The politics of the common people

Legacy policy: Most politicians have the tendency of embarking on a particular project not because of its general utility to the nation but so that it can be remembered in the country’s history annals, like former PM Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s TN50.

Leaders have to make time and be creative to understand the pulse of the rakyat, not just build their ‘legacy’. 

I HAVE never had political ambitions even though I was active in student politics when I studied in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and have always wanted to serve my country in any way I can.

Precisely when I was 30 years old and had “come” to study the Quran seriously, I consciously decided that I will not enter politics. I believe that politics can never bring about real reforms because politicians always look at peripheral and short-terms issues rather than address root issues.

However, I knew that I will always have to keep abreast with political developments in the country because what the politicians do will invariably affect the general well-being of the citizens.

In Malaysia, when you are a Muslim, the effect on your life is even greater because the policies that politicians pass will affect even the freedom of how you want to practice your religion. You may become answerable to the politicians rather than to God!

As I grow older, I also discovered that politicians like to increase and solidify their power base by having alliances with powerful businesses and with religious figures.

One is to ensure that they will have a source of financial support and the other is to mind control the followers of a particular religion to support them.

In Malaysia, with Muslims being the majority, the target of course will be the Malays and all matters related to Islam will be brought under the control of the political elites.

The politics of the politicians is, first and foremost, about widening, solidifying and increasing their political power.

In this power game, all factors that can be used to enhance their power will be used – ethnicity, religion, culture, economic, sentiments, emotions and so on.

Hence, it is no surprise that in Malaysia, even after 60 over years of merdeka, we still hear political leaders shamelessly prey on ethnic and religious sentiments to gain support. Regardless of the clear fact that it will lead to not only divisiveness and that it is antithetical to the basic characteristic of “humanness”, they are more consumed with the need to create their own polity which they can be champion of.

A study of human history will show that such strategies of creating “exclusivity” do not benefit the people nor the nation, simply because it negates the possibility of a common national goal or dream. Second is their preoccupation in perpetuating their political power and hence their tendency to pursue populist or “legacy” policies.

By legacy policies I mean the tendency of politicians to embark on a particular project not because of its general utility to the nation but so that it can be left behind as a “legacy”.

Third is their preoccupation with their own partisan politics and interests even if it is detrimental to the national interests. In contrast, the politics of the common people are grounded in reality.

Firstly they want a political, social and economic environment that will allow them to live dignified lives. Dignity presupposes the right to be free from oppression of all sorts – religious, economic, political, thought, discrimination and so on.

Regardless of the income or family status of a person, every human being has a need for and the right to dignity. Strip the person of dignity and you debase him into an animal. This is both cruel and dangerous for society in the long run. So the common people want laws and regulations that can safeguard and empower their right to live as human beings with dignity.

Secondly, they want to be able to earn their living without undue interference from the authorities and will welcome any assistance to enable them to do so. They want to be able to fend for themselves and their families and face the challenges of life as well as they can.

Thirdly, they want their children to have a better life than they had and in this context, they look towards quality and affordable education, employment opportunities and a safe, confident national environment.

Fourthly, they do not want political leaders who take away their hard earned money in the form of taxes and splurge them on themselves and their families. The era of peasant and landlord should not exist in a democracy in a new form. The people of today are wise enough to realise that wealth need no longer represent cleverness or diligence or contribution to society or even honour. Many “high class” robbers are very wealthy and titled.

If there is going to be a meeting point between the political leaders and the people, the leaders must understand and empathise with the needs and dreams of the common people.

Leaders have to make time to mix with the common people, eat the food they eat, travel like they do and things like that. They must be creative in how they try to understand the pulse of the people and not just the “meet the people” events officially organised where everything looks sweet. These events are nothing more than public relations and ego boosting exercises for the leaders mostly. They get a fake sense of support.

I like to recall Gandhi’s response when he was offered to join a political party when he returned from South Africa: “How can I pretend to be a political leader when I have not understood India. Let me travel India, live like the ordinary Indians and then I may consider”.