Author: admin

If someone were to ask if I have any favourite ancient war movies with lessons to learn from, “Braveheart” is one of them. A movie that won multiple international awards, it is a fictional story of a man, William Wallace leading the Scottish in the First War of Scottish Independence.

The movie starts with King Edward of England invades and conquers Scotland following the death of Alexander III of Scotland, who left no heir to the throne. By conquering Scotland, King Edward grants his nobleman, or the people who support him with lands and privileges. 

When his wife was murdered by the noblemen, Wallace led his clan and other Scottish clans to wage a war against the English troops while fighting for independence. Wallace managed to secure a couple of victories in battles, while getting more and more supporters until the Scottish nobleman even pledged to cooperate to fight together for the independence of Scotland.

At William Wallace’s final battle at Falkirk, it was when he was disappointed when some of the Scottish noblemen who promised to fight together suddenly turned their back against him because they had been bribed by King Edward. Thus Wallace lost the battle, was caught and sentenced to death for treason.

Don’t you think we are facing a similar situation? Malaysia, at one point of time, was facing a situation when we have no heir to the “Prime Minister” throne when Tun Dr Mahathir did not name any successor after him. This led to a situation when our politics are out of control and uncertain. Different parties and leaders were scattered trying to join and unjoin forces so they could take over the government. 

At one point, we thought we had seen some hope that some leaders or alternative parties could come together to work as a third force to defeat those who are only after power and positions. It seems the third force was winning a little and gaining traction, as though William Wallace had won a couple of battles.

But alas, we just realise that there were opportunists hiding under the coat working along with “William Wallace”, claiming to fight for Malaysia, when they were only after lands and privileges. “William Wallace” started off with great vision and plan, but forgot to be cautious of the noblemen just right beside him that were corrupted by power.

It was then I thought a third force would rise and defeat or at least reduce the greed in politicians. But it did not, it was just one short moment that the third force almost showed up, but it did not. I guess it will take some time before the third force rises again. 

The NBA All-Star game has just passed this weekend. For those who are not basketball fans, it is a game where the best of the basketball players from the NBA come together to play a game. These players were voted in to play this game by fans, which means they are popular players, and usually one of the best players in the league. The game is usually among the most watched basketball games as it is filled with star-studded players. 

Afterall, the sports business is part of the entertainment industry, with sports teams earning from various sources of income. Fans are entertained in different ways, some simply love the sports, some keep track of the conflicts, some love the merchandise, some even monitor the personal lives of the sports celebrities. Even trading of players is part of the sports’ showbiz, with many dramas, negotiations, talks, and news covering it. 

As someone who loves basketball overall, checking out the news from time to time; the NBA reminds me of our national politics. 

It is competitive, of course. Teams compete with each other to win championships. Political parties compete with each other to win general elections. 

Sometimes the officials and the management change the games’ rules and regulations to make the sports better. Politicians must keep amending laws and public policies to make the nation better.

Players and teams keep training and developing themselves to make themselves better and subsequently improve the quality of the sports. Political players do develop themselves too, but who knows whether it’s for the sake of the nation or for themselves.

Players were traded or players requested to be traded from teams to teams, sometimes for better wages, sometimes for the sake of winning championships, or sometimes to take up different challenges. There is one player that has won three championships, but all as a player of three different teams. Well, don’t you feel it’s the same here, politicians jumping from one party to another, for benefits, or to form a new government? Don’t you think that some politicians are the ministers despite the different political parties that rule the nation?

The difference here is, we know the sports industry is part of the entertainment industry. We know it wouldn’t harm us in any way. But the political scene is not, it is not supposed to be an entertainment for us. We have to take the political happenings seriously as it affects us in many ways. 

At times, I really hope that the political players can learn more from the sport. It seems that they are doing more for the community and people compared to politicians. They train themselves and fight to make new records, they amend rules and regulations so that the game would be better and fairer. 

In the All-Star game, despite different teams, all the basketball stars come together to promote a good sporting culture. Even in the NBA, there are times that they advocate for the right things such as equality and fairness. 

