Words won't save the world
Boo Su-LynPublished: Dec 1, 2009 11:50 AM | Updated: Dec 1, 2009 11:56 AM
comment You never know what you may find on Google. I was reminded of that when I was searching the Internet for ideas on creating captivating awareness posters for a corporate social responsibility event at my company.
A Google search yielded a very plain yet striking poster with black words in large capital letters on a white background that read: ‘Design won’t save the world’. Then, in tiny capital letters beneath: ‘Go volunteer at a soup kitchen, you pretentious f—k’.
COMMENT
There is too much being said and far too little being done about the state of affairs in Malaysia.
comment You never know what you may find on Google. I was reminded of that when I was searching the Internet for ideas on creating captivating awareness posters for a corporate social responsibility event at my company.
A Google search yielded a very plain yet striking poster with black words in large capital letters on a white background that read: ‘Design won’t save the world’. Then, in tiny capital letters beneath: ‘Go volunteer at a soup kitchen, you pretentious f—k’.
Out of the thousand designs I saw that day, I only remembered that plain little monochrome piece.
In the same way, words won’t save the world. Martin Luther King, the civil rights champion, is known for his famous “I have a dream” speech.
It was not just an empty speech full of grandeur; his words translated to actions that were taken at the risk of his life for a cause he believed in.
Can we say the same for our politicians? Of course, it is not that I expect them to give up their lives to save the impoverished and downtrodden. I would not even go as far as expecting them to give up their luxury cars to use public transport for a week.
However, the very least that we can expect is our politicians to accompany their promises and words with actions. We do not need motivational speeches filled with false hope just to snag more votes. What we need are promises substantiated with action.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was set up to eradicate the plague of corruption. Yet, Malaysia suffered its worst plunge in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index ranking, slipping nine spots this year from 47th to 56th place.
The reason for the decline was attributed to a lack of political will in executing anti-corruption measures. Our government was perceived as persecuting only small-fry politicians and opposition leaders in their fight against corruption.
That is not surprising, considering that even the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz shows no interest whatsoever in proving that the guardian of the state, the judiciary, is free from the slightest taint of corruption.
Instead, he merely says that the corruption of the judiciary is morally wrong, but not legally wrong, in reference to lawyer VK Lingam’s alleged manipulation of the appointment of judges.
It is paradoxical that the judiciary, which is meant to enforce justice upon all individuals and even the state without fear or favour, is legally permitted to be at the whim and fancy of certain individuals in power. This renders the existence of the judiciary meaningless.
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has made many fancy speeches and empty promises himself, among which he affirmed his belief in a “vibrant, free and informed media” and the need for a media that is “empowered to responsibly report what they see, without fear of consequence” in his speech themed ‘Policy, Politics and the Media: A New Way Forward’ in April this year.
Yet, up to now, so many incidents have rendered that promise false and hollow, such as the arrest of press freedom advocate Wong Chin Huat, sedition charges against Malaysia Today blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission's attempted censorship of Malaysiakini’s news videos on the cow-head protest, and also the fact that the oppressive Printing Presses and Publications Act remains untouched.
Of course, it is not only Barisan Nasional that has said many words that are supposedly meant to save Malaysia from the morass of corruption, wickedness and injustice.
Just after its historic win in the 2008 general election, Pakatan Rakyat has also raised false hopes in the hearts of people voting for change. It promised better governance and to take measures to ensure greater transparency and accountability.
Yet, more than a year later, there is still no freedom of information legislation in Pakatan Rakyat states. Neither have local elections at the state level been implemented.
And what about us?
After all that is said about the failures of politicians to back their words with actions, what about us? ‘Huh, you mean me?’ you may ask.
It is very easy for us to judge and condemn politicians for breaking promises, being corrupt, and caring more for their BMW 7-series car and Damansara Heights bungalows than for a poor widow struggling to feed a family of five.
Of course, being a democratic nation, the government is to answer to the people. However, as much as we rant, gripe, or complain against them passionately, our words will not take us very far.
Whether we grumble to one another at a mamak stall over three cups of teh tarik, or pen our dissatisfaction in erudite blogs or articles, the world will not be saved. Malaysia will not be saved. Changes will not come.
Lots of people had something to say about the death of R Seetha, the woman who killed herself over her brother’s death at the hands of the police. Some were plain critical while others analysed and attributed her sorry death to the pathetic economic, racial, and patriarchal fabric that enveloped her.
Amidst all the lucid writing about the social tragedy of her death, did anyone bother to contact her and just visit her in the hospital? Or was this compassionate gesture overlooked in its simplicity? Words did not save Seetha; but a visit from a stranger who cared enough about her might just have given her the edge to push through and survive.
Besides complaining about the lack of transparency and accountability in the way politicians govern Malaysia, do we practise being transparent to our loved ones, our colleagues, our bosses, our customers, and even our government?
Do we lie to our boss about that little medical chit we obtained, justifying ourselves by saying that a fake MC is no big deal and that we deserve a break from being slave-driven by a stingy company anyway?
