Saturday, November 03, 2007

The song, not the singer!

As I mentioned, drawn by the many letters in Malaysiakini appealing to or praising the messiah-in-vogue, the royalties, to save us downtrodden peasant from the current regime, I cannot but be equally drawn to the recent story of Thailand – ‘nuff said lest I be apprehended for lèse majesté when I next trot up to the City of Angels.

In my previous posting The Malaysian hunt for a political messiah I commented that There’s no political messiah save your personal vote. Make it count rather than indulge in fairy tales of a Prince …” come to save you, the ‘Prince’ being the hope-for political messiah, whether that be of royal heritage or otherwise.

Kaytee being kaytee, along the way, I did my usual warning against messianic voluble volte-face Volapük.

Some readers obviously didn’t like what I said, and though voluble (this word again) in their expressions of outrage against my … er … defacto lèse majesté (and this one too), did not dispute my statement of facts.

The discussions did include some very good views – I like especially the one from Odysseus’ faithful partner – hmmm, I need soon to shoot my arrow through twelve axe-handles.

But you know something?

In the end, the discussions proved my point that Malaysians somehow desire a political messiah. What else can we call it other than the 'penghulu syndrome'. The problem with such a personality is that it would be utter disaster when he or she has past baggage to contend with.

Then the supporters would get angry when someone like that bastard kaytee reminded and will still be reminding us of the messiah's old ‘baggage’.

Malaysian or Asian love for (political) cult personalities haven't been healthy – look at Mao, Soekarno, Kim Snr, Marcos, etc!

Why in the world do we need such a messiah? C’mon, think outside the box.

We should be looking at political ideology, policies, programs, etc rather than His or Her Most Teflon-ness; we shouldn’t fabricate mythology when the opposite would be the truth; we should also look at the credibility of those who want to represent us.

Then we wield our votes.

One visitor Miner lamented (in anguish, if I may add) and lambasted me:


Sir, you vote count for nothing when the whole electoral machinery is rigged and corrupt.

Your statement sound so naive. In fact given the present state of affair with the EC, voting is folly and mockery and contempt of democracy. Before the EC is thoroughly purged, please don't speak of your personal vote. To take part in the electoral process is only to [legitimize] the present corrupt and bankrupt administration.

So what do you propose to do?

(1) Purge the EC?
(2) Take to the street as had been wont of a certain person?
(3) Start a revolution?
(4) Revert Malaysia back to absolute monarchy?
(5) What?

Yes, no one trusts the EC nor the electoral process completely, but given its faults (many, assuredly) the ballot box still works in a fashion.

In fact I would say the UMNO-led government is fairly scared of voters. Recall Ijok and the over-the-top pork-barreling and the shameless acknowledgement by Samy Vellu that years of development for Ijok was compressed into a month or so.

Disgusting as the political misuse of public funds to pork barrel an election campaign had been, it bespoke of fear of voters.

Well Miner, the general election is just around the corner and I’ll going to vote. Will you, given your concerns with the EC? I urge you to.

Just rely on your vote and forget about the need for a political messiah. Research into the amazing success of the 1969 Gerakan Party where there was no such messiah, yet it enjoyed such an astounding election success which terrified a frightened UMNO into what Dr Kua Kia Soong had told us in his book.


We hope that won't happen again but nevertheless we should plan to vote in the spirit of those intrepid 1969-ers.


Totally unrelated but worth reading ;-)
(1) The Singer, Not The Song!
(2) The Singer, Not The Song! (2)

10 comments:

  1. kay tea said: Well Miner, the general election is just around the corner and I’ll going to vote. Will you, given your concerns with the EC? I urge you to.

    I have been voting DAP ever since I was eligible to vote since 1980s, except the last election I voted PAS becasue there was no DAP.

    The point is, who is looking for a political messiah? Getting the Agong to intervene as per the Constitutional provision is no less important and legitimate than your and every one else casting their legitimate vote.

    But you continue to cast a slur upon those who call upon the Agong to play in His constitutional role so that MY ONE VOTE is REALLY worth ONE vote... so that I am not taken for a ride and seen as a bloody stew pig DAP boy!

    I do enjoy reading all your articles...

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  2. kay tea said; Just rely on your vote and forget about the need for a political messiah. Research into the amazing success of the 1969 Gerakan Party where there was no such messiah, yet it enjoyed such an astounding election success which terrified a frightened UMNO into what Dr Kua Kia Soong had told us in his book.>

    Kay-tee, the world has changed. The EC then and the EC now are two totally different institution.
    With the present EC as a lackey of the ruling BN, taking part in the electoral process is not only making a mockery of the so called democracy, it is making a stew-pig fools of oruselves.

    No one is looking for political messiah. Just demanding the purging of the EC so that electoral process is not a SAHM, is meaningful and legitimate.

