A chance for youths to be real political leaders

A political reality TV show may make its debut if it can find a taker with a local TV station.

INTERVIEW

PETALING JAYA: A political reality TV show, the “first of its kind in Malaysia”, may hit the screen if everything goes according to plan.

Called “My Pemimpin” (My Leader), the show will feature young contestants who will take part in mini debates and other intellectual tasks.

The panel of judges will be real politicians who will give their comments. But the public will have the final say on who will be the up-and-coming youth leader. They can vote through SMS.

It is like the “American Idol” but here the talent show is all about getting youths interested in politics and maybe even be the launching platform for them to eventually enter the political battlefield.

But will the local TV stations accept this potentially ground-breaking show? Not if Malaysians are not ready for such an idea, says its creator V Arun Vallliappan, 24.

“I think Malaysia is ready to move beyond the politics of rhetoric. It’s about time we pushed the envelop further… We don’t want leaders who continue to use emotions, race and religion as a bargaining chip. But rather, via intellectual arguments. This kind of show will help,” said Arun.

Arun has formed a team which includes a production house and a group of like-minded friends and supporters who “want to bring about positive changes in Malaysia”.

The project is not funded by any political party.

Different perspectives

There are still a number of details to be worked out but Arun said the project is basically a Malay-language TV series similar to a talent contest like “The Apprentice” or “American Idol”.

“We will have judges who are current national leaders from both the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat so that we have different perspectives,” said Arun.

He declined to name the leaders he has approached, except to say that there have been some politicians who have indicated their interest.

Arun said 18 contestants aged 18 and above will be chosen. “Anyone can join… if you have what it takes. Or think you have what it takes.”

The judges will decide who makes the cut in the beginning.

However, Arun said the public will cast their votes, most probably via SMS, for the final winner.

Giving an outline of the show, Arun said that the contestants will be exposed to a number of “tasks” including participating in “mini debates”, after which the judges will weigh in with their comments.

The prize?

“Well, we can’t make someone an MP [laughs] but we are still deciding on this,” said Arun.

Insight into politics

But it is not the prize that matters most. “Most importantly, at the end of the show, the person who aspires to be a leader would have gained an insight into politics and hopefully become a thoughtful leader,” said Arun.

Besides, since the eventual winner is chosen by the public, he or she would have gained the support of the people.

“Hopefully a political party, then, whether BN or the opposition, will offer them an opportunity to contest in the general election,” said Arun.

He said the programme is planned as a 12-week-long series spanning three months if it goes to TV.

He added that more information will be revealed in stages through his website and the media.

“Keep watching this space. Hopefully we can have it running before the 13th general election,” he said.

What are the objectives of having such a political reality TV show? “We want Malaysians to think,” Arun said, adding that currently many youths are not interested in politics at all.

“There are two types of youths – those who like politics and those who don’t like. With this programme, we’re trying to create an ideal situation to bridge the divide between the two,” he said.

Arun said he wants to encourage youths to be more politically aware, adding that some college students do not even know what the acronym, Umno, stands for.

“If they don’t even know these things, then how are they to know who are these leaders and what are their policies? And more importantly, who choose when they vote?”

“We want to spread awareness about the importance of politics, and to expose youths to policy-making decisions… and for people to learn how to gauge our leaders in a fun way,” said Arun.

Arun said he observed that in previous general elections, some people do not know who the leaders really are. So his reality TV could help encourage leaders to introduce themselves – in a fun way too.

“I’m not saying we don’t have intellectual leaders currently, but we need more leaders who can produce arguments and reason it out in the way people can understand,” he said.

Arun himself is no stranger to “intellectual duels”. During his university days, he has taken an active part in inter-university debates, and this was what gave him the idea of creating a TV reality show on politics. He also said he was inspired by foreign debaters who could speak well despite their young age.

He said by using television as the platform, and making the programme more “fun” and “light”, he hopes to spark more interest in politics among youths.

“While it is not possible for us to solve world economic issues, at least we can get people to think about them… about the pros and cons of the policies that the leaders have come up with,” he said.

“Hopefully, Malaysia will accept this idea. Just ‘like’ us on Facebook to indicate you are ready for this show,” said Arun.

Below are excepts of the interview:

Who are the people behind this?

Arun: We’ve got a group of people… but they prefer not to be known at this stage. We have young people who are very excited about this and also older ones who warn us and ask us to slow down.

What sparked the idea of a political reality TV show? Was there a specific incident or moment?

I don’t really know exactly and specifically when I came up with the idea. During my time in university, I was very involved in debates and it opened my mind to the idea that you shouldn’t just absorb things as they are… but you must try to analyse them, think whether certain ideas are feasible.

About a year ago during a debating trip to the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India, I met Iqbal Hafiedz, who is the founder and CEO of Malaysian Institute for Debate and Public Speaking (MIDP). We were amazed and amused at how very young Indians, aged 18, were debating so well. I was thinking ‘Oh my God. When I was 18, I was ignorant.’ But these youths were talking about foreign policies and arguing them from a specific nation’s perspective. I thought to myself: ‘Malaysia really has some catching up to do’. I discussed with Iqbal about this idea of a political reality TV programme and he agreed to help me.

