The Malaysian Insider

NOV 6 — Malaysia's “Drama Minggu Ini” appears to be rich in political parties apparently entering self-destruct mode. High up in the headlines are the problems besetting Pakatan Rakyat, PKR and MCA.

The endless infighting and jostling, as well as the apparent impossibility of achieving true unity even within a party or coalition, compels us to ask: why is it politicians so often seem to put their own seemingly petty interests above those of their party, or of the nation as a whole?

Raja Petra Kamarudin, a friend I'm proud to know (and who is somewhat responsible for my current hairstyle), recently wrote an article comparing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in somewhat unfavourable light to Alexander the Great, and the last general election to the French Revolution.

I don't know enough about either to comment extensively on the comparisons, but I think on aggregate I wish to respectfully posit a slightly different perspective.

The tone of RPK's article is, as is typical, one of reproach and warning. He writes:

"Anwar Ibrahim and many of the opposition leaders have this false feeling of grandeur about themselves. But they are not grand, and certainly far from great. They did not make March 8, 2008 happen. The people made it happen. And what the people make the people can break."

I have no intention here of defending Anwar or anyone else, but I think it is inaccurate to place a false feeling of grandeur at the root of Pakatan's problems. Pakatan's leaders suffer from a platitude of problems, but I don't think sheer arrogance is among the top five.

In trying to get to that root, I found myself thinking back to the momentous 2008 election. I remember that almost all of my office mates where I was working in PKR at that time eventually ran for public office and, I am proud to say, won.

That's in hindsight, of course. I remember the days before the election — how hard it was to fill the candidate roster, and how the leadership scrambled like crazy to finalise the list.

It was hard because so few wanted to step up. This was a time when Barisan still commanded its largest majority in history, and where there were serious repercussions to being associated with their enemies.

It was a time when one of the benefits of being in the opposition was that the only colleagues you had were those with real passion — there wasn't anything in it for anyone else, no money, no power; only plenty of headaches.

I wasn't asked to run (I suppose someone had to take care of the office), but even if I had been, I had already decided then not to accept. For my own reasons, I was like many others who requested that the bitter cup be passed from our lips.

Indeed, as RPK suggests, it was the people who enabled the political tsunami, and not the charisma of any one man or candidate; but there would have been no tsunami to speak of if not for those who did step up, and for those who led them.

I recently received an e-mail from one such colleague who had no such hesitation in answering the call and stepping up, detailing a near breakdown from the sheer stress and pressure of having to maintain more responsibilities and deal with more conflict than one human should ever have to bear.

I see the same in those former relatively carefree colleagues of mine — thrown into the vicious maelstrom of politics, and facing constant overloads of work, endless bickering and backstabbing, and every obstacle imaginable apparently designed to frustrate even the most idealistic of individuals.

I have watched how wearing certain hats eventually transforms people into those hats.

Fame can certainly be fun, but on aggregate I count myself lucky.

Once again, my purpose is not to weave some sob story to create sympathy or plead leniency. These people are our leaders after all, and why should they not be held to the highest standards?

I have made it a rule, however, to hesitate in criticising too harshly someone whose job I wouldn't be willing to take on myself.

It is all well and good to espouse populism, and to rip into those leaders we feel have failed us. It is imperative, however, that constructiveness be the hallmark of our criticism. When we decry something, we must always be mindful of identifying a practical (and I stress “practical”) road to improvement.

I don't know if we get the government we deserve, but I do know we get the leaders we make.

Like RPK, I don't harbour any illusions about politicians. In all my years trying to understand politics, I have found a realist, interest-based approach to analysis most useful. People usually do what they perceive to be in their own interests, and it is generally unwise to too often expect them to do otherwise.

The political problems Malaysia faces on both sides of the divide, including a dearth of quality in leadership, are real and enduring. It is my belief that they must be dealt with with full cognizance of personality dynamics, the baggage of the past, and the dark realities of politics.

No one much likes to play in such a murky landscape, but those are the cards we've been dealt, so we must play them as best we can — and we must play them to win.

It is more fun to make scathing remarks and aspire to loftier heights, and indeed, we should never lose sight of our ideals; but we have nothing to gain by cutting the nose to spite the face.

It is entirely wrong to say that outsiders of the political sphere should have no right to criticise or point out shortcomings. Rather, it is more encumbent on us to think carefully about how we can bring success closer rather than just “lepas geram”. In doing so, we should endeavour to shape our criticisms into those that work (knowing politicans, many types don't).

It is clear that we have charismatic leaders, a few efficient managers and even fewer noble statesmen, but perhaps no one who is all three. Until such a person steps forth, we must find a way of working as best we can with what we have towards achieving common goals, or we must ourselves seek to be that person.

Let us not relent in calling a spade a spade in renouncing pettiness and mismanagement, but let us be clear with regards to providing alternative plans, and workable solutions — including those that may involve putting our own selves on the line.

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