J. D. Lovrenciear
There are no winners when we play a divisive game. Well, who does not know that? We all do. But why is the country so bent on being so very divided today then?
A quick litmus smapling of the political landscape will reveal:
1. Everyday someone out there from within the political perimeters is hollering some sort of threat that pits one race against another.
2. Everyday someone from the pinnacle of power is ranting about the need to unite to divide another.
3. Every other day, someone is raising the temperature of the religion-dichotomies and sensitivities or questioning fundamental rights.
Today, as the mysterious date of the GE-13′s shadow creeps closer, the rules of the game is clearly being chiselled out in stone without compromise: Race against race; religion against religion; party against party; individuals against individuals; and class against class and your rights verses my rights.
Even the PM at the National Youth Rally talked about defending Putrajaya. It certainly gives the impression that there is a divisive game-plan at work.
Politics is not about skinning your opponent. It is about translating your ideologies into action and in speech, convincing the populace how you can bring worthiness and a defining service to them. It is about telling the crowd how much better worth you are then another.
But no! We prefer to stoop so very low to the extent of peddling sex tapes that hinge on pornography. Why? Are there no respectable and profound legal avenues to pin an alleged sinner? Is our legal system so bankrupt that we have to stoop to such base and filthy means to kill an opponent? Are we suddenly prefereing to drow in the politics of Dark Ages?
Some politicians rush to the defence of the race-religion-class divisive political strategies, proclaiming that the government of the day is so liberal that allows individuals to air their thoughts and feelings. This unfortunately does not fall under the definition of democracy.
Democracy as sensible citizens do understand is about respect for civil liberties. So, when we rave and rant using race and religion bar-codes, we are in all essence desecrating the true meaning of democracy.
If democracy is so misplaced, how are we to march through the glorifying finishing line of Vision 2020 that also marks our entry into the developed world status? Would the great Tun Doctor want to shed some light on this? After all you were the one who sold us the Wawasan 2020 and we all rallied behind did we not?
It appears crystal clear that no one is desirous of putting the brakes. That no one wants to stand up and defend the principles on which we earned our Merdeka. Divide to rule is the preferred mantra then.
But in this age of wisdom and awakening of humanity to a whole new frontier of socio-economic landscape dotted with democracy and civil liberties, we have politicians and their masters choosing to remain blind, deaf and mute.
The question that remains unanswered is: why?
- J. D. Lovrenciear is a reader of Malaysia Chronicle
