Reading your comments I am struck by the fact that I would agree wholeheartedly with almost every point that you have made.
Yes, there is still sympathy amongst Malaysians and within PR for Hindraf’s plight; (I believe this is because there are no basic contradictions between both sets of goals)
Yes, they are poor at selling themselves, lack savvy & don’t communicate well, and this (and their methods) have turned many away from them; (50 years of oppressive conditioning has certainly left its mark)
Yes, they have a sectarian perspective (although their beliefs do not require the denial of the rights of others);
Yes, they are not cohesive, & lack leadership (most are locked up anyway);
Yes, there are some of their “leaders” with selfish personal interests;
This brings us to the question: What can we do about this?
The way I see it, there are 2 approaches we can take:
A) We give up on hindraf & their supporters, repudiate their struggle, tell them that we cannot work with them & that they are on their own
B) We engage them, establish what exactly they want, show them that fundamentally we want the same thing, listen to their fears & concerns (and they have raised some pertinent ones about PR), gradually raise their consciousness about the new political environment in Malaysia, and they themselves will expose & expel the mercenaries & cheats amongst them.
Option A would be undesirable because: oIt’s unfair – we would be tarring all hindraf supporters with the same stereotype brush oWe would strengthening our old enemy, and creating a new one, something that we do not need right now
Option B would have the following good points: o We would be true to our own values of fighting for the weak, the oppressed, the marginalized (even if they themselves don’t realize it) o We would be developing the wonderful but rare quality in any party of being able to accept criticism & work with diverse partners on common issues o We would be responsive, transparent & respectful of our constituents, something BN never got around to doing
Is option B a pipedream? I don’t think so. But I have no illusions that it will be easy either. For one thing, the atmosphere is already charged with denunciation & counter denunciation, insult & counter insult. Both sides are standing behind their respective battle lines & shouting at each other through megaphones. If we are to get anywhere together, first we will have to stop the shouting & start respecting each other again, & with that noble aim in mind, let us be the first to extend our open hands in friendship.
Sincerely, Malaysian Heart
No comments:
Post a Comment
NOTE: We do not live in a Legal vacuum. A pseudonym/ nickname with comments would be much appreciated.
Dear Cruzeiro,
Reading your comments I am struck by the fact that I would agree wholeheartedly with almost every point that you have made.
Yes, there is still sympathy amongst Malaysians and within PR for Hindraf’s plight; (I believe this is because there are no basic contradictions between both sets of goals)
Yes, they are poor at selling themselves, lack savvy & don’t communicate well, and this (and their methods) have turned many away from them; (50 years of oppressive conditioning has certainly left its mark)
Yes, they have a sectarian perspective (although their beliefs do not require the denial of the rights of others);
Yes, they are not cohesive, & lack leadership (most are locked up anyway);
Yes, there are some of their “leaders” with selfish personal interests;
This brings us to the question: What can we do about this?
The way I see it, there are 2 approaches we can take:
A) We give up on hindraf & their supporters, repudiate their struggle, tell them that we cannot work with them & that they are on their own
B) We engage them, establish what exactly they want, show them that fundamentally we want the same thing, listen to their fears & concerns (and they have raised some pertinent ones about PR), gradually raise their consciousness about the new political environment in Malaysia, and they themselves will expose & expel the mercenaries & cheats amongst them.
Option A would be undesirable because:
oIt’s unfair – we would be tarring all hindraf supporters with the same stereotype brush
oWe would strengthening our old enemy, and creating a new one, something that we do not need right now
Option B would have the following good points:
o We would be true to our own values of fighting for the weak, the oppressed, the marginalized (even if they themselves don’t realize it)
o We would be developing the wonderful but rare quality in any party of being able to accept criticism & work with diverse partners on common issues
o We would be responsive, transparent & respectful of our constituents, something BN never got around to doing
Is option B a pipedream? I don’t think so. But I have no illusions that it will be easy either. For one thing, the atmosphere is already charged with denunciation & counter denunciation, insult & counter insult. Both sides are standing behind their respective battle lines & shouting at each other through megaphones. If we are to get anywhere together, first we will have to stop the shouting & start respecting each other again, & with that noble aim in mind, let us be the first to extend our open hands in friendship.
Sincerely,
Malaysian Heart