Monday, March 9, 2009

Let There Be Truce


It has been a year since our nation's 12th General Elections. As with all things that we go thru in life, we reflect...just like how we reflect on our actions and consequences at the end of each day; how we recall the learning we gained throughout the years on each New Year's Eve; how we reminisce down the lane of token memories during the anniversaries of our birthdays or marriage; how we echo the thoughts, hopes and dreams of the people close to us; and how we replicate the achievements and recognitions of a successful company year during the annual business planning session.

But how do we evoke the sense of partisanship towards our nation, where patriotism and nationalism, like the ideology between a citizen and civilian, are now indistinct from the departed devotion of a drifting nation impelled by its directionless custodians and wardens?

I do not have the answer, and many do not. But I can try by mirroring the erudition of our nation's last General Elections that was the political tsunami then.

Let us begin by serving a slice of truth as starter where it is no secret that the National Front has no need for a celebration as they had the worst election ever in their history and justifiably so. The irony actually lies in the true hors d'oeuvre where the People's Alliance are actually finding it hard to celebrate anything, considering the fact that it was their best elections ever. Therein lies the satire of silent mockeries from a paradoxically-aware nation.

For the entree, I would like to think that the nation is still abundant with hopeful individuals of idealistic conviction or realistic fervor. One such implicit individual by the name of Anas Zubedy perpetrated an unthinkable but not so inconceivable act of voicing out the cry of the nation to our misguided and imprudent stewards.

On the 26th of February 2009, Zubedy sent a message to the entire nation in a full-page advert on The Star. In that page, he called for a two-year truce between the Front and the Alliance to accept the current status quo of the power equation and to stop all further power struggle. He highlighted two important things that both parties should concentrate on - our nation's economy and the strengthening of their respective internal team.

Two days later, our DPM acknowledged Zubedy's message with one of the key contents being the following:

"...his letter was not only fair, but clear in pointing out the real issues that we as a nation must focus on to move the country forward...I acknowledge your call for a united and effective front among us..."

The de facto leader of the Alliance has yet to officially respond but has indicated that some soul searching is needed by the party in light of the recent events.

Zubedy's message is significant to me because apart from touching on the issue that is close to my heart, his message was also conceived on my birthdate and published the next day nationwide. I take it as a gift from this realm where I was born into, at a timing so pertinent to reinvigorate my sense of citizenship and faltering faith in this country.

As we battle the tide of global economic recession and keep ourselves abreast with what little tolerance we have left for our nation's political seesaw, we must determine if we are to be citizens or civilians in this time of upheaval. A civilian is someone who is looked-after and taken care of during times of peril, a nation's resource, and a statistic. A citizen is someone who decides, chooses and acts in tumultous times, a nation's source, and a strength.

With the message now spreading, and with the spear tip of recession already penetrating our nation's economical epidermis, it does not take wisdom to see that Zubedy's calling, which echoes the calling of millions in this nation, is the sensible and sagacious one...that we should all band together and save our nation from the impending economical turmoil that has already consumed hundreds of thousands around the world, and millions more if the right actions are not put into place now and the right reactions not harvested from the field of repetitious rectitude. The Front and the Alliance, setting aside all differences and with all means necessary, must ensure that the nation survives through the ominous crisis with minimal pain.

In tandem with this, and resonating some of Zubedy's message, both parties should take this opportunity from the truce and spend time rebuilding their leadership team and the party as a whole. As the Federal government, the Front's caretaker need to look into building a solid, unyielding, honest and devoted team to lead the nation. The stalwart of the Alliance can start forming a shadow cabinet and reinforce their ranks. We need a true, formidable, and strong opposition party in this country if we are to slowly graduate into a two-party system - just like the Democrats and Republicans in the States. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved that carries the name of our nation in their passports.

It is high time we stop all these puny and petty internal squabbling. We must realize that these paltry tactical espionages and detestable politicking are becoming jokes of the nation if not already for the world.

If only these self-styled leaders could see that weak leaders try to win by weakening their enemies but great leaders win by strengthening their own ranks first.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

nice wakeup call, han. where to find the ad?

悦子 said...

A civilian is someone who is looked-after and taken care of during times of peril, a nation's resource, and a statistic. A citizen is someone who decides, chooses and acts in tumultous times, a nation's source, and a strength.


hey, weihan, i really like this...
everybody must realize that they got to be CITIZEN rather than CIVILIAN......

simple answer speaks out the real reason of 308!

