‘Cafe conversations’ alternative to emotional ceramahs for Bangsar folk

Saifuddin (left) and Nurul Izzah exchange a handshake at the ‘café conversation’ last night. — Pictures by Choo Choy MayKUALA LUMPUR, April 16 — A small crowd of Bangsar residents squeezed into the upper floor of a restaurant last night for an intimate “cafe conversation” with PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar and Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

Both caretaker MPs, of Lembah Pantai here and Temerloh, Pahang respectively, were at the Opus Bistro on Jalan Bangkung here to talk about whether progressive politics is possible in contemporary Malaysia, and fielded questions from an outspoken, largely upper-middle-class audience. 

“We thought that with the elections, you know, you have a lot of ceramahs but you don’t have the kind of more intellectual talks, proper discussions. We thought it was important to also have the other side of it,” lawyer Edward Soo, 33, told The Malaysian Insider.

“Not everyone is the ceramah type, if you know what I mean,” Soo added.

It’s a personal initiative of his, and last night’s event marks the second in a series of events planned in the weeks leading up to the impending elections on May 5.

The first event took place last Friday, with Bersih co-chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and Transparency International Malaysia president Datuk Paul Low in attendance, talking about election reform and corruption.

“The idea is to keep people informed with something more intellectual. I think at the moment a lot of people are very emotional, very one side or the other, all about personalities,” Soo said.

Soo also said he thought most of the people who had frequented the first event seemed more inclined towards the opposition, but that the point of these events was also to offer an alternative view so different views can be compared.

Saifuddin belongs to Umno but he also has a reputation as one of the more progressive politicians within the party, and the interactions and verbal parry between him and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s eldest daughter was friendly. 

“We need more of this kind of discussion to bring the two sides together, but we didn’t want to make it a debate — that’s more kind of antagonistic,” Soo said.

Nurul Izzah will be standing in Lembah Pantai again for the upcoming elections, but it is not yet known whether Saifuddin will be recontesting.

The crowd in rapt attention at the ‘café conversation’ last night.Both MPs said more progressive politics is possible in Malaysia. 

“It’s the first time where people are going to the general election with both sides of the divide coming up with manifestos that are very centrist,” Saifuddin said. 

“If you want to talk about progressive politics then you need manifestos that are centrist in nature,” he added.

“I think Barisan Nasional (BN) as a whole is becoming more centrist. There are certain points in the manifesto you don’t expect them to come up with.”

Nurul Izzah also said that progressive politics does not mean wiping out all race-based parties.

“They have a right to exist, but they should not be condoned or supported by government institutions,” she said.

Several people The Malaysian Insider spoke to at the event were not Lembah Pantai voters, though they may be Bangsar residents.

Jema Khan, a registered voter in Sabah and a former Sabah Umno Youth leader, said: “I just want to tell them, I support you both, but how are you going to handle the hardliners in both your parties?”

“I think Nurul answered my question pretty well. She said that discussions within Pakatan have ensured that there is no question of hudud being implemented in Malaysia. That goes somewhere,” he said.

Retnaguru, 42, a freelance videographer and lecturer, said he had looked forward to what Nurul Izzah had to say but was disappointed.

“The discussion only touched the surface of politics in this country. It was very casual, very rhetorical,”

“I was expecting more detailed plans from Nurul, but she was very vague when responding to the questions, when asked how she would make progressive politics happen,” he said.

He said he had voted for the opposition in his parliamentary constituency of Klang in Selangor in 2008, but would likely vote for BN in this upcoming elections.

“There hasn’t been much progress besides Penang. There are water issues, rubbish issues, basic issues which have not been addressed. Pakatan has maintained a 55-year-old momentum that hasn’t picked up,” he said.

“Fine, you have saved money but have you spent for the rakyat?”

His sentiment was shared by Yap Mun Ching, 36, head of a corporate foundation, who told The Malaysian Insider: “I had expected a more engaging debate, but a lot of it were platitudes not translated to actual policies.”

However, she said she would vote for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the upcoming elections.

“Not so much because I really believe what they’re all about. They have failed to produce a shadow Cabinet, and they haven’t proven they are really ready to lead,” she said.

“But I think it’s important that we must know we can change the government,” she added.

“I think we are in for some short-term pain, but hopefully it will be worth it.”