Bad spirit of merdeka? A review of a Pakatan Rakyat book
Azly Rahman
I was given the honour of reviewing and promoting the book ‘The Spirit of Merdeka: A collection of essays’ by young PKR leaders edited by Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Tricia Yeoh and published by Pusat Sepakat in 2013.
The slender volume of writings by eight political activist, some turned parliamentarians, and a researcher director contains reflections of what have been attempted to be achieved by Parti Keadilan Rakyat since its formulation and since the milestone of the Pematang Pauh Declaration, and what the future lies in terms of the slogan of ‘new politics’ we heard circa the 13th general election (GE13); a slogan used by both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to explain the “commanding heights” (borrowing from Lenin) of their promises for a better Malaysia.
I was not only honoured but also thrilled because young leaders are writing and that their ideas will hopefully become narratives of accountability of what they had promised. If there is a thesis statement for this column, it would be one best asked by the editors Nik Nazmi and Tricia Yeoh:
“ … what does the party have to offer beyond Anwar (Ibrahim)? Are there really new leaders being built up within the party? Would it be a party truly embracing a new political culture or stuck with more of the same politics of the past?” (pp. 102).
These I believe is a question of education for critical consciousness I have been addressing too in my writings of late, particularly in The Allah Controversy and Dark Spring, both published in 2013.
