DUIT KITA !

Managing the rakyat’s frustrations.

A PERSON’s capabilities are only seen during times of crisis. The same is true for political leadership.

We do not say that a leader is great because he spends on grandiose projects using the taxpayer’s money to carve out his legacy. We only consider him great when he allocates the country’s resources wisely and thriftily to increase the general welfare of the people.

And when he spends the money to increase the number of educated citizens, in terms of thinking abilities, skills, citizenry, compassionate and humanitarian values, and ensures that every citizen who wants has access to free education up to the tertiary level.

A leader is loved when he strives to raise the dignity of the average citizen regardless of ethnicity, religion or social class. When he allocates budget to ensure that every citizen has access to affordable healthcare, housing, sustainable transportation facilities, employment opportunities, and the basic amenities required to live a life with dignity.

At the end of the day, the budget comes from the rakyat in terms of the taxes that he pays and the national debt that he and the future generation have to carry. It is not the personal resources of the leaders to do as they wish or to enrich themselves and their cronies by carving out the budget among themselves,

Continue reading by clicking on this link The Star/Through Many Windows

WE don't need another Hero in our lives !!!

Rakyat, Jangan Terpedaya Permainan Politikus

Saya amat khuatir bahawa rakyat tampak mudah terpengaruh dengan permainan politik dalam Negara sehingga hilang pertimbangan dari pelbagai aspek.

Pertama, kita jangan lupa bahawa untuk Malaysia maju dan jaya, kita perlukan perpaduan yang jitu diantara kita bersama. Kita tidak boleh dipecah belahkan dengan isu-isu perkauman atau agama.  Muslim yang mengetahui Al_Quran nya akan sedar bahawa Allah telah memberi tunjuk ajar dalam Kitab nya bahawa akan ada manusia yang akan gunakan perkauman dan agama untuk memecahbelahkan manusia. Apabila Rakyat bercakaran bersama mereka, mudah lah bagi politikus yang tidak bertanggungjawap serta rakus kuasa menjalankan ajenda jahatnya.

Keduanya, Rakyat wajib sedar bahawa kekuatan mereka ialah kerjasama diantara mereka untuk kebaikan bersama Rakyat dan Negara. Didalam konteks ini, jangan lah Rakyat yang sudah pun lemah melemahkan lagi diri sendiri dengan melebelkan rakyat-rakyat dengan meletakkan mereka dalam kotak-kotak permusuhan. Sebagai contoh, jangan kita mudah terpedaya bahawa mereka yang sokong dasar atau kerja kerajaan semestinya tidak baik atau yang menyokong pembangkang semestinya baik. Jelas, sebahagian pembangkang hari ini pun tidak semestinya bermatlamatkan kesejahteraan Rakyat. Kita harus lihat pada apa kah yang di sokong dan apakah kerja yang di buat.  Saya percaya rakyat yang ikhlas boleh menyumbang kepada kebaikan bersama dan Negara, dimana sahaja ia berada, tanpa di kotori oleh proses politik ekstrim.

Ketiga, Rakyat harus mahu belajar berfikir secara objektif dan tidak mudah di tarik ke hulu atau ke hilir melalui emosi mereka. Jangan yang dewasa di kanak kanakkan kerana malas untuk berfikir atau cenderung kepada semangat kosong. Pihak rakus kuasa tahu bahawa kelemahan manusia ialah ketiadaan kepakaran mengawal emosi. Rakyat harus sentiasa berwaspada supaya kita tidak membakar kelambu kerana marahkan nyamuk, apatah lagi apabila kemarahan kita kepada nyamuk itu tidak bertempat dan telah drancang dengan licik oleh puak rakus kuasa.

