Clientelism and the ‘red shirts’

Last week in my column, I mentioned the availability of political allies in the 'red shirt' rally that was held on September 16. I discussed that ethno-religious counter-movements such as the “red shirts” are not new; however there must be an explanation for the sudden mobilisation.

In a peace forum in Malacca two days ago, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the government appeared to be behind the staging of the rally with the support of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

I quote, “It looks like the government was behind the rally, a lot of them were Umno people and Felda people. Only those in charge of the government can do that.”

At a time when the country's politics is more polarised than ever, and when every single issue is being racialised, many wondered why would I think the 'red shirt' symptom was somehow “overzealous”?

I got involved with social movement research a few years ago when I started my PhD journey. Apart from my personal interest, the reason for me choosing the area of social movements is because I always felt something wasn’t quite right with the way we discussed our public sphere.

When I look at the gap between racial and social movement perspectives on the broader discussions of the 'red shirt' scenario, I am tempted to attribute the debate based on the argument of patron-clientelism.

What was apparent in the September 16 rally was the sudden mobilisation of the people who participated in the rally. In the past decade, the counter-movements that were based on similar sentiments, that is ethno-religious, were either called off or were attended by a visibly small crowd.

Speaking in the recent Pesaka Silat Assembly just few days after the 'red shirt' rally, Najib said, “Slapped once, we did not do anything. The second time... nothing... the third time... nothing... but the fourth time had crossed the limit. Malays also have rights.”

“The Malays will stand up when their pride is scarred, when their leader is insulted, condemned and humiliated. It’s enough, do not repeat such vengeful acts.”

This further raises the question of the relation between the two rallies – Bersih 4 and 'red shirt'.

Najib’s defence of the 'red shirt' rally is a manifestation of “endorsement”. It strengthens the argument of the availability of political allies, and at the same time, also explains the sudden mobilisation for the rally.

In the end, today’s political problems do not stem from our heterogeneous society. They stem from the fact that certain members of a patronage network may seize an opportunity created by massive mobilisations to promote their own interests. – September 28, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.