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  3. kaytee,

    I would like to start with saying, i too, is one of your many silent readers. For some reason, Malaysians are typically apathy about their political futures.

    Messiah for Malaysia future is indeed very much needed. WIthout any charismatic leaders that can reach across the whole spectrum of voters, the Opposition has no future. DS Anwar was close enough to be one, but alas, he has his own baggages from the days of Umno. DAP n PAS clowns are just clowns...they re too focused on their core constitutents, that there is no way for them to garner sufficient votes to form any government.

    Alas, come in the royalties. Without breaching the sedition act, all that i can say is, they re just the same as umno politicians, minus a few honest ones (perak royalties in particular). However, the same can be said about BN politicians - there are a few who re there to serve the nation.

    So, what future do we have? I too, have no idea.

    I encourage you and your fellow reader to come along to dataran merdeka on the 10th of Nov 2007 - for the march of clean election. The least we can do, is to show the government that we CARE.

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  4. Heavy bombastic stuff no doubt but nevertheless attracts and engages so-called thinking readers but nevetheless a top-notched Malaysian Blogs'rare good read ( most of all you do not 'rant'repeatedly nor annoyingly ) !

    Tho we have always believed Malaysian politics is not that complicated , just that we have favored people of quite a low grade( vis a vis developed places aka Spore , Britain and so on ) sitting on the ruling government's previledged but 'originally' (asli or ketuanan)soiled' seats.

    And.....sadly a majority voters of which the mind is near zero...and a minority such as yourself truly , quite articulate and knowledgeable but who realistically pragmatically only writes and not much else ( we humbly stand corrected ) !

    ( or are we talking also about ourselves?)

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  5. Kaytee, supplementary thoughts on your rhetorical questions:

    (1) The EC is a body directly formed under the Constitution and therefore answerable to the Rakyat, not Umno. What we need is public pressure to reform the EC, e.g. to allow Opposition a say in appointing the people who form & head this commission, etc (this requires a considered essay in another venue)

    (2) We will, on Nov 10

    (3) Yes, mental revolution first

    (4) In theory: We the very miniscule minority obviously cannot have recourse to Diderot & will have to accept the tyranny of ‘the majority' will in such ideas. In practice: And the ruling houses of Umno ... are what?

    (5) Never give up, never give in

    A brief note: By endorsing the vote, you’re in effect saying work with the system we now have, a formulation which in effect is that which Miner made.

    The limitations of voting, aside from how the system is stacked and rigged to begin with, are:

    1) Weightage. Not every vote is created equal; your urban one-man-one-vote less equal than rural and East M’sia votes

    2) municipal seats are not elected

    3) after the 5-year charade at ‘democracy’ is over & done with, all else will remain “equal” , to wit the bureaucracy will remain Malay, the judiciary will remain Malay, the armed services will remain Malay, the GLCs will remain Malay -- your voting can do nothing to change that.

    Credit Miner his argument: “Nobody is advocating a bigger role for the Monarchy than that provided for in the Federal Constitution.” He’s similarly saying work with what we’ve got & correctly pointing out that the ruler’s seal need not be a rubber stamp.

    They can withhold their royal assent -- that’s a check. They have a Constitutional role & are being called upon (or appealed or petitioned to) to exercise they powers that they have.

    As someone falling in the middle between Kaytee’s & Miner’s views, I urge we do all that we can to dent the BN’s majority in the coming GE & jatuhkan air muka dia orang sejauh mana yang boleh.

    One battle at a time & take it from there. Bersih & its proposed rally is a stirring.

    Last thought on this thread before I konsider the c.f. “totally unrelated but worth reading”.

    Kaytee says: “We should be looking at political ideology, policies, programs …” If we were First World, we would. If M’sians are seeking a messiah, it only indicates we’re Third World, with its cult of political dynasties like Benazir, Mergawati, Cory, Gloria … the list is long.

    Now on your links, 2 points:
    (1) I quote one of the comments: “Marina becoz she is Mahathir's baby, people hear her rants, but what about if she's a makcik from Gong Badak, will her view count?” He or she is perfectly spot on!

    I have no quarrels with MM’s public views which are PC & liberal but she stands on a platform constructed on nepotism.

    Recall that like the Infamous SiL, she’s used her position as PM’s daughter (I’ve more to add on this but not for public posting).

    Caveat: Using exalted position as leverage to air her views when other voices are neccessarily strangled (simply b'cos they don't have immunity unlike the PM's daughter) is not an MO I would fault under the aforesaid pragmatic principle of working with what we have, how we can.

    HOWEVER (a big one, hence the capital letters), she can be seen to endorse status quo (or perhaps to be more precise in her case, status quo ante)... so, a PC sounding song from a strange one to be singing just such a song, wouldn't you say?