Keempat, walau apa pun kaum atau agama kita, jangan kita lupa bahawa kita ada lah manusia yang tertakluk kepada hukum atau undang-undang alam. Dalam bahasa Al Quran, di sebut sebagai Sunnah Allah. Setiap tindakan kita akan memberi kesan kepada keseluruhan masyarakat atau Negara kita. Ini bermakna jika kita mencetuskan tindakan-tindakan, perbicaraan atau fahaman-fahaman negatif, seluruh Negara akan tercalit dengan kenegatifan ini. Lebih baik kita awas, muhasabah diri dan sabar dahulu sebelum membuat sesuatu secara melulu.

Salam.

Only the People can bring about real reform

I am sure quite a number of thinkers, real reformers, prophets and ordinary people must have said this before.  But we forget easily. Life and its demands make us forget it. Our sense of helplessness, and the threats, bullying by the powerful and the institutions make us think we are weak and make us adapt.

Only the People can bring about true reform – if we are united and help each other.

We are not united in our sense of helplessness and our hopes because we have been forced by the system to become slaves of the masters that have been created. Due to our disunity of purpose and hope, we continue to be misled by the politicians and the institutions that continue to take our away our dignity as human beings.

We continue to be oppressed by those who abuse democracy for their selfish ends.  We fail or simply think we have to accept a system that does not throw us the best choice of candidates as leaders.  

Hence we do not have leaders who really understand the aspirations, needs and hopes of the common man. These leaders do not understand that we want a safe home for our kids, that we want affordable homes, food decent employment to live, and basic necessities like free education,, free medical services, child and old age care and so on.  All these can be done but they do not and will not do it as efficiently as can be done.

The reason is simple: they do not and will not face these challenges because they,  their children and their cronies live a luxurious life of aplenty.  They cannot emphatise with the needs that they themselves do not have.  They themselves are stuck in the position to sustain their status and lifestyles.

Do you not recognize them and see their game?

Do you not see the conspiracy between the politicians, the capitalist and their religious elites to keep the People politically, economically and spiritually enslaved? So they can perpetuate their position of influence and give the people an illusion of reforms, and illusion of service?

They have managed to divide us, not only along racial and religious lines but occupationally as well.  We have been tricked into thinking we are just civil servants, workers in the government sector, private sector and so on letting us forget that we are at the end of the day – common, ordinary folks who need each other.

It is sad that occupationally be have been divided until we often become enemies of each other instead of cooperating to enhance our quality of life. Thus, we become even weaker to confront the oppression by the politicians, capitalists and the religious elites. We continue to be humiliated slaves on God’s earth – struggling only to survive.

The People have to be united – doesn't matter who we are occupationally, we have to help each other, help each other to make our lives a little easier.  

Our only defence against the oppression of the politicians, capitalists and the religious elites is our unity and cooperation.  Only we can bring about real reforms. We are our only hope.

We have to make the 21^st century the era of the common People.  

We and our children have a God given-right to live in dignity.

Peace !

If we do not Vote carefully, we lose and only the Politicians win!

BY now, the Malaysian voters already know who will be the candidates from all sides. Any remaining doubts will be removed on 20^th of April, which is the nomination day. Polling day has already been fixed on the 5th of May 2013. Hence from the 20^th of April to the midnight of 4^th May, we will be witnessing election campaigning from the candidates.

Election campaigning is of course intended to persuade the voters who have yet to decide. It is never influences the hard core supporters of political parties. The hard core supporters owe their loyalty to the party and not to the Rakyat’s interest. There is also another specie of voters who will vote and persuade others to vote based on their narrow, selfish interests. Again, these people will not be influenced by the campaigning period.

To be able to vote wisely, it is important to have as much facts and information as possible about the political parties and the candidates. The more accurate information and facts that you have, the more able you are to make better decision objectively. Unfortunately, most of us are prone to subjectivity, sentiments and emotions – something we should be wary of when we attend election rallies and hear their fiery speeches.

For sure each side will expose the weaknesses and defects of the other side – which is good for the Rakyat to know! The voters then will have to weigh the weaknesses and the strengths to make a decision as to who deserves their vote. There will also be “spinning” and various “tactics” used to influence the voters. We must be able to identify these accurately so that we do not become a victim of misinformation.

