Still reeling from the post-election euphoria, trying to make sense of how it came about and where we should be heading, so I attended the Post Election Analysis Open Dialogue organised by CPPS. Here are the highlights:
"Malik Imtiaz, a Human Rights lawyer and activist, commented that if it had not been for a composite of factors, including the revoking of the indelible ink by the Elections Commission and the Prime Minister’s lying about the exact date of the dissolution of the Parliament, the civil society would not have found its voice this general elections. However, he warns that we did not say it as strongly as we could have and therefore need to be careful that the pendulum does not swing back.
While discussing what we need to do for the next fifty years, the panelists agreed that the dismantling of sectarian/racial politics and the active participation of the civil society are necessary.
The first step towards going beyond sectarian politics is the change in language. Dr Farish Noor, Senior Fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU Singapore, pointed out that for the first time that we can begin to imagine a new narrative for Malaysia. He challenged the audience to look at our national history beyond 1957 and into our long history of interracial relationships. The civil society has the responsibility of reclaiming this plural and inclusive history.
However, it is also crucial that we tread carefully and work with the Constitution. If the Constitution no longer works for us, then we should use the right channels to change it.
The panelists highlighted that the key point right now is to calm any fears and deal with any residual difficulties people might have in accepting the new results. BN should not be viewed as evil, but as a balancing power. Malik Imtiaz emphasized that while dismantling policies and acts recklessly does have a justice perspective, it would be at the expense of political strategy.
Instead, there needs to be a collective collaboration between the federal and state government, and also the civil society. A few of the panelists stressed that the federal government should accept that we are entering into a new era of politics and begin treating the state government as part of the government, rather than as opposition. Civil society should continue to put pressure on the government as it did before."
"Malik Imtiaz, a Human Rights lawyer and activist, commented that if it had not been for a composite of factors, including the revoking of the indelible ink by the Elections Commission and the Prime Minister’s lying about the exact date of the dissolution of the Parliament, the civil society would not have found its voice this general elections. However, he warns that we did not say it as strongly as we could have and therefore need to be careful that the pendulum does not swing back.
While discussing what we need to do for the next fifty years, the panelists agreed that the dismantling of sectarian/racial politics and the active participation of the civil society are necessary.
The first step towards going beyond sectarian politics is the change in language. Dr Farish Noor, Senior Fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU Singapore, pointed out that for the first time that we can begin to imagine a new narrative for Malaysia. He challenged the audience to look at our national history beyond 1957 and into our long history of interracial relationships. The civil society has the responsibility of reclaiming this plural and inclusive history. However, it is also crucial that we tread carefully and work with the Constitution. If the Constitution no longer works for us, then we should use the right channels to change it.
The panelists highlighted that the key point right now is to calm any fears and deal with any residual difficulties people might have in accepting the new results. BN should not be viewed as evil, but as a balancing power. Malik Imtiaz emphasized that while dismantling policies and acts recklessly does have a justice perspective, it would be at the expense of political strategy.
Instead, there needs to be a collective collaboration between the federal and state government, and also the civil society. A few of the panelists stressed that the federal government should accept that we are entering into a new era of politics and begin treating the state government as part of the government, rather than as opposition. Civil society should continue to put pressure on the government as it did before."
Comments