What are you fighting for?
While the cause of PR may be noble, a prolonged fight will make it lose it’s momentum. Because the “warriors” kept fighting, but have run low on the fuel to continue fighting, not many will be able to drag on. Either they die on the course, or they surrender.
By ViewAct
After going through the Hulu Selangor by-election, I’ve come to understand something about Malaysians. I was too optimistic when PR members resigned, and missed a simple fact. What I am about to share here may offend some people. Scold me if you must, for this is just my observation. It may or may not be the truth. But it is what I have seen.
Why do people leave PKR? Why did PR fail the Hulu Selangor by-election? In other words, why have some people switched their support to BN?
Some continue to blame it on Money Politics, some on personality bashing, some on racial issues, some about the internal sabotage. Even renowned PR leaders say the above. Yet, I beg to differ.
Money politics has long existed, and it was such “benefits” that hold people together in Malaysia. Go out anywhere and you will see. Sales season pulls people to shopping complexes. Free gifts influence buying decisions. And unless a brand is well known by everybody for its bad reputation, people will still buy if they have not experienced the rottenness of that brand-product. BN or PR, both will do their “promotions” and Malaysians will see which gives the better bargain. But the difference lies in:-
1) BN has more financial giveaways to support their “promotions” and it can be immediate. That is indeed a strong temptation.
2) PR failed to see what lies deeply rooted in the Malaysian heart. And the underlying stress that caused the few recent exits of PR members.
On the part about personality bashing, you can tell a lie long enough to make it appear like the truth. However, the moment some simple “tests” were directed at them, their true selves will be revealed. Prolonged bashing and persisted lingering on such issues will agitate the common folks. And this is partially what upset the support to PR. What more when BN also controls the mainstream media?
Racial issues are not easy to tackle. As much as you may like to think that you are Malaysian first and Malay/Chinese/Indian/Orang
Asli/Kadazan/Bidayuh/etc second, your skin complexion and facial features will give you away. More than not, in Malaysia, the way you speak will also show what race origin you are. Blame it on education policies (so our ex-education and current education minister has not been doing their job well), but look at Indonesia. Indonesian Chinese regard themselves as Indonesian rather than Chinese, and they speak more Indon than Chinese language. Even their facial features show more native-ness than Chinese. However when racial clashes happened, they are still sought out to be killed. The only one thing the current by-election has proven is: NO SINGLE RACE CAN OVERRULE THE ELECTION RESULT. YOU NEED THE SUPPORT OF ALL 3 RACES. As in Hulu Selangor, this time the Malaysian Indian made the call. We can reduce the racial gap, and for that, racial based social differences have to go first.
Internal sabotage is inevitable when someone else is being put in the position instead of you. You will feel left out, angry and
neglected. What more when you have given everything you have to fight for it. You betted and it turned out against your predictions. All because the choice of the person in charge, and their relationship. What would you do? Fight? Or move out. Here in Hulu Selangor, both happened. Some people moved out, some people rebelled internally.
The problem may now seem external, or isolated. But it is actually internal, and correlated. Why with even with so much shit done, do some people still support BN? Why did some people decide to leave PR? And what is the view of the common folks?
As I have mentioned earlier, BN has better financial support. They have many “treasurers” sitting in the backseat. A simple call would mobilize quick money from these treasurers to be given away, or serving as “Loans” to temporarily cover-up financial holes from the eyes of auditors. The return for such favors – more contracts and projects to be awarded to them after that, and probably datukships. But surely people will not agree to something at their own disadvantages. They will hire their own cronies, family members etc to serve as the “middlemen” where money will also flow into their own pockets. In that way, they pay back their “treasurers”, and at the same time take enough money for themselves.
As the competition gets tougher, more “loans” have to be taken, and thus, the higher the paybacks (thus we are living a tougher life now). However, these people are greedy. To prevent losing their own share, they impose higher payments, and higher “Commissions” for themselves. To make things worse, they are too confident about getting the position they want and thus, they start spending money. Then when they eventually get what they fought for, there are a lot of bills to pay. And the burden goes to the common folks.
