When the tide changes…

 

“Before, the Europeans were seen an invincible. They were so powerful, so superior and so intelligent. In fact, they promised us that as long as there were stars, the sun and the moon in the sky, they would be in Malaysia. But they lost the battle here to Japan, which shook our beliefs. The Europeans, we thought, would be defeated after all.”

- Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

As an Asian, I find that we have the tendency to not only admire, but also worship, those who are – supposedly – far more superior to us. At a more local level, I find that certain quarters not only expect but also demand that respect be given to them. Ironically, they got fear. Fear which does not equate to respect. Fear which would one day turn the tide against them. But does this mean we should not respect anymore? I cannot agree to that at all. I believe that your respect must be earned, not expected. Sadly many fail to grasp this despite preaching the same. But times are changing.

Prior to the 12^th General Election, leaders arrogantly demanded that the rakyat give undivided respect to them and their party. You see it yourself in the newspapers and on the telly. We’re not talking about wooing votes or gaining the trust of the rakyat. They arrogantly demanded that they be respected because they have contributed so much to the country. Needless to say, they are wrong.

Especially when you hold public office, you should know this: you, dear Sir and Madam, should be grateful to the rakyat that have willingly supported you all this years despite being punished, pushed and shoved. For 51 years, the rakyat have turned a blind eye many over a times. Not just once. You have no right what so ever to say that anyone is being ungrateful. If you do, you are being ungrateful. After all, each time you point your finger, three more are pointing back at you.

The Lesson in the United States

Have you heard of Senator Lott? Have you ever considered why Kerry lost his election bid?

 

Ex-Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi had a promising political career. He was hinted as the future majority leader in the U.S. Senate; behind the Vice President of the United States cum President of the Senate and the President pro tempore of the Senate. We’re talking of a very influential guy. At a birthday reception celebrating James Storm Thurmond’s one-hundredth birthday, he uttered the following in his speech:

 

“I want to say this about my state: When Storm Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We are proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn’t have had all these problems over all these years.”

Harmless comment, right? Only one small problem: Thurmond ran for President in 1948 on this platform:

“All the laws of Washington and all the bayonets of the Army cannot force the Negro into our homes, our schools, our churches.”

Mainstream media ignored it. Alternative media – read: blogosphere – splashed it all over the Internet. I think you can guess the outcome: Lott’s career went down the drain.

 

Another story is of a Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. I think you know who, or rather ‘what’, to be accredited for his loss?

Tides are Changing, but it Ain’t a Tsunami

Like usual, I was surfing the Net. What prompted me to write out this entry wasn’t of the power of blogs. Instead, it’s the person behind the computer.

You’ve read that bloggers are being prosecuted in Malaysia. Unfortunately, the exact number is still less than 15.

The blog which I read was on The Cicak. It was written by a 16 year old. In 5 years time, this 16 year old is eligible to vote. That’s just the point of the tip of the iceberg.

 

Those who want votes in the future should start learning this one lesson: clean up your act, affirm your principles and take responsibility. Stop fooling the rakyat. Stop thinking that the rakyat is at the mercy of any party. On the contrary, all parties, businesses and politicians are at the mercy of the rakyat.

The reason why most democratisation in the developing world has failed is that they tried to do it too quickly. – Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

I remain a Conservative and Federalist as opposed to Liberal and Unionist. As much as change is warranted, the change must follow the tempo of the society. One would not do a twist with a partner who’s dancing the tango. Certainly one partner doing the waltz and another doing the break dance would be disastrous. The same goes for change.

Let’s see it this way, society is like the tide. Steady and slow – but ever moving. Too fast, you won’t reap the benefits. Too slow, you drown. Just keep pace, you profit.

Just remember, the Japanese Empire emerged victorious against the Russian Empire, the United States, the Dutch Empire and the British Empire. Be stuck in the past, expect to drown.