Gerakan, be a voice of moderation

What we heard at Gerakan’s Annual General Assembly last week—where the acting president suggested that the party strike out on its own as an independent third force—sums up the predicament that many Malaysians face when considering their political stance: do we support the Barisan Nasional-led Government or the Pakatan Rakyat, or do we go it alone?

As an observer with some practical experience in the unsatisfactory politics of Malaysia, I fully empathise with Gerakan, the once proud and successful party from Penang. The choice they face is not easy to make.

In the BN/Umno coalition we have, on one hand, a Prime Minister who has been described as a moderate leader of the Muslim world by no less than US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Our PM has also established a Global Movement of Moderates and although it has not yet made much headway, it is still a laudable effort.

At the same time however, as a country we have a terrible record of human rights. We can see this in our failure to sign several key United Nations Human Rights conventions, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the UN Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights.

On the home front we also have to endure the increasingly narrow-minded involvement of Islamic bureaucrats and elements in Umno who keep the politics of extremism and religious bigotry alive and well. They have been allowed to become so powerful that none of the Cabinet Ministers dare to speak out against them.

In case we think this means we should throw our unconditional support to the Pakatan Team, let’s remember that the Opposition can be highly selective about their political positioning. They did not see the need to support the initiatives of the various NGOs fighting for our interests at the 17th session of the Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The PR have, in fact, said nothing at all because they fear alienating the Islamists in their still-tenuous coalition.  We have to remember this the next time they accuse the PM of being afraid of the extremists in Umno.

PAS and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, for example, have remained silent about the incident of the cow slaughter in the school compound. This should not surprise anyone: the PR usually remain ambivalent or ambiguous when it comes to “hard” issues.

In this case, it is not about the religious ritual of the korban as Perkasa would like us to believe, but about slaughtering animals in school premises. There are places suitable for the religious ritual and there are places that are not. Surely we do not allow Muslims to pray on the highway because that would be dangerous. The prohibition is not because we are against prayer, but because we value public safety.

Similarly, the killing of animals and the taking of life generally can be traumatic experiences for most people to watch, and likely more so for young people. That’s why they should be banned in school. It’s not about the Hindus and their reverence for the cow but about reverence for life and young minds. Those who are not squeamish and love the sight of blood are welcome to watch the korban at the right places.

Where does this leave the rest of us? Regardless of the positions taken by the bigger parties, Malaysians as a whole need to be more vocal about human rights and other issues, not just free and fair elections.

I, for one, am more than willing to engage in a debate with Datuk Ibrahim Ali so that we can discuss openly the positions that he and his fellow Perkasa mates have taken on a number of issues. Considering their unflagging eagerness to judge situations big and small, and their willingness to call for action against a number of their fellow Malaysians, it is only fair that they be given an opportunity to give us some insight into their ideas. I would also welcome Umno to send a representative to take part in this debate, which will undoubtedly help to clear up a great many things.

Gerakan, in the meantime, can remain in the BN but they do not have to be mute on fundamental and important issues. They must not make the mistake that the MCA made—its leaders were so busy building billion-ringgit business empires that they lost sight of their priorities and neglected to fight for and defend the dignity of the Chinese community. Now they are being punished.

This lesson must not be lost on Gerakan and other groups. In politics as in life, we have to make choices and accept that this will cause us to lose some friends and supporters, and gain others. If the dignity of and respect for the Chinese and other Malaysians are important enough to Gerakan, then they must be prepared for tongue-lashings from Umno. They must also be prepared to lose some business opportunities. Gerakan and others have to make these hard choices.

The whole world is becoming increasingly concerned about freedom for the individual and is moving away from the indignity of coercion by the state. The standards for human rights were established to make way for more democracy and a better life for the people. This must be the core political struggle for any decent political party.

When the President of Chile was asked to name the single most critical factor in making Chile the most prosperous economy in South America, he replied without hesitation: “Democracy and respect for human rights.” Both factors unleashed the strength and the talents of Chileans, allowing them to rise from the dark days of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship and help make their country the success that it is today.

Perhaps both our Government and the Opposition need to have another look at the positive factors that human rights can bring to the economy and the country as a whole. If they care to observe the powerful economies of today, they will not fail to realise that the most successful are those that are free and democratic. - November 3, 2013.

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