This applies to those that finally got into position. What if they fail? They will put themselves into debts which will eventually make them give up their cause, and jump ship. As for the treasurers, surely they will willingly give out loans as they know they are sure of getting a much greater return in the long run. Looks like political loan sharks to me. And even more assured they will vote the people they gave loans to.
People from PR keep leaving the coalition. And YM RPK has also revealed that many left because they lost everything in their course of fighting for justice and freedom. What PR fails to see is that, everybody has a reason for doing something. Some politicians may find reason in serving the public at the expense of their own selves. Some go into politics for the sake of enriching themselves. All in all, if a war drags on for too long, your warriors and soldiers will eventually get tired and begin to expect rewards. Worse if your food supply is being cut off. Soldiers will tend to choose running/surrendering than continue fighting to their death. Here BN understands well the basic instincts of their people. They merely offer something these people feel they lack.
This is where BN has succeeded. While their food (financial) supply is abundant, they cut off supply to PR’s warriors (leaders). Making them fail in their business, to the edge of bankruptcy. When the basic needs of a family is deprived, the fickle minded ones will surely abandon the course and take up another one that offers whatever they are deprived of. Some would even agree to kill their own brothers. Ever watched Slumdog Millionaire? Thus, if the war is quick and short, indeed what PR fought for will materialize. But a prolonged fight will tire them out. Moreover, with food supply (financial) running lower each day, the army will eventually get smaller. A counter attack at that time would most probably have them annihilated.
PR may have a noble cause in suggesting open tenders, fair competition, anti corruption, justice and freedom. But in Malaysia where the instinct of people is to look for better bargains, PR will discourage big players from supporting them. Call them selfish, but who would want to give away everything they earned and see no return? What more when they have a family to fend for?
For people in the middle income group, they will choose one who would provide them a better life than what they already have. A prolonged fight makes them lose more than what they already have. Some resorted to the very thing they were against – corruption; while some abandon the whole cause totally. For most Malaysians, they will be afraid to participate. For the moment they get identified or recognized by BN, they may even lose the little-left “assets” they currently have.
On the other hand, the mainstream media keeps promoting BN-Najib’s good work. And the “advertisement” does make the common folk “believe” BN is changing for the better, and that Malaysia is moving forward.
For people with lower income, they may have nothing to lose in fighting, but where the basic needs are deprived, what cause is there to fight? And anyone who can provide them with the things they want – money – will be enough for them to consider these “givers” as “gods” or angels. These are the people with the least contact with the Internet; with the outside world;
with social needs in general. They are more concerned about personal needs.
So Hulu Selangor witnesses the fact that, race or personal morale values no longer attract support; internal sabotage happened
because the interests of some groups have been deprived; and monetary giveaways is to quench the thirst of the deprived. While the cause of PR may be noble, a prolonged fight will make it lose it’s momentum. Because the “warriors” kept fighting, but have run low on the fuel to continue fighting, not many will be able to drag on. Either they die on the course, or they surrender. When I look at what happened to YM RPK, from a person of royal family enjoying his life, till he has to exile himself. How long can he continue to fight, and how long can he remain safe? He may have his ways, but how about the common folks? How many has abandoned the cause, how many perished?
All in all, PR may be fighting for justice, for liberation. But what are the other members fighting for? Money? Power? Security? Or what? So I feel that the problem lies internally. In the heart of members of the political party, as well as the leadership on how they would protect the basic needs of it’s members. So, how do you plan to fight your war, PR, when your supply is being cut, against an enemy who has an abundance of it? Time to find out and kick off something, else the situation makes it difficult to sustain the noble cause we are fighting for.
P.S -> To give an example, as much as how they cut off your supply, making your members fall in business, could PR and the rakyat cut these treasurers’ businesses off too? Firstly, who are those “treasurers”?