The qualification, experience and the overall personality of the candidate is important. It is not just a simple criterion of “new or old faces”, “young or old”, “religious or otherwise”. It has got to be an overall list of items that you may want to include in your own checklist. After all, the bottom line has always been that NO political party has a system that is able to throw up the best of citizens for political leadership. So, we are left with choosing the best from who are available.

At the end of the day, make sure it is the RAKYAT and not the politician that wins.

Good luck in your voting and hope you make the right choice in the interest of our Nation.

Peace !

Imagine the People Really Controlling the Political Leaders !!!

Interesting video? Interesting idea?

That is why the internet is frightening to those in power - religious or political !!!

Peace !

Can you ever have a People's Government?

If you were to discuss this with the mainstream "intelligentsia", the direction of the discussion will be quite obvious.

Of course we have a people's government, they will say. After all, we live in a democracy - government of the people, by the people for the people.You have elections every five years and the citizens are free to vote whom they want. These MPs and the State assemblymen are the PEOPLE's representative, they will say. The system of governance is democratic and we have LAWS. All these arguments, you have heard, and you will continue to hear them forever. They are repeated so often that people believe all is well and that only the "stupid" will disagree or question the system and say, "But wait a minute....what happens after they are voted in...do I have a say in the policies or do I just have to accept it". NO!! We have never been trained to think like this.

ON the other hand, our school system teaches us to GLORIFY and DEIFY our political leaders> They have sacrificed for the Nation and for the good of the people. We can see that all of them retire very poor can we not? Poor souls...so busy serving the country that they had no time to work to even save up for thier retirement. Is that why we give them retirement  - as a reward for their sacrifice. Even their children are on state scholarship and barely surviving..poor souls. What a sacrifice, while the rest of us are living a very rich and comfortable life style!!!

SO., the question remains - can we have a people's government? I like to start with the Constitution where it guarantees fundamental freedoms which cannot be taken away by politicians by enacting oppressive laws. A human being to be able to live with dignity must have fundamental rights and fundamental freedoms. Otherwise, his life is enslaved to political masters and capitalists.

We often hear that we have a people's government because we have the fundamental freedom and fundamental rights.

Do we have the right to decide for ourselves in matters which WE deem personal or any reasonable person would deem personal?

For example, do you really enjoy the freedom to earn a living by making use of your talents and ability without discrimination?

Are the resources in this country equitable distributed or controlled by an elite few? Can you set up a moral, ethical business without much difficulty or do you have to go through oppressive laws that makes making a living a nightmare?

What about your children - are the national schools of the best quality and do the political masters think it is good enough FOR THEIR OWN CHILDREN? The answer to this will determine what the leaders actually think is the worth of your children compared to theirs.

Do you even have a right to decide on your faith and how you want to practice your faith or is it subject to laws that you had no part in making? Again this will determine how free you are in deciding on your own life.

If we have a people's government, how often does the government listen to the people's plights, their problems and their woes? DO you like the public transport system? Is it good at all?

Are the streets safe for your children? Is it so difficult to make the streets safe? Or maybe your children walk around with bodyguards and a motorcade complete with sirens that it does not matter?

When was the last time you went to our local beaches which I am sure must have been maintained for you by the people's government or has it been taken over by hotels in the name of the "economy" ?

Look at the housing policy all these years - does that reflect the work of a people's government? DO you think that the best that can ever be done for the people is building low cost flats with poor facilities and socially dangerous environments? Or terrace houses stacked together with narrow roads and a small park? Would you have designed housing estates that way if YOU were the government?

Really, whether it is Pakatan or Barisan - the question is: Can we have a people's government? In my view, a truly people's government is a dream under current political thinking and system.

It will remain so until the people themselves wake up to what they are really worth.

Peace!

