogger and a successful entrepreneur, got a rousing welcome – I would have said a standing ovation, if not for the fact that we were all already standing on the street! He was smart and eloquent, often using phrasing and cadences not unfamiliar to those regularly exposed to good preaching. When a party worker passed a box around for donations between speakers, I thought I was at Sunday service!! Many gave willingly and generously (I peeked!), knowing how high the odds were stacked against the opposition.

The arrival of PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim soon got the crowd excited, and the former Deputy Prime Minister did not disappoint. Anwar was predictably eloquent and entertaining, in both English and Malay, and had the crowd in his hands for much of his speech. Anwar’s charisma is more readily accessible since his speeches are available on his party’s website and Youtube, and he did not stray much from his standard speech tonight.

I never did get to hear Edward speak though. After Anwar left, his party’s candidate for the PJ Selatan parliamentary seat, Hee Loy Sian, starting speaking, in Mandarin and Malay. I was overcome by tiredness, so I left after shaking Edwards hands and wishing him all the best.