Effecting change: Political or non-partisan?
Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. ~ James Bovard
it was revealing that when asked whether or not they would see themselves working in a full-time position over the next five to ten years within the civil service, a non-governmental organisation, think tank, media or active civil society, with the objective of contributing to national development, only four out of the 42 responded positively. The rest either felt it would be futile to fight the system, or preferred to work in a more productive environment such as within the private sector.
Non-partisanship
There was also a strong indication that they would rather work within a non-partisan and independent organisation, preferring not to be affiliated with any one side. This is a trend that is strangely enough creeping upon many Malaysians, even those who were once vocally opposing government policies.
Perhaps this is to do with disillusionment over both sides – Barisan or Pakatan – where they perceive neither has delivered on concrete policies, or lived up to what was originally promised.
The ability of Bersih 2.0, for example, to garner support from a large cross-section of society, is equally telling of current sentiments, where it is becoming increasingly popular to call oneself part of “civil society”, this ever-evolving and often undefinable entity...we have witnessed the childish descent into gutter politics, outright lies, ridiculous statements, and would not wish ourselves a part of this crude ugliness...because of this, there is an increased interest in starting initiatives outside the formal political process.
These platforms are not directly political per se, but they certainly have political content that pushes the boundaries and urges critical social action for political change.
Maximum impact
Knowing the landscape of politics that we have today, the question remains: What should I do to ensure my involvement leads to maximum impact for the country’s future?
In an ideal world, civil society ought to occupy as legitimate a position as political parties in pushing for change. The pressures placed by a loud enough community ought to nudge along those in power, making them sit up and listen.
Ultimately, until and unless civil society – or any non-partisan body – is recognised as an equal partner within formal committees, taskforces and the like for the purposes of policy reform, there will still be a tendency for political parties to be relied upon to advance a particular cause.
Tricia Yeoh is director at a market research consultancy, having worked in the think-tank and public sectors previously. She writes on national and socio-economic issues.
Source: http://www.thesundaily.my/news/79681
