Palanivel, step down, you’ve got the blood of Highlanders on your hands

Raggie Jessy

Have you ever heard of the saying, ‘’If you can’t be good, be careful’’? It’s a turn of phrase, and a good one at that. It simply means this; if you’re about to pull off something immoral, make very sure it isn’t dangerous. Better yet, keep it secret.

Put differently, if you are going to do people out of their due, make damn sure they can’t uncover the contrivance.

Now, the simple act of denying a people due protection by trading obligations for mass-market manoeuvres is in and of itself, evil. Hence the contrivance; such manoeuvres are evil, particularly when crafted by an elected representative who shoulders the anticipation and trust of an electorate.

But some politicians prefer to tread cat ice, rather than rub the electorate up the wrong way.

Palanivel couldn’t afford to rub Chinese farmers up the wrong way. No. He would probably fare better figure skating with them on thin ice, because he has GE14 to worry about. Well, at least I think he does. All the same, we’ll cross that bridge when we cross that bridge. We will, because I prefer bridges; you wouldn’t find me figure skating on cat ice.

At any rate, people can’t uncover a contrivance they aren’t cognizant of. To them, the contrivance does not exist, because they were never kept in the loop. They never were, considering that no politician in his right mind would unveil a contrivance to the detriment of his career.

This brings us to the question of truth. Now, half a truth is definitely a whole lie. If Sam were to attribute Jenny’s death to an accident, but conceal the fact that he prolonged her assistance, Sam wouldn’t have told the whole truth. That is to say, his tale would be a whole lie. In all likelihood, that would be a can of worms set to follow Sam to his grave. But where his audience is concerned, Sam had chronicled the turn of events as they had unfolded.

By the same token, people may yet be clueless of intricacies pertaining to the Highland tragedy, because Palanivel told them half a truth. That is to say, people lack the straight dope on the tragedy.

This brings us to the question of virtue apropos of politics; what is becoming of a politician? Now, that’s the question we need to ruminate on. The case of Palanivel and the spate of misfortunes that has Cameron Highlands seemingly jinxed may help me drive the point through.

1. One Landslide too Many

Back in 2011, I made countless trips up Cameron Highlands with someone I call family. Bound south from Ipoh, we made trips on a weekly basis, exiting the North South Expressway at Tapah. On several occasions, the journey up the windy and steep track proved arduous and bloodcurdling. They were, because intermittent rain showers alone brought about landslides that rendered the narrow carriageway a gateway to the devil’s den. That is, if you weren’t adequate with skills and experience needed to manoeuvre sharp junctions at steep inclines. You see, nothing came between us and the brink of the cliff which led to seemingly bottomless valleys of death. But I was in good hands; I trusted my godfather with my life.

I witnessed landslides that never gained coverage in major dailies. In one particular instance, a storm wrecked havoc along the route to Pekan Ringlet, with at least seven to eight landslides obstructing the carriageway, causing massive traffic jams hours at a time. The roads were wet and littered with leaves and twigs left over from cleanup operations, making journeys that much more hair-raising, particularly on our return trips downhill.

Thence the conclusion; we’ve been told of catastrophic land mass avalanches that wreck havoc on villages and cost people their lives. But we’re seldom told of less catastrophic landslides that send loosened soil down almost in a gush, putting lives of commuters at unnecessary risk.

Yes. You haven’t been given the complete picture. Intentionally or unintentionally, the plight of these highlanders is yet to be recounted through and through.

2. The Orang Asli Heritage

Wanton destruction of forests has threatened to upset ecological equilibriums by eliminating key components to an ecosystem, setting the stage for catastrophic destructions on scales that are as yet uncharted. Native aborigines lean on these surroundings rather symbiotically, being somewhat intertwined with the environment. You can’t really deliver an address on highland ecosystems without mention of the Orang Asli. In simple terms, discourses on the plight of highland communities require emphasis on the Orang Asli, in a manner of speaking.

But there never has been a time when the Orang Asli was taken seriously. No. Some politicians may beg to differ though. To them, improvement of living standards through various stimuli meant to induce greater economic participation by the Orang Asli is caring. To me, it’s ignorance. To understand the Orang Asli is to comprehend his/her association with nature. It’s a question of heritage.

And where heritage is concerned, both the Malays and Chinese almost jump out of their skins when intimidated. Try challenging the Chinese on the need for vernacular schools, or the Malays on the need for Constitutional Monarchs, and you’d be up against choked fanatics. To them, it’s a question of heritage. They may be Malaysian, but above all, they’re Chinese and Malay. And frankly, I’m all for Constitutional Monarchs.

Similarly, forests are heritage insofar as the Orang Asli is concerned. In some instances, these forests are home to ritualistic observances sacred to their community. But the gradual and outlawed deforestation of Cameron Highlands, primarily by the Chinese, never took into account the destruction of a cultural heritage. The Orang Asli has always been robbed off his/her heritage, because humans are such, that even the apostle of conservation dotes upon destruction with benefits in the name of development. You see, it’s always about the money.

And when the desiderata for vernacular schools are in dispute, the Chinese band together and hurl brickbats at the government.

3. Has Palanivel Crossed Swords with Chinese Farmers?

No, he didn’t. If he did, it would have been political suicide.

When Palanivel sought to run for office in Cameron Highlands, he pledged to resolve land title issues afflicting the farming community there. According to the MIC president, the conundrum was the key concern of voters within the constituency.

