Begitulah cara Lebai Pak Belalang mengalihkan perhatian rakyat dari hal-hal pentadbiran negeri yang penuh korupsi, tidak efisien and polisi-polisi dangkal yang lebih menjurus kepada menguntungkan kroni-kroni dan agamawan hipokrit; dengan mencari gaduh dengan kerajaan negeri lain dan menakutkan majoriti rakyat jelata dengan rakyat jelata minoriti yang lain.
Taktik ini telah berjaya mengekalkan kuasa Lebai Pak Belalang dengan begitu lama. Rakyat termakan dengan ketakutan dijajah sekali lagi oleh negeri dari arah matahari terbenam. Rakyat yang pelbagai rumpun dan bahasa juga ditakutkan sesama sendiri.
Agama dan adat dicanangkan berada dalam keadaan cemas dan tergugat dan hanya seorang yang bergelar "Lebai" sepertinya sahaja yang boleh membela agama dan adat.
Tetapi arus masa membawa angin perubahan dan rakyat negeri kini berada di satu ambang yang membawa kepada dua kemungkinan.
Samada terus terlena dengan candu kelebaian atau menongkah arus dan memotong lalang supaya "belalang" tidak boleh lagi hidup dan negeri subur dengan pokok-pokok yang membuahkan hasil.
Rakyat seperti Mat Jenin perlu berhenti berangan sahaja dan turun dari pokok kelapa. Ladang kelapa adalah tempat untuk berladang dan menuai hasil dengan kerja keras bukan tempat berangan.
Rakyat seperti Si Luncai perlu dididik dengan nilai-nilai kemanusiaan sejagat supaya dia dapat mengunakan kecerdikan akalnya ke arah yang lurus dan lebih produktif.
Rakyat seperti Mak Andeh yang berakal panjang tetapi ditotok oleh orang agama bahawa dia berakal pendek hanya kerana jantinanya, perlu memecah tradisi dan mencari haluan yang lebih bermakna dan produktif dan perlu enggan dikawal lagi oleh ajaran agama yang membazir potensi mereka.
Katak-katak perlu keluar dari bawah tempurung dan gunakan keupayaan mereka dengan melompat tinggi untuk mencari air, bukan hanya menunggu hujan dan membuat bising bila hujan turun.
Kebebasan bersuara perlu dijaga supaya rakyat seperti Hang Nadim tidak dibunuh hanya kerana menyuarakan pendapat bernas mereka.
Adakah ini semua mungkin?
Bersambung di Hikayat Moden: Bahagian XI bulan hadapan…
I have been thinking about this matter for a few weeks, after the first phase of "Movement Control Order" or MCO ("Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan" or PKP) was supposed to end. Then, suddenly youtube algorithm recommended a video to me related to what I was thinking.
Before I show you the video, let me explain.
The MCO (PKP) in Malaysia was initiated right in the middle of a power transition in Malaysia. Malaysia was in the middle of a political crisis. It was politically chaotic. There was a change in government. In spite of all that we managed to go through the MCO in a very efficient and effective manner. We come out of it rather successfully.
This was a surprise to me!
Under normal circumstances, Malaysian politicians, in general, are not a very clever or intelligent bunch (to put it mildly and politely). In the past, there were many ineffective and inefficient policies put in place that made life for the citizens worse. They are also generally bad at crisis management.
More to the current point, whenever an emergency or national disaster happened, our politicians handled them badly. Just look at the two MAS airplanes tragedies. The way both were handled by our leaders then were embarrassing. The only reasons the world was not laughing at our country then, was because the world was polite and recognize that it is unbecoming and impolite to laugh at people who are suffering.
Just remember all the tragedies of the past; the landsides, the floods, collapsed building, the national security incursion of Sabah; most of the times our leaders handled them badly. They do not know how to handle emergencies and disasters.
(Just to be clear, I am referring to politicians and government leadership, NOT the frontline workers, NOT the BOMBA, NOT the police, NOT the armies. They execute their duties to the highest degrees of integrity and courage always.)
But surprisingly, amid the political turmoil, the political chaos, the MCO (PKP) was handled and executed successfully, very successful indeed that even a mat sallehyoutuber made that famous youtube clip praising Malaysia's handling of the CoVid19 crisis.
I attributed the success of the MCO (PKP) to the dedication of the frontline workers, sense of community among the citizens, the hashtag #kitajagakita and effective communication & leadership by the Health Director-General, who is a technocrat civil servant not a politician.
I refused to attribute the success of the lockdown to the country's leadership. But when I analysed the daily news, they also handled it quite well. The single point of communication & the daily briefings which provided clarity & assurance were handled effectively. They contributed with good policy, planning & leadership, (or so it seems).
The facts say they handled the crisis well but my head refused to accept it. To me, Malaysian politicians do not have the capability and skills to handle the pandemic of this scale this effectively.
There is something I am missing.
I stew with this cognitive dissonance for a while. It might just be a fluke but I am a fair person. Even if it is a fluke I would have to give credit where credit is due. But not quite yet. After all, we are not out of the woods yet.
Then, one day it hit me.
What is the utmost goal of most politicians? Power! Lots of it, the more the better.
They are not "managing" the situation. They are not providing leadership during crisis.
They are dictating when and where people can move.
They are taking away people's freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, freedom to work, freedom to play, freedom to socialize.
It was a show of power, which is easy for politicians when there are no resistance.
In essence, for a few months, Malaysia was a semi-dictatorial state. This is a wet dream of all aspiring politicians craving for power.
That was why the lockdown was successful. They were not "managing" it; they were practicing at being a "dictator"!
(To their credit, freedom of expression and speech, such as it is, were not curtailed further.)
Before anyone accuses me of blasphemy or encouraging dissent to the lockdown rules, let me be VERY clear.
I am NOT proposing breaking the rules of MCO or lockdown or the rules of the "new norm".
Please obey all rules regarding MCO. Keep a safe distance. Wear masks in public. Do not breach Red Zone Area.
Declare and quarantine yourselves if you are a suspected case.
But I do want you to be more vigilant.
Be vigilant of all new policies, laws and/or regulations introduced during this time until the MCO is totally lifted.
Scrutinize the efficacy and accuracy of all data relating to the pandemic. Fake or manipulated data might be used to introduce draconian laws/regulations that can be used in normal time. This pandemic might and can be used by scrupulous politicians to give themselves more power.
To steal democracy.
If you think I am exaggerating, remember earlier when I said youtube can read my mind?
Well, it has happened elsewhere, and not just in some third world country, but right in the middle of modern democratic Europe.
