Fundamentally Flawed
Anas Zubedy
To some Malaysians, asking voters to scrutinise and not to give a free ride to any candidate in the next general elections, plus to vote based on Reason, Conscience and the Constitution is considered fundamentally flawed. How ridiculous.
In trying hard to validate against a rational and judicious alternative view to ABU’s unthinking, irresponsible and destructive approach towards decision making, many of the detractors try very hard to sound intelligent and sensible by suggesting that while the stand to scrutinise individual candidates is correct, it is ‘not suitable’ for ‘the Malaysian political system.’
In a simple-minded way, this context of ‘the Malaysian political system’ does not seem to include the opposition parties. Thus, for example, it seems that UMNO and BN will use the whip to ensure all their lawmakers toe the line, but perhaps not PR. This is obviously naive.
Another favourite is to suggest that unlike America, our democracy is not matured enough to take what they see as an idealistic stand. Perhaps it is they who are not ready and this becomes a pretext to project their inability to think straight and unwillingness to act fairly as a representation of the Malaysian psyche. One can notice a lack of judgment when, even as it is claimed that we are not ready as the US, in the same breath they wish our politics to be more like theirs; complete with Presidential debates and all that. Ironic, because by promoting unthinking, party-based blanket votes, we move one step backwards from becoming this more matured democracy.
Yet the gold medal goes to this final argument. When all else fails, when they cannot argue with reason and conscience, when they do not want to listen or even consider an alternative standpoint, when they cannot accept an iota of difference of opinion, a majority will resort to name calling, abusive language and accusing the other as being bought over. They then spew the mantra, “if you are not with us then you are against us”, leaving no room for a centrist position, no chance to just be a simple voter – a rakyat.
It is the willingness to sacrifice the journey for the goal, the means for the end, which is fundamentally flawed.
“They say the means are after all just means. I would say means are after all everything. As the means, so the end….If we take care of the means we are bound of reach the end sooner or later.” Mahatma Gandhi
Until we give NO FREE RIDE to every candidate, no matter which party they may represent, we cannot stand proud and say that “WE, THE RAKYAT, ARE IN CHARGE”.