Aftermath of Bersih 3.0 and The Mirror

How could I not follow Bersih 3.0 when my guys and gals from MobTV.My have so bravely gone to get live coverage for the people of Malaysia? It is after all a group of NGOs – all non-partisan – trying to exercise their right of free speech and freedom of assembly as enshrined in the constitution. Dato’ Ambiga, the co-Chairperson of Bersih and the steering committee, promised a peaceful rally. 

Rapera is all for peaceful expressions of views or even dissent by thinking and responsible citizens. However, Rapera is unambiguously against violence among its citizens. 

Around about 1pm, when I had to go off from the Bersih event, I was happy to note that the event was peaceful and almost carnival like. I was pleased, at that moment that my worst fears of confrontation had been proven wrong. I was confident that the Bersih crowd will not go beyond the barricades that was erected around Dataran Merdeka (DM). 

However, as events unfolded subsequently, my fears were unfortunately proven correct – political parties and several irresponsible quarters hijacked the Bersih event and turned it into of Malaysia’s most violent and shameful exercise of freedom of assembly.  This is why I had always held  that it is not politicians that can save the Nation but savior citizens or Raperas.

You can just youtube to see the shameful behaviours by some of our citizens, whom, I would say should be prosecuted under the law for their irresponsible and violent behaviours. At the same time, the behaviours of any police officers who had been over zealous in exercising their power should also be investigated. If this does not happen, there will be these accusations: Firstly, that politicians are exempted from the law. Secondly, that there are agent provocateurs arranged by Barisan Nasional and hence they are not prosecuted. Thirdly, that there is selective cover-up.  

Many I met seem to believe that PKR has simply hijacked the event in the most irresponsible way and are contributory to the violence and rioting that ensued. This has to be verified by PKR itself. Many people I 

know already perceive PKR as a party that would do anything to wrestle political power.

 Politicians and political parties should have just stayed out and let it be an NGO event.

In retrospect I wonder if all these unwanted events would have occurred if the Datuk Bandar had simply not interfered with Bersih’s intention to sit-in at the Dataran. I had voiced the view before that Bersih 3.0 is unstoppable and so the most logical thing for the authorities to do would be to simply provide police protection for the sit-in and for them to facilitate the event. The moment I heard that DBKL took the position that DM was off limits for Bersih 3.0, I was concerned that this may be a catalyst for disaster.  In fact, I was of the view that even the “occupydataran” by the students should have police or DBKL protection instead of the opposition they had experienced. These are after all college kids learning to exercise their right of expression, even though they may not be correct on the issue.  Such “training” if properly “guided” may make them mature Raperas in the future.  However, old methods of exercising authority seem to die hard. My views too seem to have fallen on deaf ears or “dinosaurous” ears!

On another perspective, one must also ask why was there such a huge turnout? How and why did so many people turn up for the event? On one hand, it is heart warming to note that more and more Rakyats are beginning to learn that they cannot depend on ANY politician but on themselves.

Hence, if I am the ruling party, I would not be automatically defensive. I will embrace the Rakyat’s interest in the well being of their Nation. On the other hand, if I am the Opposition, I will not automatically gloat and think that I have the support of the people. I will be wary of the way I serve in politics. This and other such events could very well be a sign that the Rakyat seriously do not trust politicians anymore, which is a good thing. This is, in my view, taking back control of the destiny of our home, our Nation.

Freedom of expression and assembly aside, the sanctity of the law must also be protected. There is simply no excuse for any irresponsible persons to destroy or to cause to destroy or incite anyone to destroy public property which, we must remember, belongs to the Rakyat. I believe that the genuine Bersih folks are peaceful. Hence, the urgency of prosecuting the culprits who have marred the exercise of a fundamental constitutional right.

May peace always prevail among us.

NEXT: Bersih 3.0 and A Cleric (God Willing)

What Does "Pro-Rakyat" Mean?

Over the Chinese New Year holidays, I had the opportunity to meet several interesting groups of people, including a group of young people who called themselves "rapera youths" - which obviously touched me! It is humbling and encouraging to see young people embrace the idea of self leadership and self responsibility in shaping the future of the Nation.