Han said...

joslip: I will post up the ad in my upcoming entry...wait ah :)

KH: Glad you could appreciate those phrases. We are no longer helpless Civilians in an endless feud between two bickering parties, we are Citizens and as V would testify to the following statement from the movie, "people should not be afraid of their government, it is the government who should be afraid of its people" :)

Anonymous said...

i was glued to every word u wrote in this post. i am no big fan of politics but i do follow and as a malaysian, i am concerned n care enuf to know the news. i never heard of this ans zubeyd guy until i read here and then look him up on the internet.

i also thought wat u wrote bout the citizen vs civilian analogy very true. your own definition? i would like to think im a citizen but more like civilian in truth, i think many others like that also. but you words make me realize.

i think situation now is worse than ever, crime rates rising, politic leaders care only for power and "the speart tip of recession already penetrating our nation's economical epidermis" :), hehe...we should all realize this as a nation and start acting. it is really bad times ahead....

anyway really awesome post! your last paragraph is also very very true.

Anonymous said...

Yo Bro! how r you doing? i've been reading up some and Zubedy also caught my attention. you both should combine your writings and send to the nation, man! posts like this should not be kept in the cyberworld only, should be published for all to see also :)

the nation is so screwed that your choice of words is really appropriate...POLITICAL SEESAW!!!! sunami (spelling error intended) my ass, hehe!

Han said...

Ree: I am glad you're minimally interested in our local politics. You have no idea there are so many still out there who are so indifferent to our politics when they don't realize that it will greatly affect them or their children one way or the other. Go look up this Zubedy fella on the internet. He has a blog and FB account. Yes, the citizen/civilian idealogy is my interpretation. I claim to be a citizen but that is only the stepping stone. I have to walk the talk, know what I'm saying? Haha! Why you quote that line about the 'spear tip'? But it is very bad now and times are bad, I know a few people personally who are affected by the bad economy and one person affected by bad politics. And I am nobody. Imagine the entire nation. Glad you enjoyed reading it. I thought it a dry topic with low re-readability :)

J: Hey dude! I am good. Bogged down with loads of work. So you've heard of him, good. LOL! Combine our writings? You must be kidding. You should read up on some of his posts and the issues he brings up; like heaven and earth compared to mine. I write for fun. He writes to make a difference :) LOL! Every pun intended there, huh? SUNAMI...OMG!

Anonymous said...

come migrate to OZ la, HAHA! malaysia mou tak kau already wan lar......

Anonymous said...

what you bring up here is very current and resonates true for all malaysians. to be frank i have lost faith in this stupid country but looking at the major change 1 year after the tsunami, i think ppl are now more vocal and more chinese are also getting involved in politics. i think a change is happening. but dont know how soon or effective it is. i am still very skeptical but your post is very sound and echoes the ideal thinking of a citizen of this country :)

Han said...

InceV: Dude, why don't you just use your own name? Your nick sounds like some footballer which obvously you are not! LOL! Anyway, whether Malaysia can be saved or not, is really up to its people. Like I said before, the governmemt should be afraid of its people, not the other way around. The make-up of a nation consist of its people, not politicians (although they are people). You get what I mean. If you have lost all faith, I suggest you reconsider changing your citizenship lar :P The fact that you haven't considered that, perhaps your faith is not all that depleted as you might have thought ;)

Kelly: Well it seems to me you have answered your own comments there. You are right about the changes. It is happening. We just have to give our nation more time. The States achieved their independance more than 200 years ago, and that is the same for so many other developed nations around the world. Ours is barely 3 quarters of even one century yet. If you ask me for a comparison, I'd say our country is actually moving very fast relatively to the other nations. Too fast that we might not be able to cope with it. But I believe we will get there eventually as you have already pointed out. So you're saying my thinking is that of an idealistic mind? Are you implying I am an idealist in a realistic world? ROFL!

Anonymous said...

I must maintain my anonymous here ma...like u in ur writing, hehe! wah...meaning i haven't lose my faith lor, i will still like to come back wan lar but really lar, very heartache and malu wanna read bout malaysian affair nowadays.

Han said...

We could use more of you back home, if you know what I mean :)