Push back against political polarisation

 

When it comes to threats, Malaysia has plenty. Every group has its own bogeyman and fears, and with the increasingly polarised state of our society, it may be a common feature moving forward.

Perhaps we can consider political fears and anxieties as export products since we seem to be quite adept at manufacturing them.

This may be partly due to the separate lives and circles that we live in, which don’t just cut across ethnicities, but also economic status and educational levels, among others.

Nothing novel about having a certain degree of sameness within a workplace or residential area, but our attention also flows to the same echo chambers online which confirms established beliefs and amplifies concerns.

Interactions across communities, when they happen, often are purely transactional. There are clear roles that one is expected to conform to: staff, customer, tenant, owner, guest, host, etc. Opportunities for transformative social interaction become far and few in between.

These are natural phenomena, and so is polarisation to a certain extent. When it goes to extremes and considers everyone outside of one’s own community as a risk and a threat, it poses an existential threat to society at large.

Shared grievances

Malaysia isn’t unique in experiencing high levels of polarisation. Similar situations can be seen happening in many countries across the world, even in largely homogenous societies like Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

In some countries, this results in more diverse legislative assemblies as differences are managed through civil processes, while others break out in violent episodes and insurrections.

Often in the latter cases, polarisation has reached an extent where there is no longer any common framework of values between different groups and institutions are no longer seen as trustworthy.

While values and definitions may not align, common themes do emerge. Inequality, lack of opportunities, declining standards of living, and weakening social safety net; are concerns that fuel the majority of the dissatisfactions that exist.

Wherever you are on the political spectrum (or vector), it is only logical to wonder why it is so difficult to have a decent life when others seem to have it so easy.

What upsets and worries us and the people like us, for the most part, are also what drives people unlike us to seek answers and solutions. Each may come up with differing definitions and ideas that come into conflict with each other.

If there is no sincere attempt at coming together to solve those fundamental issues, it will only grow the conflict larger.

Democratic process

So we exist separately, fear different things, and seek our own utopias and jannah (heaven), what can we do to stop from drifting further apart?

It’s heartening to note that Malaysians still believe that the divisions are not extreme and can still be overcome, according to Edelman’s 2023 Trust Barometer.

There are definitely clear lines drawn politically, as seen through the recent general election, but as a society, we have no issues befriending or living among people of different ethnicities.

Cliched as it may sound, respect and tolerance for each other and our constitutional and human rights have to be the basis of our response.

Differences of opinion and conflicts will continue to exist, and we will need trusted mechanisms to sort them out. Whether the present administration wants to or not, that trust will have to be built across different sections of society.

On the other hand, there needs to be clear hard limits to stop attempts at tearing apart the fabric of our democracy, which includes our plural society.

Thus on a wider scale, we need to be able to deal with contentious issues credibly and soberly, and avoid using a sledgehammer on every nail we see.

Laws and institutions that exist must function as they’re meant to, and be trusted to carry out their roles according to due process.

The arms of government cannot be just for show and the occasional report card, but be of significant impact to defray the conflicts that are happening.

This cannot be limited to the controversies that appear in the media or generate public outrage, but there must also be teeth to investigate and manage deep-set issues that are at the root of society's dissatisfaction. Governing should be active, not reactive. - Mkini

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LUTFI HAKIM ARIFF is co-founder and podcaster at Waroeng Baru, a not-for-profit collective to promote democratic participation and resilience. He is also the co-author of the book ‘Parliament, Unexpected’ and an unrepentant believer in the power of local independent media. Lutfi tweets at @ltf_ha.

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