Incidentally, the discussions over the holidays centred around what is meant by the word "pro-rakyat" that I often use in my discussions and talks. Other than the concept of "Rapera", I also try to promote the concept of "pro-rakyat" in politics and Nation building. 

Admittedly, it is difficult to encompass the concept in a simple sentence but if I was to try, it would probably mean this: doing things and matters that would benefit the Rakyat in real terms and in the long run. Let me illustrate this idea by the following explanation:

Politics as we know is about influencing voters to place power in the hands of the politicians. To get the power and to influence the voters, the politicians will employ many strategies, most of which may be unethical,  immoral and damaging to Nation building in the long run. 

One of the key sources of power for the politician is information. Every single politician will try to manage and manipulate information that the Rakyat is able to get with the view that his power is not affected or can be enhanced further. In other words, he will control and curb the nature and quantity of information that is available for the Rakyat, that is media control and media biasness. The Machiavellian politician will even unashamedly resort to creating disinformation or in plain language creating lies to mislead the Rakyat. This kind of behaviour is certainly not "pro-Rakyat". I am certain that every politician detests the internet because it allows free flow of diverse information to the ordinary people.

All the resources of the country belongs to the Rakyat. Any policy that is designed to distribute the resources fairly to the Rakyat is a "pro-rakyat" policy. A "pro-rakyat" policy should include the creation of equal opportunities of accessing the resources of the Nation. Poverty eradication, free education, free health care and such should be among the priorities of a "pro-rakyat" policy. 

On the other hand, sporadic hand-outs or "goodies" with the sole view of influencing voters may benefit the Rakyat in the very short term. However, in its true analysis, it may tantamount to insulting the dignity of the Rakyat because you are actually trying to delude the Rakyat with the Rakyat's own funds. We must never forget that every government is the custodian and not the owner of the Rakyat's funds or the Nation's wealth. Such a behaviour is certainly not pro-Rakyat.

It would have been "pro-rakyat" if policies are designed to increase the standard of living of the Rakyat while keeping the cost of living down. Hence, it will be trickery and deceit of the highest order if the salaries or wages of the Rakyat are increased while allowing prices to inflate. 

Pro-rakyat policies will only come about if and only if the Rakyat remains constantly vigilant of the politicians.

I support pro-rakyat policies and programmes. 

Peace !

The Polarised World of Politics

Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir writes on the polarised mentality of politics in The Star:

"Politicians of every stripe have two bad habits. Firstly, they think that those who don’t belong to any political party are incapable of having a single political thought. Secondly, when non-politicians think of a good populist idea, politicians of all stripes rush to hijack it.

George W. Bush, that giant of intellectuals, famously said after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks that “Either you’re with us, or you’re against us.”

Those words unleashed a world polarised by politics with no hope for peace, which necessarily requires a coming to the table of all sides to discuss common issues".

My comments below:

I echo her thoughts and add that such polarisation of politics mentality is a hindarance to true maturing and development of citizen empowerment. What should be the objective of every citizen irregardless of political affiliation, race, religion or social status should be the betterment of the Nation and the general welfare of the people.

Selfish partisan interests should never override National interests.

Partisan membership should not disunite citizens in the common objective of acheiveing National goals that benefit the people.

Citizens who are not a member of any political party should not be considered as disqualified to comment or evaluate on matters of national interest or even political thoughts in this country. They are entitled to do so because they are citizens.

As long as we are not able to rise above party mentality and embrace "national mentality" or better still a complete sense of humanity, we will never really be free to put forward true and useful long term reforms.

Peace !

THE SHAME IS ON YOUR SHOULDERS !!!

1. When it comes to being a human, a person, a father,a  mother, brother, a sister, friend or a Citizen, it does not really matter whether you are UMNO, PAS, DAP, GERAKAN, PKR, SUPP or any political party.

2. It matters if you let your political affiliations or preferences overcome your sense of humanity, decency and principles.