    She is as much a part & parcel of the ancien regime (and again, it’s not for anyone to ask that a daughter repudiates her father) & therefore has always worn Mahathir's vestments (and all the ugliness that he truly represents).

    She rode on daddy’s coat-tails, like the rest of her MM brothers. Aung San Su Kyi is also a “daughter of”. But compare!

    (1) You were really NOT NICE to the people who profess Judaism.

    You accuse Judaism of being “the most racist religion of all". Now you tell me, Kaytee, if the greater faiths derivative of Judaism are not similarly, if not more exclusivist?!

    As for ‘Chosen People’, you have indeed chosen to read that epithet in a derisory manner.

    Can the Jews not also have been ‘chosen’ to bear God’s greatest test & severest trial?

    Can you think of any other race in the world that has been put through so much? Overcome the bitterest adversity as they have done?

    And to excel against the odds, contributing so much to humanity’s sum of knowledge?

    [This P does not patiently weave the loom but slings a mean bow. Proceed at your own peril; sharpened arrows poised ready and quite willing to fly at you.]

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  6. 12 axe handles to grind,

    I did not say we shouldn’t push for improvement in the electoral system. All I suggested was not to shun the election because of an EC that’s not trusted. But since then, Miner has notified me he/she would be voting, which is good.

    I disagree with the statement that “By endorsing the vote, you’re in effect saying work with the system we now have, a formulation which in effect is that which Miner made.”

    There is no acceptance of the status quo nor its kosher-ness (hope I won’t be castigated for using this ‘sacred’ word) but we need to vote while we continue trying to improve on the system, through relentless pressure, more likely to come from abroad if we can persuade the big foreign investors to tie their investments with improved democratic process. I have no faith in political messiahs of any hue or origin – they’re all for numero uno.

    One of my observations re Bersih which has been bugging me, and which I have planned to blog on, has been the involvement of opposition parties in its campaign. Those opposition parties have actually diminished its appeal and strength by compromising its neutrality – what did I tell you about numero uno. Bersih should retain and jealously guard its NGO status.

    On MM, I disagree completely, totally with your take.

    For a start, which Makcik from Gong Badak has said anything? That sort of argument is not only hypothetical and totally irrelevant, but served the author’s resentment that MM had spoken out against questionable Islamic practices – I know ali allah ditta as a fellow Penangite and he’s staunchly Islamic and PAS – nothing wrong in his belief or affiliation but we need to at least know where ali’s coming from when he criticized MM.

    You averred that my advice not to rely on any so-called political messiah but instead to be looking at political ideology, policies, programs … would only be applicable if we were First World, yet you classified MM’s public views as PC .....

    PC? Now, aren’t you then applying First World values in judging her?

    The reality has been that in Malaysia, MM had been very P-iC rather than PC, and that took/takes courage, especially in the face of formidable dragons in our conservative Malay society.

    Your assertion of her public service life with hurtful words such “a platform constructed on nepotism”, “used her position as PM’s daughter” and “part & parcel of the ancien regime” have been the unkindest cut of all.

    Let me say something about the usual Malaysian stuff of plenty of hot air and empty talk. When push comes to shove, who took on the P-iC and unpleasant task of heading the Malaysian AIDS movement in this conservative Muslim society, with an extreme version in the infamous Mufti of Perak who wanted to exile and maroon those ‘unfortunates’ on a deserted island?

    It’s not unlike the times when I canvassed people to donate to the Red Cross for aid to Darfur – all those so-called friends and acquaintances who boasted of charitable inclination suddenly pretended not to know me. Yes, plenty of hot air and empty talk!

    MM took on the unthankful job and did a great job. Why not instead look at the achievements of her public service rather than find faults with the randomness of her birth?

    And how would you know she won’t be another Aung San Su Kyi if circumstances put her in the same position? Your comparison has been unmitigatedly faulty, and the same hypothetical and irrelevant comparison a la the makcik from Gong Badak.

    As for my accusing Judaism of being “the most racist religion of all", did you read my post in context? Let me reproduce that paragraph for your convenient re-perusal:

    Again, it's those people rather than Judaism itself, though people like the dead Baruch Goldstein who was an extreme racist, and the biblical authors who propagated the nonsense about ‘chosen people’ had been the culprits who gave their religion a racist hue. Would a God create a world where Group X is chosen to lord over Groups A to Z (except for X)?

    Let's all keep a clinical and open mind, and only target those followers of religion who have been responsible for the nonsense or evil of their deeds, instead of blaming a religion that cannot answer back (and doesn't have to answer back). Remember, it’s the singer, not the song!


    For P's penance, spin at the loom of guilt till Rumpelstiltskin comes along!

