I recently discussed with my girlfriend on the government’s recent directive for the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to loan to Khazanah and PNB owned Valuecap Sdn. Bhd. to allow the latter to ’shore up’ ‘undervalued companies’. I told her that I did not like the fact that my EPF money is being used in such a way. I said we should demand that the government be transparent in this transaction, as we’re talking about the rakyat’s retirement fund.
My girlfriend asked me, ‘What’s the use of making noise? It won’t make a difference.”
Yes, we do want to know what’s happening with our funds. But the government is not going to disclose to us more than they have (which is not much). It’s not going to start practicing transparency and accountability of all of sudden. In fact, it might never.
So why bother?
Apathy, I would imagine, is seeping into many Malaysians. They just couldn’t be bothered with what is being done by ‘the people up there’. To them, politicians are just a bunch of clowns who do stupid things and make a lot of noise in Parliament.
Oh no, make no mistake, people are not falling in love with the government all over again just because we’re going to have a new prime minister in March. I think it’s going to take a lot of effort by the ruling coalition to win back the hearts and minds of the rakyat. Too many times have they been hurt for them to re-embrace the government with open arms.
No, the feeling these days is apathy. The ‘couldn’t be bothered, couldn’t care less’ mindset.
“I just flip through the papers these days. I have given up on the government. They’re not going to do anything for us, so I stopped bothering,” a friend told me.
Malaysians have notoriously short memories. We go through ‘phases’, where our attention is focus on this one issue or news event for a few days, and we move on. Nothing really gets resolved. Issues pop-up, highlighted, discussed and discarded, to be buried again until the next time.
When the Lingam videotape came out, everyone suddenly wanted to give their two cents worth on judicial independence and reform. Now, even the lawyers don’t talk about it anymore.
When fuel prices went up, everyone started asking about where oil money is going to, and about improving public transportation and about economic management. When the prices were gradually decreased, so did the noise levels and all the discussion about oil money, public transportation and economic management.
After the 12th General Elections, everyone revelled in ‘Malaysia democratic awakening’, the supposed return to ‘people’s power’. The ‘dawn of a new Malaysia’, some say. A few months after bravely exercising our democratic right of voting, we start to forget our other rights in a democratic country. As if democracy only plays a part everytime there’s a general elections.
This attitude, although undesirable, is at the end of the day, understandable. It does seem that whatever we demand and whatever we ask has most of the time fallen upon ears that are deaf. Why persist a futile endeavor?
But we underestimate our own power. I doubt if we had not made so much noise, the government would have decreased the fuel prices. Not because of some sense of duty to meringankan beban rakyat. Simply because the people’s voice on the matter has lent credence to the opposition, which directly threatens their own political positions.
Similarly, if not because of a huge outcry from the public, I doubt that the Shin Chew reporter and Ms. Teresa Kok would be released from ISA so very soon.
If we wish to build a better Malaysia, we must not allow our apathy to take over. We must keep demanding, we must keep pushing, we must keep highlighting what WE as citizens of the country want. Accountability, good governance, independent judiciary, free press, abolishment of draconian laws, unity, good public transportation systems etc., these are not impossible dreams. All they require is political will.
And is it not the essence of democracy that political will is at the end of the day, shaped by the people?
I like this post of yours. Something I can personally relate to. I don’t really consider myself apathetic, I read the papers and generally know what’s going on but I choose not to be emotionally attached to any arrest, detention, racial sentiments, seditious remarks or plain ole Hindu guys marching in the streets.
If you think about it, Malaysians really only want one thing – Freedom. But we cannot possibly achieve that because we also want Security; might it be economic security, public security or public order.
Ben Franklin once said, and I hold this quote very dear to my heart; “Anyone who gives up liberty for security, deserves neither”. We want our culture protected, our religion protected even our bloody feelings protected – How to get Freedom one?! ‘Freedom’ and ‘Security’ are two concepts that can never exist together.
Freedom is not a physical attainment, it is a ‘state of mind’, being free from all encumbrances; racial, ethnicity, national origin, religion and even nationality! I read the Malaysian Constitution the other day and I laughed when I read that we have “Freedom of Speech subject to public order and public morality” (Art. 10) – What the hell! – the whole damn thing is without logic! If your mind is Free, you won’t go around causing hate speech and disrupting public order!
Likewise, the same argument applies for every damn facet of life. If people want to attain the illusion of Security in their lives, then they’re going to have to give up their Freedom!