Our national politics have been shrouded by uncertainties for too long, and yet it doesn’t seem to end anytime soon. The drama and happenings in politics are as exciting as in the sports, but more people are more interested in sports compared to politics. But of course, we do not hope that we have too many dramas in politics, but instead focusing on making the nation and community better.

I hope by using the analogy of the NBA, I can pass a message to those basketball fans in Malaysia that we have to know more about politics, as it is part and parcel of our lives.

It is a positive note for Malaysia’s democracy when His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong stated that the Parliament session can be convened during the emergency period that we are currently in now.

It is important for the Dewan Rakyat sessions to be held to ensure our political system of checks and balances is practiced which is the basis of democracy and representative government. The Dewan Rakyat is the legislative arm of our government, and the representatives debate on laws and government policies which will be enforced. The august House of the Parliament examines and approves government decisions especially when it comes to spending.

As long as we ensure the standard operating procedures (SOP) and necessary precautions are adhered to in the Parliament when the session is conducted, I don’t think we should have any fear of infecting the Parliamentarians. 

To be sarcastic, the Member of Parliaments are already busy out everywhere, whether it is giving aids to their constituents, attending meetings, discussing political moves, or to a certain extent, not even adhering to the SOP regulations. If they are free and not afraid of doing all these, aren’t they not supposed to be fearful of attending Parliament sessions?

Even if we are afraid of our Parliament representatives being infected, we always have the choice of doing it virtually. Some of the nations in the world have proven that virtual sessions are possible. The United Kingdom’s House of Commons and House of Lords, the lower and upper house are able to conduct their meetings in virtual or in hybrid methods. 

Earlier last year, the youth of Malaysia proved that virtual meetings are possible when they had a Digital Parliament which consisted of 222 young people participating. There is totally no issue of privacy as it is the best when the Dewan Rakyat sessions can be held and available online for Malaysians to witness. Through that way, Malaysians would know more about government policies, and will know if their representative is raising their concerns or not. As a matter of fact, we should make it convenient for people to view the proceedings at any time. There should be more transparency in our democracy.

As a Southeast Asian country, we have to be mindful of our ASEAN Charter which signs to adhere to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and good governance, respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Therefore, it is important when our MPs can start meeting again as soon as possible.

Despite my stand of hoping Parliament can reconvene at any time soon, I personally do not agree when the 89 current and former Southeast Asian lawmakers who are from different countries urge for the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara to reconvene again. 

We must not also forget that in the ASEAN Charter, we must respect the fundamental importance of amity and cooperation, and the principles of sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, non-interference, consensus and unity in diversity. The ASEAN and its Member States must act in the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of other ASEAN Member States.

The 89 political leaders may be right in their opinions, but I think our country is not facing a problem as huge as we need interference from people of other countries. Furthermore, the political turmoil that we are in now is due to the struggle of power and position of different parties. Now how can we be sure that those 89 Southeast Asian leaders that made the statement have no connections with any of Malaysia’s political leaders whether for now or in the future? How can we be sure that there are no lobbying, deals and negotiations in the process?

They may be sincere in protecting democracy regionally, but when a precedent is set that people from other countries are allowed to interfere in our politics and government, does that mean that in the future they are able to influence our public policies directly as well?

While we need to protect our freedom of democracy in Malaysia, we should also protect our freedom from interference. 

The Undi 18 was again brought up to the attention of many young people for discussion when the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Senator Wan Ahmad Fayhsal allegedly said that  Malaysians are not ready to vote at 18 years old. It happened when everyone jumped on the bandwagon of Clubhouse, initiating and listening to many different types of discussions on the popular platform since Elon Musk popularised it.

Of course, many young people especially those who will potentially become first-time voters were pissed off when they read the headlines or when people shared that specific content of the Youth and Sports Deputy Minister. To be fair, if one would listen to the long-form reply of his answer when he was asked about the Undi 18 efforts, he stressed the need for readiness among the soon-to-be voters. He continued to focus on how important it is for young voters to be ready and informed. He was also implying that young Malaysians are not yet ready to exercise their voting rights and they would need some form of prior institutionalised political education.

