Some need to learn empathy for good of country

Republished from New Straits Times, Apr 26, 2022,
with the author’s permission. Read the original here

By Yong Soo Heong

THE NINTH month of the Islamic calendar is also a special time for me because of several reasons.

Besides being invited to buka puasa events where I get to meet long-lost friends and acquaintances (and occasionally being the only non-Muslim at the table, I am also tasked to “guard the food” while my mates go for maghrib prayers!), it also allows me to reflect on the significance of empathy for those who are less-fortunate.

Fasting during Ramadan, I believe, helps to instil compassion for the poor, who may have much difficulty in putting food on the table.

My Muslim friends tell me, the last 10 nights of Ramadan are considered to be the best of the year. Of the 10, Lailatul Qadr is the holiest, where prayers are recited throughout the night.

One of the interesting activities for me during Ramadan is to help well-meaning friends like Fuzi Hanim Omar, a tireless 70-something “lady warrior”, whose tagline is “Building Bridges of Goodwill”.

Fuzi Hanim, who has been described as someone embodying the spirit of Merdeka with her work promoting inter-ethnic cohesiveness among underprivileged children, had often involved me in her Fuzi Magic “charity cluster”, where she would send food, clothes and money to orphanages and people in the B40 group.

Her volunteers will bring some festive cheer to the under-privileged in the Kayu Ara and Damansara Damai areas in Selangor by distributing satay and roti jala, as well as duit raya. They even provided aid to an orphanage in Kuala Lipis, Pahang.

Some startling facts emerge from these places casually referred to as orphanages, which we should reflect and ponder.

Many of the children are not really orphans but abandoned children. An orphan is one where he or she is deprived by death of one or usually both parents, but the parents of these children are still alive but divorced.

I’m told that these “orphanages” teeming with abandoned children are beginning to change their names to care centres (pusat jagaan).  

While cherishing people like Fuzi Hanim, I am also distracted by some disturbing news of the actions of some people just because they bask in the glory of wealth, titles and power.

I was dumbfounded when a wife of a Datuk was bound over for five years on a good behaviour bond of RM20,000 after she changed her plea and pleaded guilty to causing grievous hurt.

She had allegedly used a kitchen knife, a clothes hanger, a steel mop and an umbrella to cause multiple injuries to her maid’s head, hands, legs and internal organs.

Then, there is the case of a Tan Sri who didn’t pay his maid for 12 years until the latter reported it to the Indonesian embassy. These are just a few of the untold antics of the privileged class!

I commend the Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia, Hermono, and his officers for actively protecting Indonesians here. This is what real diplomats do whenever their citizens ask for help, not strut about at cocktail parties.

And we had better beware because Indonesia has stated that it’s not keen to send its citizens to work in countries where labour abuses go unpunished.

One maid recruitment association chief even said Malaysia may have to look elsewhere after this. Look elsewhere to continue our abuses?

Already, some Malaysian exporters have found difficulty in getting their products into developed countries because of their human rights track record. Have we still not learnt our lesson?

It’s a time for self-reflection, especially during this special month — you live in palatial homes, drive luxury cars, tote designer handbags and yet mistreat workers while still yearning for roti canai and teh tarik at 10 sen each in the 21st century? Come on. Get real.

• Datuk Yong Soo Heong is a former chief executive officer and editor-in-chief of Bernama. Read more about him here.

 

Establish citizens’ assemblies to hold politicians accountable

Republished from New Straits Times, Apr 9, 2022,
with the author’s permission. Read the original here.

By Yong Soo Heong

EVER SINCE Malaysia experienced a short-lived political renaissance in May 2018 only to be thwarted by the so-called Sheraton Move by self-serving politicians of every shade in February 2020, our country has been gripped by constant politicking.

The dismal reality from such manoeuvres has been that we’ve not been reaping the benefits of modernity while some of our neighbours who used to lag behind have overtaken us. We’ve been largely held back by narrow-minded policies that befuddle the mind of every right-thinking Malaysian.

And, no thanks to the Covid-19 virus that hit us since early 2020 and is still stifling our society in one way or the other.

Yes, the Ukraine crisis may have lifted crude oil and crude palm oil revenues sky high, but we're still a long way off from being that Asian Tiger we’re supposed to be. And, all that because many in the echelons of power seem to think that they know what's best for the country.

We now hear politicians pressing for the 15th GE to be held soon, the reasons being it's opportune to do so due to recent events in Melaka and Johor; any lingering delay may not be advantageous to some key players; time is ripe to court the naivety of voters who just turned 18; political opponents are in disarray and new alliances could be forged.

But, many in the political gamesmanship seem to be brimming with confidence on how to bring that winning formula for themselves and their hangers-on. I’m not so sure what they've in mind in terms of wealth-creation for the people because I've not heard much about this except that they want to return to power.

And, in the last two years, one of the key words that’s been bandied about was bantuan or aid, as if the country is enveloped by poor and hapless people. Nothing much about how to get citizens to earn better incomes, move up the economic ladder or businesses to take giant leaps forward.

Therefore, we often find ourselves in a dilemma.

Who do we vote for? Who could be trusted? Which politicians will not abandon their righteous cause? These are tough questions to answer.

What do we do to prevent ourselves from being “scammed” by sweet-talking politicians who come dressed in their all-white attire (perhaps to reflect purity in their souls and persona) or travel in some battered and spartan vehicle to show solidarity for the M40s and B40s?

Do remember that a winning ticket for a politician is a passport to a life-time of financial sustenance as they get pensions even serving for just one term!

And, we don’t even know what our lives are going to be in the next five years and beyond! So, guard that vote jealously and choose only those who can work for us!

I’ve been thinking about how to make those victorious politicians accountable for their actions or inaction (those whom we rarely see after they’ve won). We ought to institutionalise a proper feedback channel like a citizens' assembly to air our thoughts to lawmakers.

The deliberative democracy model that's being practised in the Ostbelgien German-speaking region of eastern Belgium is worth adopting so that we won't be fooled once every five years.

Also known as sortition, it’s an ancient practice of randomly selecting citizens to participate in legislative citizen assemblies to voice out their thoughts and suggestions.

Under this form of deliberative democracy, deliberation will be central to decision-making as it adopts elements of consensus decision-making and majority rule for problem-solving. These assemblies can provide the necessary checks and balances on politicians.

Naysayers may say why adopt a Western idea or it  won't work in Malaysia without proper funding or administrative support. Funding? That’s the least of our problems. It’s the will to make things work that's key. Financing could come from the Election Commission, Parliament or State Assemblies.

These assemblies could meet a few times annually and select people from all strata to avoid a potential middle class or upper class domination syndrome. The idea is to have a truly representative and deliberative democracy. It’s also about moving Malaysia forward.

• Datuk Yong Soo Heong is a former chief executive officer and editor-in-chief of Bernama. Read more about him here.