Radical young or same old, same old?

 

Lest we forget, adults can gain great insights from the curious questions young folk ask and arguably, it is the role of younger generations to question everything.

From the ancient Greeks to Einstein and Marx and on to the youth revolts in so many countries in more recent times, the young have played a critical role in questioning the status quo.

With the spectre of the climate crisis, economic stagnation, widening wealth inequality, the political quagmire of the two coalitions, and the never-ending racial policies in Malaysia, we desperately need fresh thinking and direction from a new political force.

So, when Muda emerged from the Malaysian political scene, it seemed like a refreshing start-up. Yet up to now, it remains unclear as to what this “party of the young” stands for and it seems as if young Malaysians are not asking how it is different from the two political coalitions.

Is Muda just going to be providing a young veneer to the same old, same old? To say that you are against corruption is neither here nor there. Which political party ever stands out and says they are for corruption?

We hear that Muda leaders have been negotiating with Pakatan Harapan. But were these talks about horse-trading over seats in the Johor elections or about important substantive issues facing the nation?

Moving away from race

First, we would like to know whether Muda has non-racial solutions to Malaysian political institutions. Given that the initiator of Muda was a member of the race-based party Bersatu, does Muda present us with hope for a non-racial solution to Malaysian politics?

Will Muda then initiate the ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to ensure all legislation in the country abide by international human rights standards?

Secondly, does Muda have non-racial solutions to Malaysian economic development?

Knowing the initiator of Muda was a devotee of Dr Mahathir Mohamad who was the main proponent of the bumiputera policy and neo-liberal capitalism, does Muda intend to continue the racially discriminatory New Economic policy and neo-liberal policies?

Would Muda open the GLCs to democratic control of the people and direct them to implement good labour and environmental policies?

Would Muda implement strong public-sector health, education, housing, transport services including highways that have been privatised to crony capitalists at the expense of the public good?

What policies does Muda have for helping our small and medium enterprises, farmers and fisherfolk to develop our local food and industrial production? To fund this and to ameliorate wealth inequality, will Muda levy higher taxes on wealth and profits, combined with progressive taxation of income?

Thirdly, does Muda have non-racial solutions to Malaysian social development including, poverty eradication, our small and medium industries, Malaysian workers of all ethnicities, migrant workers, the Orang Asli and other indigenous peoples, urban settlers, women, children, senior citizens, the disabled and not forgetting initiatives for our youth regardless of ethnicity?

Fourthly, does Muda have non-racial solutions to Malaysian education including, special assistance to all underprivileged sectors and classes based on need and not on race?

Would it consider a means-tested sliding scale of education grants and loans for all who qualify to enter tertiary institutions regardless of ethnicity, religion, or gender?

Would Muda consider all Malaysian schools using the mother tongue of Malaysians to be built by democratically elected local councils and funds to all schools allocated fairly?

Will Muda recognise the UEC of independent Chinese secondary schools since both BN and Harapan have failed to do so?

Finally, does Muda have a non-racial solution to Malaysia’s National Cultural Policy? Will the party promote knowledge, respect, and sensitivity among Malaysians on cultures, religions, and ethnicity of all our peoples?

Will the cultural works by all Malaysians regardless of the language in which they are written be eligible for national artistic and literary awards and scholarships and will all ethnic Malaysian cultures be fairly represented in official cultural bodies and the media?    

These are some of the critical questions any voter would pose to this “Party of the Young”, and we expect Muda to reveal their manifesto as soon as possible, certainly before the Johor state election.

As the old African proverb goes: “The youth can walk faster but the elder knows the road.” - Mkini

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KUA KIA SOONG is Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) adviser.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.