Sorry seems to be the hardest word

Praba Ganesan, Malay Mail Online

Shame or the effort to avoid shame define Asians — I’m often told. Since Malaysia prides in the claim of being truly Asia, so it probably is doubly true here.

It is a constant reminder locally that over here face-saving takes precedence while public apologies are like unicorn sightings.  In short, the default is to progress without honesty.

Just look at Mahathir Mohamad. Casual observers would be excused to judge based on present sentiments that Mahathir spent years in prison for his political beliefs rather than actually being responsible for hundreds left languishing in cells as reward for holding democratic ideas opposed to his heartless dictatorship.

Today, his lot are doing their rounds to build a new coalition to unseat Umno. Yet, they have no intention to confront the unpleasant past and their own complicity.

Defeated opposition figures appear to set aside acrimony for new electoral victories.

I believe any better future is only possible when a large number of Malaysians rise up for what is right, and no meaningful change can be incumbent on old political opponents “kissing and making up.”

The key for mass participation is truth. The masses, once victorious, won’t become ambassador to Turkey or trade representatives to Asean member countries or chairmen of big companies. Their prize is to live in a better country.

Which is why, they need to believe they are not merely pawns in a game involving warlords. Which is why the essence of a mass movement cannot be any more in the Information Age about personalities or faith in leaders, it has to have a transcendent spirit affecting the people’s zeitgeist.

Which is why the long dance to reconciliation without open admissions of guilt remains to divide the people. Somebody had to be wrong in 1998, when Anwar was sacked, arrested and demonised, it can’t be both sides were equally right and wrong and now willing to work together as if a terrible battle for a country was only over a clerical error.

November rain

It rained on that Saturday. From Masjid Jamek, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sogo, Jalan Kuching to past Masjid Negara rainwater washed away much of the ache the thousands on the street felt from the water cannon and tear gas attacks. November 10, 2007 in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

As if attending the first Bersih was not enough for me, I still managed to get a train back to Bandar Tasik Selatan to get to my car, change clothes in it and head to my friend’s Raya open house in Damansara side.

My eyes were red and my skin itchy, and served me right to expect sympathy from my Umno friend. He laughed his head off and said it was futile to challenge the giant which is his party and declared that they would still be in power long past all our expiries.

I said staying in power despite the people is not the standards democracies should be aspiring to.

Today he is a Pribumi member, and continues to “Hail Hydra” the party founder. Before the poster inks dry up, he’d be a candidate in the upcoming general election. Him and his gang. They may win, they may lose or they may all move to New Zealand, but they won’t get my support, here or closer to the international date line.

It is disrespectful that all the “Johnny Come Latelys” want to focus on reconciliation and use that as an excuse to refuse talking about how they have been part of the problem for decades.

I refuse the summary that expediency alone will change the status quo. But more than change itself, there has to be principle otherwise it will only be a cosmetic change with the outside chance of being even more vicious.

Elites alight

Opposition leaders — new and old — and civil society leaders cannot just conduct their reconciliation ceremonies which include apologies in private, rich with nuance.

Damn Asian niceties. The rest of us want our pound of flesh.

I refuse to have Mahathir visiting his way to popular support.

For opposition leaders have to be reminded that they have drawn from millions of Malaysians for support, active support, over the last 10 years. They have had the rakyat involved.

Before Mahathir and the rest arrived. And much of the support was to spite Mahathir’s legacy.

To oversimplify the process to just getting the top dogs to be OK with each other and assume the rakyat will be fine is disrespectful.

We are not vindictive, we are reminding you that an explanation must be forthcoming, an honest one to recommit to the new cause, new dream and new vision, because we are not afterthoughts.

Further, this insensitivity reminds us of two things.

Behaviour like this is why young people generally hate politics in Malaysia. They leave it to overweight middle-aged men with teenage children to claim non-stop that they are the voice of the young because they can pay for buses, burgers and pocket money for T-shirt clad clueless gathering attendees. It is elitist and ignores student politics. Student politics is always flat hierarchies and the more national politics is elitist the far more removed from politics will they be.

Second, the politicians as I pointed earlier can be rewarded directly, but the rakyat are not. While they may end up in jail long term, when they win eventually they become chief minister of states or minister, and in time prime minister.

But those who back them and pay the price are only going to be left with the memory of the fight. It would be nice to give them the truth and a good old fashioned apology.

This is a big fight, it needs all hands on deck. That sincerity will exist when everyone’s shame is worth the same.