I was going through some online forums and re-read some of the threads that discussed the recently concluded General Elections. A lot of these threads pre-dated the dissolution of Parliament and spanned through the whole campaigning period until after the results were made known.
I couldn't help but be somewhat bemused by the amount of negative things being said about Parti KeADILan Rakyat in the early posts - how the party exists only to make Anwar Ibrahim Prime Minister (a few years back the main argument against KeADILan was that it existed to free Anwar - I guess one had to change that a wee bit considering that the party did not dissolve itself after Anwar was actually freed), how it actually is an Umno splinter party made up of disgruntled Umno members, and of course the perennial "I don't trust Anwar" line (heck .. I don't trust him 100% too .. the same way I don't trust myself 100%).
The tone generally remained the same during the campaigning period although more positive voices were starting to make themselves known, especially among those who have actually heard some of the ceramahs where the Malaysian Economic Agenda was presented (albeit somewhat anecdotally - you really can't expect a full policy briefing in a ceramah). Still the same critiques remained (surprisingly absolutely unchanged). Interestingly a lot of this criticism came from people who would be willing to support the other Opposition parties. They just mainly balked at KeADILan.
The same can be said about a lot of the commentaries from political pundits and observers (which were not from the mainstream media).
Anyway, fast forward to the morning after when it became clear that the joint Opposition effort had actually successfully denied the incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN) the psychological 2/3 majority in the Dewan Rakyat and an additional 4 states had been lost to the BN and all of a sudden the tone changes. KeADILan successfully won an additional 30 seats from their previous take of 1 (making it 31 seats in total) and was now the largest Opposition party in the Dewan Rakyat. And surprisingly (to some at least) not many ex-Umno faces were present among the party's elected representatives. As a matter of fact, their representation actually closely reflected the ethnic demographics of the nation (64.52% Malay, 22.58% Chinese and 12.9% Indian).
So we now have the pundits hailing this as a victory for multi racial model of politics that KeADILan stood for and that this model is the way forward. There were more muted observations that it was perhaps also a culmination of a desire to vote out the BN that also played a major role in the victory - perhaps more of that than the acceptance of the multi racial model as the events that unfolded after the election results seem to bear witness of.
Don't get me wrong. I do have a deep appreciation to the voters of Malaysia who saw it fit to give us all (meaning KeADILan, DAP and PAS) a chance to begin the process of halting the rot that has had an unfettered reign for the last 3 and a half decades at the very least. Its just that I found it amusing.
Anyway, we have started receiving hundreds of enquiries for membership, with some claiming to be able to bring in hundreds of members at the same time. This is where my trepidation comes. For a party that was until about a month ago consigned by many to the dungheaps of history, we have kinda done pretty well in attracting a pretty diverse membership from the various ethnic groups of this country. I would dare venture that the demographics in the party is probably reflected in the demographics of our elected representatives. So to have reached up to circa 250,000 card carrying members of a much maligned movement is by itself quite an achievement.
Of course, no self-respecting organisation would say no to an influx in enquiries for affiliation and membership. But I hope that the party leadership is aware of some of the inherent risks in being too lax in embracing the enquirers. While I could be pretty certain that a large majority of the party members and comrades who jumped unto this ship while it was perceived to be sinking as being people who were convicted by the cause and genuinely wanted to fight for a change despite the odds, I can't say the same about those who want to jump unto the bandwagon now.
Demographically, it would also be somewhat risky to have proven party stalwarts; many of which have worked without any expectations of rewards or returns; outvoted during meetings by new members who have only chosen to cast their lot with the party after we have "won". I don't mean this as a blanket statement, of course. I do personally know of a few who have found sincere and valid reasons to participate in the political process through a partisan vehicle and I am quite certain that many of the new enquirers are from that category as well.
So how do we manage this risk (which incidentally isn't ours alone but also one that both DAP and PAS are currently facing)? That I'll have to leave to more active minds to think about and formulate a solution. I don't envy those who will have to make this decision as its going to be a tough call.
And to think I haven't even started thinking too hard about the impact of the rumoured defecting legislators from the BN side yet ... sigh
If you liked this post, consider buying me some coffee. Suggested price is $1.00 for a cup and $10.00 for a 1 lbs bag (personally I am a big fan of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe).
Categories: 12th General Elections
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Comments (3)
Chiang said:
When it comes to making a hard decision, everyone was pushed into choosing a brand that isn't stained with racial and religious politics. (Note: Its less about what the party was than what it's not). For better or worse, PKR was the only one that came close. It had less negatives compared to others.
Mind you, those negatives havn't disappeared. I for example am still fearful if the AI of ABIM days is still lurking underneath. I never understood his decisions for education and the past infighting in PKR gives a frightening prospect of things to come. In other words I still don't know who the man really is, his attitude about race, religion and society, and his beliefs about things that matter to me. If he doesn't brand himself decisively and unequivocally (and I think people have gone past the victim story), the competitor will do it for him.
Same with PKR as a party. It seems its a place for ex-Armno rebels who still behave like they're in Armno. I also don't understand the obsession with arcane divisive titles like DSAI or TSKI. Why not just AI or KI? Are they really with us on the ground or still locked up in the establishment mindset?
Its time to neutralize these demons. For one, I wish there is an official FAQ that takes the bull by the horns and addresses each common perceived negative. Let bloggers do the rest. Go to these online forums you mention and point people to the right answers. Perception is everything. PKR can learn a lot from Barrack Obama's website and how he runs his campaign.
Posted on March 21, 2008 9:26 AM
Steve F. said:
Several UMNO branches are packing up to join PKR already. The party demographics may change very soon.
Posted on March 21, 2008 11:27 AM
Bob K said:
The FAQ thing is not a bad idea. I actually did something similiar to that as campaigning material in the last elections although its distribution was only limited to some constituencies.
Re: the perceived "Armno" elements in the party; ie. honorifics and titles, et al .. this is a bit more complex than it looks on the surface. Honorifics are more cultural than they are political.
It might be a little hard for us non Malays (particular Chinese) to understand as we had quite a bit of a headstart (not to mention a violent severing) when it comes to the purging of feudal elements in our culture (of which we have to admit, remnants of it still remain).
Umno doesn't have the corner and monopoly on Malay culture and expressions. So that does mean that expressions of such nature are not necessarily Umno elements.
Of course, the more progressive elements within the party will still refer to Anwar as Anwar and Khalid as Khalid. Even then, it depends on the context and the environment that we're in. If we are in the company of more conservative folks, it will still be Dato' Seri and Tan Sri. Its just a term, it may not mean anything to us but it does mean something to those who are with us.
I have posited that we are just finally emerging as an actual nation where a lot of issues are viewed as common issues effecting all Malaysians as a whole. This is merely the first step towards achieving the Malaysian nation (as opposed to nation-state which has been around since 1963). I don't really feel like blowing it by being too impatient in implementing revolutionary reforms.
Posted on March 21, 2008 3:35 PM