And once you just shed a grain of your Freedom away (like America after 9/11), it’s only a matter of time before your Government comes asking for more, next thing you know you’ll have your telephones tapped and your bank accounts monitored because some dudes in Afghanistan are plotting the demise of America and if you don’t allow the Government to take this Security measures then – “The Terrorist Wins!”
People in this country have got to start breaking draconian laws. ISA, OSA, Sedition, PPPA, UCA – Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, Rosa Parks and the Dalai Lama – all people who refuse to give their Freedom away chose to break the very laws and authority that were killing them!
If you still feel aggrieved by this EPF thing, start a claim for Judicial Review against the Government. The Cooperatives Commission Ac 2007 does the same thing to Cooperatives in Malaysia and there’s already a Judicial Review claim early this year. The whole thing is going to be difficult and you may never succeed, but hey, no harm trying right?
I’m not quite sure that there’s only black and white between Freedom and Security i.e. you can’t have both.
Well I suppose in a Utopian society, it would be possible to both be Free and have Security and the same time, the Freedom enjoyed by the Utopian citizens do not threaten the Security of the state.
But in Malaysia, I think at the end of the day, people want a better country. What constitutes a ‘better country’ will of course widely differ depending on what you think is wrong with it in the first place. Feminists will say the country is too male dominated. Liberals will say the country is too conservative. Islamists will say the country is too westernized etc. etc. But at least now we’ve got some general consensus on the various wrongs.
One of the country’s ‘flaw’, that most of us can agree upon is of course draconian laws like the ISA. Really, at this point in time, there is simply no justification for such laws, but yet we still have to live with them. But the problem with Malaysians is that whilst they agree that ISA needs to go, not enough of us are willing to actively do something about it. There was a hartal campaign against ISA on 16 September 2008, which did not receive the support (or coverage) that it deserves. And even if people knew about it, I doubt that a significant number would actually hartal. I saw this firsthand when the fuel prices were hiked in June. By and wide, people were unhappy. There was a rally organized sometime in July, its target was 1 million people. Yet only about 30,000 to 50,000 turned up. And we’re talking about fuel here, something that directly effects our livelihoods.
As for the EPF thingy, well if enough people actually bothered about it, maybe a judicial review action can be brought. Although one has to be aware of a few things about JRs here in Malaysia; the fact that most by laws and government decisions cannot be judicially reviewed, the lack of judicial independence, the fact that it would be difficult to succeed.
But as it stands, Malaysians are just being ‘apathetic’ to this EPF thingy. Which is a darned shame.
Bloody hell Aston, save some space for the rest of us to write!!!! hahaha
I guess the goverment makes us have short memories. Where got our media investigiating how and why something happeneds. Nobody in the general public understands what is happening. Take the Valuecap story, the media should be reporting on the impact it has on the country, why its needed, advantages and disadvantage. Even for the goverment it could make people understand what is good about the idea (if there are any???).
The recent bail out by European countries for its bank on the surface shows how they are copying what Dr M did 11 years back was right. But at the same time the Europeans did get an explaination on why the bail out entails. In turn the media exposed what senarios could happen if there were no bailouts and what happens with bail out (e.g. fire CEOs, non-divided payment, paying back of bail out money). Plaing kurang John yang lapak di Pub setiap malam pun paham apa sebenarnya Bail out tuh.
Exactly my point. No right thinking Malaysian would object to the transaction if we’re informed of what exactly it entails, and with an government guarantee that the ‘loan’ will be paid back to EPF.
I attended a talk by our AG, Tan Sri Ghani Patail a few days ago. He was talking about the ASEAN Charter, due to be signed by the ASEAN countries soon. With it, there will be greater economic integration between ASEAN members states, similar to the European Community in its early days (before it became the European Union). Listening to it, I realized how big a deal this ASEAN Charter is, as how it was with the EC, having a supra national entity such as this would inevitably result in a loss of some of our legal sovereignty. And yet, nary an explaination has been given to us by the government, nor has it received much media coverage. Shouldn’t we be informed of the consequences, benefits and disadvantages of such an ASEAN charter? In fact, should we as the rakyat be consulted of such a big decision? At the very least, table it in Parliament to be debated by our elected reps.
Are we not stakeholders in this country as well?
My new motto:
“Do not trust ANYTHING the Government tells you!”
And since the last election, also need to add new motto:
DO not trust what the OPPOSITION tells you (in 5 states that is)