One of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s darkest moments in history was when he presided over Operasi Lalang, in which over a hundred Malaysians were arrested under the Internal Security Act.
Thankfully, Mahathir appears to have left behind his appetite for governing in such a manner.
I bring this up only in reference to the reason this operation was supposedly named as it was.
Legend has it that Operasi Lalang was named based on the idea that activists, intellectuals and the like were ‘allowed’ to do and say as they like for a period; this allowed them to ‘grow like lalang’, meaning emerge from the general populace (the shorter grass, in this analogy) in a more visible manner.
Once these elements had ‘grown high enough’ to be easy to identify, it would be all the easier to cut them down in one fell swoop.
Again, Operasi Lalang itself was indubitably a black mark in Malaysian history.
Reflecting on the etymology of its nomenclature alone, however, it might be worth asking whether we are experiencing another ‘grow like lalang’ period in Malaysian politics.
This time, the lalang in question could be politicians and political operatives who want to operate the way BN politicians and operatives operated.
Defining moments in new Malaysia
On May 9, 2018, the Malaysian ship ventured into largely uncharted waters.
As we embark on the early stages of this voyage, it appears we have many different elements pushing and pulling the ship in different directions.
It is likely precisely because Mahathir is not the iron-fisted dictator he was in the time of the original Operasi Lalang, that this state of affairs exists.
If Mahathir 2.0 was the same as Mahathir 1.0, there would probably be no doubt not only as to the destination of the ship, but as to the course, the speed, the duties and responsibilities of each and every sailor, and some would say even the wind itself.
As it stands, however, while we see some politicians try to push Malaysia in the direction of principled governance and making a clean break with the old Malaysia, we see others pulling us backwards.
The latest example is, of course, Senator Bob Manolan Mohd, and his excruciating remarks last Friday in Cameron Highlands.
It should not require repeating in this day and age, but it is utterly unprincipled to threaten to fire village chiefs if they do not vote for the government of the day.
The chiefs are paid by the government, which is funded by all Malaysians, and not by a political party. Therefore, they are ultimately responsible for Malaysians as a whole, and their villagers, in particular, not to any partisan interests.
Blind feudal loyalty?
Again, this is a dead horse that should, by right, no longer need flogging.
Ultimately, Bob Manolan is one man - albeit not the only Harapan politician going in the wrong direction.
Let’s use the rest of this article to look into how the larger Harapan ecosystem has reacted to Bob Manolan.
It was a little disappointing to see someone with the stature and overall commitment to the integrity of Lim Kit Siang express the following:
"I checked with DAP leaders, namely Deputy Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji, Bentong MP Wong Tack, Sabah senator Adrian Lasimbang and Ketari assemblyperson Young Syefura Ahmad who were at the session on what actually happened.
"They confirmed that there were no threats (made) to the tok batins if they do not vote for Pakatan Harapan," Lim had said in a statement.
PKR vice-president and Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin made an equally disturbing comment.
Saying there is no need for action to be taken against Bob Manolan, and that she is confident that his words were misinterpreted by the media, she was quoted:
"I am confident what he said was misinterpreted as though he said if (the tok batin) don't support Pakatan Harapan, they won't get salaries. I don't think that's what he said.
"I have not read Bob Manolan's explanation, but I think he is not someone who simply says something like that. This needs to be looked into," she had reportedly said.
It is alarming that such a prominent politician would so confidently defend Bob Manolan, without even reading his explanation, or indeed, doing any kind of homework at all, apparently. This is blind loyalty at its worst.
Then there is Bob Manolan’s own awful attempt at an ‘explanation’:
"In a statement this evening, Bob Manolan said what he meant was that the chiefs should not be involved with Umno while receiving an allowance from the federal government because this was a conflict of interest.
"Manolan, who is an Orang Asli himself, said the chiefs are appointed by the minister in charge of the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) and therefore it was logical to expect that they subscribe to the aspirations of the federal government in order for the community's issues to be properly articulated.
"In my speech, I never issued a warning or threat to the effect of 'no vote, no pay'," he said.’
The correct response
After all this, we must commend Malaysiakini journalist Annabelle Lee for (presumably) making the audio recording which gave all the politicians above the lie.
Having listened to the audio recording carefully, I think there is no reasonable doubt or grounds for misinterpretation.
The reactions of Kit Siang, Zuraida, and especially of Bob Manolan himself should be textbook examples of what not to say when you have been caught red-handed - which is exactly what has happened to Bob Manolan.
A glimmer of hope shines in the manner in which not all Harapan politicians sought to immediately or blindly defend Bob Manolan.
PKR President Anwar Ibrahim immediately spoke out against the threat, PKR Vice President Tian Chua even made an apology, and Bersatu supreme council member Rais Hussin reminded us that thinking cash is king is what got BN voted out in the first place.
This is the correct response. Twisting and turning trying to make black into white and white into black is not the way, and neither is defending one’s ‘own people’ with complete disregard (or ignorance) for what they’ve said and done.
Lalang growing wild
The brazen manner in which those who want to bring us back into BN’s dark ages of feudal patronage and money politics are flaunting their lack of principles does indeed call to mind lalang growing wild.
The only question is whether Harapan’s top leadership will have the resolve necessary to cut the deadbeat lalang before it’s too late (not via the ISA or any such thing of course).
If they need inspiration with regards to a principled determination, perhaps they can take a leaf from the books of the Orang Asli chiefs who were interviewed after hearing Bob Manolan’s speech.
I must admit, reading their responses was quite invigorating. Indirectly, we may be creating robust leaders, with good critical thinking skills.
Ultimately, the question is who is supposed to serve who.
Even the Pope, the infallible supreme pontiff of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, uses the title servus servorum Dei - servant of the servants of God.
Perhaps if politicians were to adopt an attitude closer to this one, it would be beneficial for all - even themselves.
NATHANIEL TAN is delighted to have begun a new job at EMIR Research. - Mkini-
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.