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  7. ---------------------------
    THE SONG MAKETH THE SINGER
    ---------------------------

    HIGHLIGHT:
    We should be looking at political ideology, policies, programs, etc rather than His or Her Most Teflon-ness; we shouldn’t fabricate mythology when the opposite would be the truth; we should also look at the credibility of those who want to represent us.

    COMMENT:
    Hi Mister Kaytee,

    Now we are choosing between Anwar and Pak Lah... My question previously remained.....

    Do you have any other candidates?

    If you think one of them is a tiger, then the other is a crocodile.

    We are now choosing one to balance the other off. Besides that, of course people look at political ideologies.

    All political ideologies are helmed by your so-called leaders such as Communism by Chairman Mao.

    Like I said earlier, the main reason people people are choosing an opposition such as keADILan and PAS is to balance off the powerful Barisan Nasional. Even if keADILan is not helmed by Anwar, there are still many supporters who wants reform.

    What choice do we have, Kaytee?

    That was what the voters who told you "we have no choice" means.

    Otherwise, continue choosing Pak Lah and Barisan Nasional? Dear me...

    Oh yeah, on your words, the song not the singer.... The singer maketh the song .... Different singer interprets the song differently. It takes a great and good singer to make the song sound nice and long-lasting.

    Looking at the example above, if we have two bad singers, we choose a better singer between the two.

    Think about it.

    Regards,
    Sagaladoola

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  8. Why should I vote for a personality from a party rather than policies from a party? That has been my point all along, yet you continue to ask me for an alternative name. Why?

    Why are you so insistent on that approach? Of course you have a choice.

    My strong recommendation is for you to examine the party's policies. Forget about AAB or Anwar or Lim KS or Nik Aziz - instead look at what they are offering, how good are their policies, how reliable would you make of their promises, and how credible would they be based on their performance and record?

    Don't keep depending on the penghulu!

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  9. K'Temoc,

    By saying “we need to vote while we continue trying to improve on the system”, you ARE indubitably as Miner says ‘legitimising’ the process. The alternative option is boycott, or de-legitimising the process.

    And you are now maligning Bersih pula. You insist: “Those opposition parties have actually diminished its appeal and strength by compromising its neutrality – what did I tell you about numero uno. Bersih should retain and jealously guard its NGO status.”

    Again Kaytee, pls gently float down from your idealist tower to the earth of realpolitik.

    It is the Opposition & Opposition-inclined who have the biggest stake in reforming electoral processes.

    Do you really expect the apathetic public to come forward & act openly & decisively on this? It’s the Opposition that will be rallying the numbers for Nov 10.

    Do you know that 80% of those who asked about the People’s Parliament 'Save the Judiciary' petition never got back to Haris after finding out that they have to provide their IC numbers in order to sign?! Just that fearful requirement turned them away. Think about it.

    And what “NGO status”? What “neutrality”?

    Asli is chaired by a Mahathir boy. Did it show any neutrality in caving in to Umno goons demanding an apology from Dr Lim Teck Ghee for insulting Malays with statistics?

    Think-tanks & research orgs are affiliated with the political parties as well. They produced two recent biographical puffery (err, books) about Ong Ka Ting & Samy Vellu.

    The AIDS foundation that you do so go on about is chaired by a Mahathir girl.

    You think average Ah Chong and Ramasamy (in the main) possess the wherewithal to create & run these sorts of foundations, or that they will be approved for registration? Has mKini managed to obtain its publishing licence to date?

    Ok, some funding does come from abroad & with it, tied to the inevitable accusations of Zionist conspiracy (Remember? Delegate’s speech at last Umno assembly?)

    So, on the domestic front, then, of course funding is to [some or great] extent provided by moneyed M'sians “with connections” … and you reckon with no vested interests?

    As for finding fault “with the randomness of MM’s birth”, I’m far from finished on this. Pls wait while I decide whether to retrieve my broadsword or select a chunky kitchen sink especially for you.

    If you declare that you harbour no animus against Jews (as you most certainly & clearly do against Anwar), I will give you the benefit of the doubt.

    I’m observing that you are selective in your criticism but then I’m a very recent visitor to your blog. So go ahead & list “comparative religion” threads from your body of work for my edification. At the mo, nope, no thought of penance.

    On looking out for No.1, if you cannot muster an iota of faith in honest-intentioned people who seek change, then I s'pose I should be wary of you too.

    When Rumpelstiltskin comes along, I shall have 3 guesses at Mr K’Temoc’s real name & identity! Whoever you truly are. Hah!

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  10. true true, i'll also going to vote, if only the BN machinery gave me rm200 ...... ec around the corner, time to make a quick buck. why not ? i believe even you vote opposition, bn will still win anyway and i agree with miner's opinion.

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