What Bersih 4 needs to do to ‘save’ Malaysia

Bersih 4.0 is coming up and many are optimistic that this grand protest will bring the long anticipated change that the country needs to restore democracy.

This time, the people are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Unfortunately, for the young cynic, protests in Malaysia are close to being redundant because of the institutional barriers we face.

Many might disagree with me. To be fair, I believe that there are several factors we need to consider when we talk about the culture of protesting in facilitating the health of a liberal democracy.

It is important that Malaysians take a closer look at the culture of protesting and decide for themselves the reasons we take our sentiments to the street.

Admittedly, there are many Malaysians who do not know why they are participating in Bersih 4.0 (maybe not you, but there are plenty out there who do not) – it is this great disconnection of understanding the role of civil society participation in the political process from the general mass that causes Bersih to be somewhat considered, a “failure” in achieving its objectives.

By this understanding, there are some questions people need to ask themselves when they participate in Bersih this time.

Such as why and what makes them think it is important to march in the city streets to express their dissatisfaction towards the current administration?

Answers like “I want clean and fair elections”, “I want the government to know I am unhappy and seek change” can sum up to being equivalent to “It is the right thing to do and everyone is supporting the cause so I should, too” which are not sufficient.

Instead, the most important question that we should all be able to answer is – how will this protest become a catalyst for change in our country?

The biggest issue to highlight here is the error of Malaysia’s culture of protest. The success of a protest is defined subjectively but the greatest sign of peaceful assemblies being a pressuring agent for securing democracy is when protesters show an undisputed, constant awareness of the reason they take it to the streets.

In other words, having the political awareness that every citizen has fundamental liberties and understanding the role of civil society as a check and balance to the government.

Not just the general topic, but being able to agree and display the solutions in which are being sought to be implemented in the form of government policies – a vital factor that seems to be lacking right now.

A great example to emulate would be the Malay opposition against the formation of the Malayan Union in 1946. A series of street demonstrations were continuously organised, unlike the sporadic and less frequent nature of Bersih rallies as we see it today.

As much as I do not entirely agree with the principles of the Malaysia which was eventually formed, I do find their persistence and clarity in objectives for constitutional reforms an admirable quality.

They were in mourning over the eroding influence of the royal institutions without which these objections, perhaps Malaysia would not be the constitutional monarchy perfectly married to the Westminster parliamentary democracy that it aspires to be today.

Similarly, Bersih ought to be a platform to show that every single Malaysian seeks electoral reform to address the problems of gerrymandering, delineation, rigging and phantom voters.

I refuse to dismiss the great work that Bersih has done so far, especially its clear eight-point demands for electoral reform.

Nevertheless, I still wonder how many Malaysians who are not centred in the urban areas are aware of these crucial elements to achieve democratic reform.

The means of civil disobedience was greatly extended in this particular moment of history, going beyond just street protests.

Civil servants refused to participate in the activities of the executive, to the point where the entire governance and political process came to a standstill. It was this incident that truly amplified the intensity of the public dissatisfaction towards the Malayan Union and exemplified the empowerment of civil society in an optimally functioning democracy.

Because of this, the British colonialists had no choice but to acknowledge and take the public demand into greater considerations for, at the end of the day, what is a government without its people? We need to build an awareness of civil society as the backbone of governance in Malaysia.

Bersih 4.0 may not achieve its vision in just a two-day street demonstration this time. However, I do hope that in the near future, with Bersih 5.0 (?), the organisation seeks to revitalise the true essence of protests so that we can restore our failing institutions by empowering all citizens with a better education on their rights.

So when you march on August 29 and 30, be reminded to revive that spirit and let not the methods of intimidation waver it. It will be a gradual, painstaking progress but then again, even Merdeka was not achieved overnight. – August 20, 2015.

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