Stern and commanding: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, has reminded our Members of Parliament to behave and debate with maturity and self-restraint in the Dewan Rakyat. Looking on is Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia. — Bernama
IT’S baffling how some of our politicians, be it the sincere or attention grabbers, are incessantly angry, agitated, provocative or intimidating. In the pursuit of realising their agendas, many ultimately embarrass themselves, and us.
Finesse seems to be in short supply, attested to by their behaviour during Parliament debates or outside the august House.
It surely isn’t asking too much for them, be they from either side of the bench, to hear all points of views concerned, and then argue their case in a calm, structured and collected way.
The powers of persuasion, confidence, resilience and measured tones should convincingly win arguments, so those are the best tools they could equip themselves with.
Shouting and animated gestures are unnecessary because there’s little value in adopting such uncouth behaviour.
Westminster quality debates, where clever discourse, and perhaps tempered with witty references even, aren’t expected, but there must be some form of maturity and self-restraint in cases presented in our Dewan Rakyat.
Despite the reminder by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, to our Members of Parliament to behave, these politicians are unlikely to take heed.
In his maiden address at the new session of Parliament recently, the King expressed hope for MPs to set a good example by maintaining decorum, adhering to regulations, being polite and refraining from hurling insults.
He also gave the green-light to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker to penalise MPs who go overboard and even impose a 14-day ban if they remain stubborn.
Well, no one has crossed the line yet. Even the usual suspects, while still wanting to parade their machismo, have kept themselves in check… so far.
To be fair, sometimes the media must be blamed because the focus seems to be on a few recalcitrant individuals with their attention-craving antics.
Their more hardworking counterparts who deliver well-researched speeches calmly, get overlooked by the press.
So, until recently, some of our MPs have had little choice but to take to their social media platforms to broadcast their debates from Parliament, but the Dewan Rakyat Speaker has put a stop to this. Naturally, politicians are now clued in to the power of social media. They prefer to control the narrative to reach out to their targeted audience without reproach.
Along the way, now unfortunately the norm in Malaysia, some of our politicians have also failed to understand that if they push the race and religion narrative too hard, it will only come back to haunt them.
Whether it’s wielding a keris, sword or continually issuing inflammatory warnings and threats, video clips of these shenanigans will end up being used against them by their opponents.
Aspiring politicians should always remember that they need the support and votes of Malaysians of all races and religions. They should be Malaysian leaders espousing moderation and inclusivity rather than heroes of a single ethnic community and its beliefs.
Yes, it’s necessary to speak up and defend where necessary, but there are many approaches and methods. Agreed, it’s harder to bridge divides and unite people, but that’s the mark of a true leader.
Even PAS has realised that if it hopes to form the next federal government, the party needs to win over Sabah and Sarawak, and the votes of non-Muslims. Well, the endeavour will need to go beyond wishing Christians Merry Christmas and for its president, Tan Sri Hadi Abdul Awang, dressing in Chinese traditional wear during Chinese New Year.
But at least PAS finally realises that no political coalition can win Malaysia without the support of all races. It doesn’t work to be seen as an unflinching hero of the Malay, Chinese or Indian communities but then come the elections, take a different stance, and sing a different tune. The social media age simply won’t embrace this.
Likewise, DAP leaders have trouble earning the trust of most Malay voters simply because it has angered that community with questionable tones and messages in the past. It takes a long time to gain trust but a fleeting moment to destroy it.
A real leader leads and will not be led, and certainly will not drive the country into a frenzy. It’s utter irresponsible.
Holding back our temper, restraining ourselves, not overreacting and excessively pushing the limits have always proven to be the most beneficial approach. Moderation is certainly the way forward.
Some politicians are adept at getting people riled up, but what we really want is for them to come up with proper solutions for our economic problems, like the rising cost of living, weakening ringgit, boosting investments, making Malaysia competitive, improving our school and university systems, fighting corruption, and getting jobs for our graduates, among others.
Well, I’m a 63-year-old warga mas, so many younger aspiring politicians are surely uninterested in my ramblings because they may think they know better, but us senior citizens have simply experienced more.
If you’re made of stern stuff and are sincere, then be a leader and champion of all races, and not just one race and religion.
That’s exactly why we still remember and revere Tunku Abdul Rahman till today because he was Bapa Malaysia to us all. Now, that’s respect commanded and not demanded.
