Politics of ego and victimhood will lead nowhere

 

IN the Malaysian socio-political context, it has been the nature of prominent ethno-religious parties claiming legitimate representation of their communities.

While some of their leaders portray themselves as ethnic heroes and believe that they are representing the sentiments of the people on the ground, the fact of the matter is, it plays out at the expense of national cohesion which is critical for constructive nation building that addresses the real issues of justice.

The current voice of UMNO Youth leaders represents the regressive worldview that is dominated by ego and grandeur of ethno-religious dominance that has limited the capacity of the country to progress by harnessing the potential of every Malaysian to build the culture of justice and solidarity.

We could also see the minority ethno-centric parties that play the victimhood card in terms of rights but are slow in highlighting and addressing the unjust social-economic structure that merely benefits elites of all communities.

Inflation has its roots of maximisation of profits by corporate entities that affects all communities.

Those at the bottom of all ethnic groups suffer the most.

For example, insurance companies that increase prices of their premiums due to higher medical charges at private hospitals, certainly benefit the rich corporate elites in the supply chain of medical equipment and medicines.

Lately, my elderly friends and I had an increase of our insurance premium by 15%. Are these issues brought up in political parties in their respective general assemblies?

What about the solidarity of all ethnic groups in rejecting power abuse and corruption instead of being selective when such issues challenge the integrity of the nation?

Instead of leading their followers to a middle ground of constructive politics that addresses the complex nature of nation building that cannot ignore the elements of injustice, power dominance or victimhood becomes the underlying theme.

There is no honest reflection of why such an oldest influential party like UMNO could lose a significant number of seats in a general election and what are the broader causes that inspired people to reject the party.

Perikatan National (PN) who are made up predominantly of PAS and Bersatu have not understood that ethno-religious emotions that churn out consistently during campaigning has limitation as proven in the recent Nenggiri by-election in Kelantan.

An honest reflection is what is needed in a political general assembly instead of ongoing nostalgia of wanting to be the dominant and powerful.

It is time the prominent political parties in Malaysia who represent the majority and the minority, especially their youth wings, learn how to harness the strength of all ethnic communities in the country to build a nation that is just and equitable.

It is time to reject the politics of ego and victimhood that take on the form of communal rights that would certainly be damaging to the development of a broader social consciousness that addresses the real cause of injustice which is related to concentration of power and wealth. 

Ronald Benjamin is the secretary for the Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

- focus Malaysia