Then you become a shameless human being. Then you are no different from the vultures that feed on dying bodies.

3. It matters if you spin lies, condemn fellow human beings and insult them as if they do not matter and you, and you alone are entitled to breathe the air that God has given all. Is not telling lies to the people akin to telling lies against God? No true believer will spin the truth to mislead others.

(Quran 39:60)  On the Day of Judgment wilt thou see those who told lies against God;- their

faces will be turned black; Is there not in Hell an abode for the Haughty?

(Quran 39:61)  But God will deliver the righteous to their place of salvation: no evil shall

touch them, nor shall they grieve.

Whatever that you want to take for yourself to the exclusion of others will be taken away from you in the most painful way possible - be it wealth, power, influence or health. Whenever you think you are high and mighty and your worldly cohorts conspire with you to falsify and spread msichief knowlingly, you will not be spared by God. He may let you enoy your illusionary happiness for a while. This is what God promises.
 

014.003  Those who love the life of this world more than the Hereafter, who hinder

(men) from the Path of God and seek therein something crooked: they are astray by a

long distance.

016.106  Any one who, after accepting faith in God, utters Unbelief,- except under

compulsion, his heart remaining firm in Faith - but such as open their breast to

Unbelief, on them is Wrath from God, and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty.

016.107  This because they love the life of this world better than the Hereafter: and

God will not guide those who reject Faith.

016.108  Those are they whose hearts, ears, and eyes God has sealed up, and they take

no heed.

Is there a true believer of God who can insult, oppress, and condemn someone whom he does not know? is not such a person a true defamer, a pemfitnah, a munafik?

The day you visit oppression and a feeling of helpness on another fellow human being, that is the day you free many souls. Free souls can move mountains, so to speak.

A person who has betrayed his own soul can never understand the power of the soul that cannot be bridled.

And no one , but God alone who has dominion over a person's soul.

Watch and you shall see.

Peace !

JULY 9 - The Day Malaysians are tested

On this blog, I have on 2nd July 2011 appealed to ALL parties who were planning to march on 9th July not to do so. I was concerned about security and safety of the marchers based on information that I have.

Now it seems to me that the marching tomorrow will take place by various quarters. I am sure the majority of those who are going to march tomorrow are sincere and have thier own stand to express.

We live in a democracy and it is not uncommon to assemble and walk peacefully to express a point in the interest of the Nation.

Malaysians with differing opinions will be marching AND it is important to remember that it is a march by FELLOW MALAYSIANS.

We may differ in our views but we are Malaysians. We love this country of ours and we want the best for each other.

We are not each others' enemies.

I hope that the enforencement authorities will keep in mind that these are Malaysians. Among the group may be children, old people and women.

It will be a test day of how we treat each other - with love and respect or aggressive obsession with politics and authority.

To those who insist on marching tomorrow irregardless of what T-Shirts they wear or what group they represent, I wish them a safe outing and bring along with you the sense of humanity.

Peace !

The People’s Leader – discussions with young Raperas.

We had an interesting discussion with some university students last weekend.  It was about governance and leadership of the country.

It was agreed that political leadership is relevant because the people in general require direction for the Nation. There must be a captain who is steering the ship and a capable crew to help the ship move safely and efficiently. The safety of the passengers is paramount.  There also must not be pilferage on the ship either by the captain or the crew.  More importantly, economic considerations should not override the safety and welfare of the passengers like what happened to the Titanic. 

  Image thanks to here

Having agreed that political leadership is necessary, next on the discussion was various matters such as – the function and quality of the leadership. It must be borne in mind that while politicians provide general leadership, the actual work of governance of the Nation is being carried out daily by the civil servants. The civil servants carry out their duties in accordance with the laws, rules and regulations that are passed by politicians in Parliament. Hence, it is the politicians that set the legal framework within which the government functions.  Without the slightest of doubt, these laws, rules and regulations affect the daily lives of the ordinary citizen. For example, due to several “unfriendly” regulations concerning setting up businesses, many ordinary citizens are unable to readily feed their family by doing legitimate businesses.