In July 2019, the Dewan Rakyat made a historical decision which empowers the younger crowd politically. Majority of the Member of Parliament has passed the constitutional amendment that reduces the voting age of Malaysians from 21 years to 18 years. The Bill received support from 211 MPs out of 222.

I may disagree with the words of the Deputy Minister to a certain extent, but he does make some point though. I remember immediately when the Bill was passed in the Dewan Rakyat, I issued a statement urging the Government to include political education in our education system as a compulsory content. I am more than happy to have a younger group to be empowered with voting rights for Malaysia.

While we may think that younger people need political education, I think that the lack of political knowledge does not only affect the youth. I know and have seen a lot of older people regardless of which age group have difficulties understanding our political, government and voting system. Even the simplest thing such as the difference between Federal and State Governments. 

Political education should be conducted to a wider age group, but putting it into formal education is a good step to begin with, at least if it is implemented, we know that we would have more politically educated Malaysians in the near future. 

The Constitutional Amendment was subsequently passed by Dewan Negara on 25 July 2019 and gazetted in September 2019, I do not think that there will be any changes to the law, but it is only a matter of when.

I think that there is no way on how we can justify whether the 18 year olds are ready for the democratic process or not. There are many 18 year olds that I met that have the ability to articulate about government and politics as well as a politician. And I have also met 50 year olds that do not even know a thing about the government.

If there are people questioning the political maturity of the 18 year olds, then they would have to doubt the political maturity of all Malaysians as well. We cannot have a perfect society that knows everything about government and politics. But it is the government, political parties and leaders to pass the knowledge on to as many Malaysians as we can. 

I believe that the 18 year olds are more ready than ever. The Government and the Election Commission can push ahead and make it possible for them to vote in the next general elections.

I have always believed that Malaysians are generally kind people, or that is the culture that we have been brought up with. When there are people who are in need of assistance and help, there are always a flock of people willing to donate and assist. During the festive seasons, there are always Malaysians going out to donate necessities to the old folks home or orphanage. And even in normal times. We also have a lot of non-governmental organisations that are always doing charities and community services for the less fortunate.

There are also some individuals who go all out helping the society as though it is a full-time job to them. Despite all the good deeds that many have done, they are somehow landed in trouble or being criticised especially on social media.

Ebit Lew who has been pretty popular for his efforts of helping people regardless of background and ethnic identity was chastised for converting the Bajau Laut community, which majority of them are already Muslims. He was also criticised for breaking the law by entering the Eastern Sabah Command Zone without permission.

Just a couple of weeks before the Chinese New Year, we have also seen our badminton star Datuk Lee Chong Wei being scolded by cybertroopers in social media for joining efforts with the Bukit Mertajam Member of Parliament, Steven Sim in assisting poor students in his constituency. The cybertroopers who are most likely using pseudo-names in their social media accounts, claimed that Lee Chong Wei should not work together with a DAP MP. They even called for his Datukship to be revoked.

This is how many people are when it comes to politics and religion. People are over sensitive when the person who is helping the community has a political or religious background. We don’t have to bother if somebody wants to help the community in whichever way that they want, as long as it is not against any law. If we cannot do it on our own, then we should at least support and give encouragement to those who are willing to do it.

If the people want Datukship to be revoked, there are so many other Datuk titles that need to be really revoked. We know well that there are so many undeserving people who were awarded titles, and many deserving people did not carry any of these prestigious awards even though they have contributed for years.

A couple of years back, we read in the news that a 21 year-old Datuk was living a lavish lifestyle. That Datuk must have done a lot since he was born to be awarded the Datukship at such a tender age. Then we also know the infamous Datuk who has slapped the young couple in the restaurant.

I have been writing about the negativity that has been caused by power and positions in my previous articles. These awards and titles are part of the powers that are part of the political lobbying tool. Whether any one wants to admit it or not, such awards are in a way under the influence of those in power. 

Coming back to our badminton superstar’s effort; in fact I think that MPs and ADUNs across the political spectrum should instead come together to help our community. We can always have different opinions in public policies and government decisions, but by giving aid and helping the people shouldn’t be in conflict with each other.