The road to the independence of Malaya in 1957 was never an easy one. Commoners gave up their comfort by protesting against the formation of the Malayan Union. Personal luxuries were sacrificed to finance the trip for independence. Some were imprisoned while some lost a lot more than that.
We didn’t sit silent back then when our nation’s dignity was subverted. People from all corners of the nation were mobilised to support this national cause. A cause which gave birth to Malaya and set the roadmap for a greater Malaysia.
Today the situation is very different. We are at the centre of one of the world’s largest money-laundering scandals. Our institutions of democracy significantly weakened to consolidate the power of the few. Dissenters silenced either through force or bribery.
Yet in the midst of the 1MDB crisis, the passing of the authoritarian-friendly National Security Council (NSC) Act, the erosion of justice and equity, a large portion of Malaysians are still sitting idly while our nation is being raped.
Some harbour hopes in Anwar Ibrahim to swoop down and save the day despite his imprisonment. Some rely on Dr Mahathir Mohamad to liberate the country from the clutches of tyranny. Some rely on the mobilisation of the Malay-Muslims to incubate hope.
Yet a lot of us are bystanders in this pursuit of a greater Malaysia. We choose to remain silent due to fear or apathy. We allow the injustice to continue under the misbelief that, “nothing can change”, “I am alone in this”, “who am I to bring change?”
We forget that we make up a crucial part of our nation’s moral fabric. That one voice can ignite the dormant fire in the hearts of Malaysians. That one person can persuade hundreds if not thousands just by talking to people each day and keeping them informed about local issues. We can all be ambassadors of change in our own respective ways.
Stop the over-reliance on a man behind bars or a 91-year-old elder to free us from today’s unfortunate circumstances. Stop hoping and start acting. The Rose revolution in Georgia wouldn’t have been possible if the youth didn’t show resilience in the face of widespread crackdowns on liberties. The orange revolution in Ukraine wouldn’t have been possible if the labour unions didn’t throw support behind the protest.
The Jasmine revolution in Tunisia wouldn’t have transpired if NGOs and NGIs didn’t play a role in convincing the masses to come down. People from all religions, races, age categories etc played a role in the fruition of such movements. Often, these movements are not spearheaded by anyone. The public collectively mobilised for change. They didn’t just hope, but acted based on the notion of hope.
‘We are all politicians’
In Malaysia, we can all play our roles in changing society. We are all politicians in our own respective ways. There are a few thing which I would like to recommend here.
Firstly and most basically is to keep ourselves informed of national issues. Don’t just shut our eyes and ears to the ongoing problems but learn, research and understand so that we can persuade others better.
Secondly, start utilising our inner circle by persuading them to belief in the cause we are fighting for. Talk to friends and families. Spark localised pockets of discourse. If they were ignorant before, make sure that nourish them with the necessary information. One informed person should at least be able to persuade 20 persons who are from the family and friends. This will then culminate into more and more people sharing their knowledge with the rest of society.
Thirdly, utilise existing community platforms. The social media is a space we must maximise. Share trusted posts. Make summaries of existing news and share it out. Engage in ‘Facebook wars’ with those who are hell-bent on hiding the truth. Some will attempt to undermine this effort by labelling it futile. It is not! Change doesn’t just come in a day. Changing hearts and minds is more long lasting.
Fourthly, set up your own movement. An NGO in whatever field you can contribute in. Build on your circle of influence. Again, even if the NGO only has five people, that’s five people who can influence hundreds if not thousands in a year. The smallest of changes can bring the biggest of differences.
Fifthly, join as many discussions, forums, rallies as you can. Be a part of the community and learn. Detractors assert that street protests bring no impact. In reality is has realised a lot of Bersih objectives (e.g- electoral reforms/indelible ink). It also brings awareness to those in and outside of the country. Joining the protest alone injects that strong sense of community-feeling which assembles like-minded people for the same cause.
Finally, don’t forget to register as voters and vote. The most basic, yet arguably most critical form of participation. Each vote counts.
Hope on its own cannot stand without the heroes and heroines to carry it to fruition. Hope is merely a word unless embodied and acted upon by liberators of society. Hope is futile if it’s not accompanied with concrete actions. Be a part of the hope-building process by acting on it.
SYED SADDIQ SYED ABDUL RAHMAN is a part-time lecturer at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) Malaysia and is Asia’s best debater, winning the United Asia Debate Championship in May 2015. - Mkini
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