So seeing those foreigners inspired you? That was what made you want to create this programme?

I was thinking, you shouldn’t wait for someone to do something (when you can do it yourself)… You know, people always say: ‘I am Malaysian. I deserve this and that… but what have you done to help the nation?’ So if someone asked me, ‘what have I done for my country?’ (I can say) at least I did this. My purpose is just to get youths interested in politics. To help make them think.

You think having this programme would help our youths be better thinkers and more interested in politics?

When I attended the Model United Nations debates in Singapore, I saw people as young as 12 and13 speaking amazingly well. I thought: why couldn’t Malaysians do that as well? Because we are not exposed, and interest in debates is very low. Very few people sign up for this kind of stuff. So this TV show will also act as a kind of exposure for the youths.

What are your objectives? What do you hope to achieve with this programme?

Firstly, to spread awareness about the importance of politics, and secondly, to expose people to policy-making decisions. This way, people can learn to gauge leaders in a fun way. Often times, when we vote in a real election, we don’t know who are the leaders we are picking. Why don’t we introduce such leaders in a fun way? And hopefully Malaysia will accept this idea. I’m not saying we don’t have intellectual leaders, but we need more leaders who can produce arguments and reason things out in the way people can understand.

Do you think our current leaders have failed in this respect – in producing clear, understandable arguments?

I feel many of the current leaders do not present their views so that the public, the youths, can really understand them. Many of the youths simply do not care and are not involved. We want the public to understand what our leaders are actually pushing for.

Why do you think politics is important for youths?

Because politics is what determines our future. Many people don’t realise that politics affects our lives directly. Here are some questions many may not be able to answer: Do you know what’s really going on? Do you understand what our leaders are doing? Are you being well represented by your leaders?

Why the name ‘My Pemimpin’?

At the end of the day, the decision is yours. That’s why it is ‘My Pemimpin’ (My Leader). You choose.

Tell us more about the programme, how does it work? Your site says: ‘Through this show, the grouses of the public, and the sheer dedication of our aspiring leaders, will be showcased on a national platform in a fun and thrilling, yet educational direction.’

Nothing is set in stone at the moment but basically we’ll have several tasks. For example, we will have a topic on ‘voting age’. The participants then are broken into two groups and they will have to meet people and speak to ministers and at the end have a ‘quickie debate’ on that subject. The panel of judges do not decide but they give perspectives… they will comment on who has given a better argument, who should have done this and what shouldn’t have been done. After every task, we will eliminate someone; we can’t tell yet how it is done. But we want to ensure that it is the voting public who will decide on the outcome.

Which TV station will air this programme?

We don’t have anything confirmed yet. But hopefully this show can pass the Censorship Board, and we hope that this will be on national TV. If it was merely on the Internet, it will not have such a wide reach. We do not want to just target the Internet users and urban demographic. If we want a nation to be united in something, if we want changes, we need a whole nation to agree to it. This show is similar in that respect.

How can the viewer participate in your show? Will there be SMS voting?

Yes, most probably it will be through SMS voting. The idea is that at the end of the day, the winner will be decided by the viewers or voters. The judges just facilitate.

What’s the grand prize for the winner? Will we be getting an MP at the end of the day? Or a possible candidate for the next general election?

Well, we can’t make someone an MP (laughs)… We will announce what is the prize but at the moment it is also unconfirmed. Well, through the show, we would have produced someone who is supported by the people, someone who knows how to argue things out and from there, hopefully a party, whether BN or opposition, will offer them an opportunity to contest under its banner in the general election.

Would this show be similar to an election? Are there parallels here?

Yes, in principle, the viewers are thinking: who would I want to vote? Which leader would do something more beneficial for my community? They can then use this experience for the real election. We hope the public can grasp these concepts and apply them during the real voting.

What problems are you facing now in pushing this programme?

This idea has actually got quite a number of people excited. There are people who think this programme can make a certain degree of difference. But many are still hesitant to invest in the project. We have come out with a trailer video on our website. We are still talking to certain TV stations but nothing has been confirmed yet. Many people are becoming curious but it may take a little time… we’ll just wait and see. We’ve approached some politicians who have shown interest but again, no confirmation… we don’t want to announce something that is still uncertain. A lot of people are just waiting to see what happens next. Just watch this space.

When is this scheduled to start? How long is the show going to be?

We want this to be running before the 13th general election, but this is assuming that the election would be at the end of the first quarter of next year. We are planning to run for 12 weeks.

Do you have a message for those who are interested in supporting this project of yours?

If you believe in the things we are promoting – awareness of politics and making it both fun and educational which in turn would help the nation improve – why not join us and support us? Just “like” us on Facebook to show that Malaysians are ready for this idea.

Are you linked or funded by the BN or opposition?

No, everything we are doing now are from our own pockets… the group of us… we’re not taking any money from any political parties. It is primarily an initiative by a small group of people who want to see positive changes. We want Malaysians to think.