“Many have been farming on agricultural land without titles and have built houses there,” he was quoted to have said.

Read between the lines, and one begins to comprehend his tacit sanction for illegal land clearing activity by farmers there. Lest elucidations get lost in translation, allow me to rephrase Palanivel’s pledge in a manner that could take the wraps off the approval:

“Many have been farming (illegally) on agricultural land without titles and have built houses there. ( I pledge to work towards delivering to these illegal occupants land titles).”

Remember what I told you about half truths? Well, Palanivel told you a whole lie. It was a lie, because he deceived a people into believing that these farmers deserved titles for the land they occupy, when in fact, not all of them do.

And, remember what I told you about contrivances? Perhaps now you’d be able to make the connotation. Palanivel seems to prefer treading cat ice, because he cannot rub the Chinese farmers up the wrong way. He prefers to skate on sloppy ice rinks up the cliffs of Ringlet, where these Chinese farmers stand by the brink, chaffing their hands with his in approval. It’s slippery, and so is he. Perchance, it is the reason why those slippery and windy carriageways I spoke of earlier mean nothing to him.

Above all, Palanivel never gave two hoots of the Orang Asli, whose cultural heritage is being pillaged by the very Chinese he seems to be protecting. He doesn’t give a hoot, since the aborigines are easily bought over by rhetoric and silver-toned pledges in the lead up to an election.

4. Why can’t Palanivel Cross Swrods with the Farmers?

Inaction could well mean the denial of due protection to a people, as elected representatives trade obligations for mass-market manoeuvres. In other words, they trade responsibility for popularity. Now that is evil. It is evil because it renders the farmer invincible. And when the invincible farmer begins ploughing relentlessly, it is the Orang Asli who seems to get pierced by the blades of his machines, metaphorically speaking.

But Palanivel didn’t just stop there. No. He took things a notch further by promising trespassers land titles, rather than working to arrest the atrocity. He inadvertently triggered a snowball effect, which accounts for the dilated expanse of vegetable farms visible to just about any tourist making it past Ringlet. And up on highlands, snowballs trend towards avalanches.

Perturbations brought about by these farmers have resulted in systemic ecological failures, with Mother Nature now unleashing her wrath on a people. As I’ve said, intermittent showers alone are capable of triggering landslides around the highland.

But why does Palanivel have his mouth muffled?

Back during GE13, several prominent personalities’ barely made the cut within constituencies they contested. Among them were MCA’s Chua Tee Yong, who won the Labis seat by a narrow margin of 399 votes, and Palanivel, who managed a meagre 462 vote majority. And in democracies, it remains fair play when candidates flourish with wafer thin majorities.

Yes. Palanivel won the contest fair and square. But the question remains; how significant was his win?

Let’s do the math. With a 29,000 odd voter population, a 462 vote majority makes up almost 1.6% of the highland’s voter population. That’s sixteen persons to a group of a thousand people. That is to say, in every group of a thousand people, there were sixteen extra persons voting for Palanivel, or 516 persons in favour and 484, against. I’d hardly call that a significant difference.

Now, assume the voter population in a given constituency to number at 2,900 persons. That’s a tenth of the voter population in Cameron Highlands. A 462 vote majority would then translate into a 16% majority. And again, that’s 16 persons in excess, but this time, to a group of a hundred persons. That translates to 660 persons in favour and 340, against, in a group of a thousand people. Now, that’s pretty significant.

Get the drift? Palanivel couldn’t afford to cross swords with the Chinese farmers, because they demarcate the constituency with a 32% representation. He can’t, because if he does, he’ll find himself treading on cat ice the next time he heads for the ballot box.

5. The Blood on Palanivel’s Hands

“To say I have done nothing about this problem is wrong… Many things had already happened even before I was elected MP,” said Palanivel, who is also the minister of natural resources and environment.

Well, that was how a report from the Malaysian Insider went.

It seems that Palanivel prefers to point fingers at his predecessors rather than place solutions at our disposal. And ironically, Palanivel accused various quarters of pointing fingers. Seriously, does this guy even think?

Perchance, he was accusing the Pahang State Sultan of pointing fingers. Well, it certainly seems that way to me. After all, his outburst was more of a cop-out by a man on the offensive following a Ruler’s reprimand. But he had nothing intelligent to offer in rebuttal, other than assertions that stood wide off the mark.

That’s right. I want answers. The people want answers. And none of us, I believe, give a rat’s ass what any Tom, Dick or Harry did or did not do before Palanivel took office. But we do want Palanivel to make plain his contributions to his constituents.

Specifically, did he commission a team to probe into the wanton deforestation of Cameron Highlands? Did they chew over prospects of there being ‘hidden hands’ calling the shots? Why is enforcement in Cameron Highlands hung back?  Are there elements of bribery and corruption at play? Where are the statistics? Where is the documentation?

Shouldn’t these be prime concerns when enforcement is seen to have taken a back seat? After all, it seems quite the deducible abstraction, particularly to those in the right frame of mind. Apparently, Palanivel isn’t.

That’s right; Palanivel told us yet another half-truth. He claims to have done a lot to rehabilitate his constituency. He spoke of funds allocated for flood mitigation in Bertam Valley, but failed to address his disregard for the wanton deforestation of Cameron Highland. That is to say, he addressed the symptom, and not the cause, shrouding perception with silver-toned rhetoric.

Palanivel, you’ve got blood on your hands. You’re no longer relevant. So please, do us a favour, and step down.