Since the laws that are passed by Parliament (Politicians) affect our everyday lives, it becomes critical that we have not only clever and intelligent politicians but those that can emphatise with the needs of the ordinary Rakyat.  It is really pointless having a politician from Oxford or Standford or Harvard if he is unable to emphatise with the needs of the Rakyat, particularly so when his entire family background and growing up environment is detached from the lives of the ordinary Rakyat. Can a person who studied at exclusive schools, mixing around with children of elites, and living a life with an extra ordinary budget ever understand the social and economic challenges of the average citizen? Such a politician will only be manipulative of the Rakyat for his own political ends while serving elitist economic interests.

 

We agreed that in Malaysia, politics has become a family “property” to be passed on from generation to generation. This need not necessarily be a bad thing but it does behove us to ask several questions.  If the Rapera does not ask the relevant question, then we will be guilty of creating an aristocracy and some sort of political feudalism with its attendant problems.  If this happens, then there will be a master-slave relationship between the political leader and the ordinary citizen which is an antithesis of true democracy. In a democracy, the government is of the people by the people for the people. In other words, the People are the masters of the destiny of the Nation. 

Our discussion identified the important link between the quality of leadership, the laws passed and the welfare of the people. If there are “bad laws” in the sense that it impinges on natural rights of human beings, it reflects badly on the quality of political leadership in the country. If the wealth of the Nation is largely concentrated in the hands of the very few elites and families, then, it also reflects upon the quality (or possibly greed) of the political leadership. 

image thanks to here.

 

This is particularly so when the opportunities for such a wealth was gained largely by political interference. Responsible politicians should not create policies or do acts that deliberately create income inequalities. In our country, an examination of the control of wealth and essential businesses may reveal that it belongs to a very select few. This is an exercise that should be undertaken by a Rapera for the benefit of the general public. This exercise may even reveal the “political and money trail” that binds together the economic and political power in the country in the hands of some who can perpetuate power forever, ceteris paribus. If this is the case, then the ordinary Rakyat is doomed forever – it is just a matter of time.

We also agreed that the search for a “People leader” should continue and it need  not be confined to the leaders that have been offered by the respective political parties.  In fact, as I have argued before, political parties in our country are unable to allow the best “talents” to rise as leaders. The current political system and culture is so embedded in itself that it cannot evolve into something better without fundamental reforms within the political system, thought and culture. It is also equally challenging for Raperas to evolve because the political environment has engulfed the national environment where only politicians are given prominence in public space, and that too, the mainstream politicians.  Alternative views and thoughts that contest the mainstream are either systematically suppressed or ridiculed through control of the mainstream media.

We have yet to develop a culture that each citizen cares for the Nation and has a responsibility and duty towards ensuring its general well being. Over the years, our politics has descended to the level of championing rights to the exclusion of collective responsibility and general empathy to the needs of the other fellow citizens.  Our politics have yet to detach itself from the tribal, primitive or jahiliah basis of exclusivity based on ethnicity or religion (yes, religious discrimination included if it is intended to discriminate against fellow human beings).  When we are unable to identify humane leaders, how can we have quality political leadership? When we have feeble mortals behaving like God on earth, can we truly believe they serve God? It is all politics at its worse.

We admitted that bringing about a responsible thinking political culture among the citizens is a momentous task and requires long term awakening among the citizens of this Nation. Like Egypt and in all human history, the general citizens only act when they brought to the level of utmost humiliation. 

We also recognized that the elitists with their vested interests will try very hard to arrest the Rakyat’s awakening and political maturing.  Raperas must take this lead as the ordinary citizens are too busy with their daily lives. 

SO, the search for the People’s Leader continues. And we continued to enjoy our teh tarik and roti canai.

Peace !

(Note:  To the Raperas who made time to have teh tarik with me – thanks for educating me further. You all were wonderful and I have hope for the future with the presence of young people like you all)