Do we pay our summonses immediately, or are we likely to stash them in a drawer waiting for the miraculous day when we suddenly don’t have to pay the fine?
Well, that day has come through a momentous court judgment awarding victory to a lone mini-market owner against a municipal council. So, would you still practise accountability to the law by paying your summons for parking illegally?
Corruption is something that Malaysians absolutely love to hate. It is ironic just how much it is written about and analysed.
It is synonymous with Malaysian culture. Practically everyone talks and writes about it, from old women chatting loudly in a decrepit coffee shop, to the urban yuppie who blogs in his spare time.
While we demand that corruption be wiped out, and for crooked people in power to be brought to justice, how much do we apply those same demands on ourselves? Would we cheat on our taxes if it were 100 percent certain that we would get away with it?
Do we offer bribes to officials for our children to ‘pass’ their driving test? Do we actually ask the police for a ticket when we beat a red traffic light? Or do we hope that no fat, corrupt police officer was lurking around to prey on our minor traffic infraction?
When we cry for justice to be served for disenfranchised, disempowered people living in poverty, do we actually roll up our sleeves, go out to the dirty streets of the city, and volunteer to serve food to the homeless?
Do we sacrifice our Saturday evenings to lend a listening ear to a woman in crisis? Have you hugged a person with HIV? Have you listened close enough to a terrified child’s regular screams and cries at your neighbour’s, and sought the police for help at risk of being labelled a ‘busybody’?
It is very well and easy to say, ‘Well, they’re the ones in power. They should do something! I’m just a regular Malaysian. What can I possibly do?’
Stop pushing the buck around. We may not be in the position to feed every single homeless person in Malaysia, or give every child an education, but we can effect changes wherever we are.
It is a fallacy to believe that we are powerless as individuals, and hence, give ourselves more reason to slouch in front of a TV and snigger cynically at a politician’s insincere speech. The change-makers of the world were ordinary people who did something regardless of their social and economic background.
My message applies to me as well besides you, my dear readers. So, as soon as you and I are done with this piece, these words may fade away from our memories, but we can and should go out and do something.
BOO SU-LYN is cynical about most things, but still believes that the world can be a much better place than it is today. She wants to reach out to people living on the streets, and hopes that even they can experience the joy of Christmas. She loves freelance writing.
A Google search yielded a very plain yet striking poster with black words in large capital letters on a white background that read: ‘Design won’t save the world’. Then, in tiny capital letters beneath: ‘Go volunteer at a soup kitchen, you pretentious f—k’.
Out of the thousand designs I saw that day, I only remembered that plain little monochrome piece.
In the same way, words won’t save the world. Martin Luther King, the civil rights champion, is known for his famous “I have a dream” speech. It was not just an empty speech full of grandeur; his words translated to actions that were taken at the risk of his life for a cause he believed in.
Can we say the same for our politicians? Of course, it is not that I expect them to give up their lives to save the impoverished and downtrodden. I would not even go as far as expecting them to give up their luxury cars to use public transport for a week.
However, the very least that we can expect is our politicians to accompany their promises and words with actions. We do not need motivational speeches filled with false hope just to snag more votes. What we need are promises substantiated with action.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was set up to eradicate the plague of corruption. Yet, Malaysia suffered its worst plunge in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index ranking, slipping nine spots this year from 47th to 56th place.
The reason for the decline was attributed to a lack of political will in executing anti-corruption measures. Our government was perceived as persecuting only small-fry politicians and opposition leaders in their fight against corruption.
That is not surprising, considering that even the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz shows no interest whatsoever in proving that the guardian of the state, the judiciary, is free from the slightest taint of corruption. Instead, he merely says that the corruption of the judiciary is morally wrong, but not legally wrong, in reference to lawyer VK Lingam’s alleged manipulation of the appointment of judges.
It is paradoxical that the judiciary, which is meant to enforce justice upon all individuals and even the state without fear or favour, is legally permitted to be at the whim and fancy of certain individuals in power. This renders the existence of the judiciary meaningless.
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has made many fancy speeches and empty promises himself, among which he affirmed his belief in a “vibrant, free and informed media” and the need for a media that is “empowered to responsibly report what they see, without fear of consequence” in his speech themed ‘Policy, Politics and the Media: A New Way Forward’ in April this year.
Yet, up to now, so many incidents have rendered that promise false and hollow, such as the arrest of press freedom advocate Wong Chin Huat, sedition charges against Malaysia Today blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission's attempted censorship of Malaysiakini’s news videos on the cow-head protest, and also the fact that the oppressive Printing Presses and Publications Act remains untouched. Of course, it is not only Barisan Nasional that has said many words that are supposedly meant to save Malaysia from the morass of corruption, wickedness and injustice.
Just after its historic win in the 2008 general election, Pakatan Rakyat has also raised false hopes in the hearts of people voting for change. It promised better governance and to take measures to ensure greater transparency and accountability.
Yet, more than a year later, there is still no freedom of information legislation in Pakatan Rakyat states. Neither have local elections at the state level been implemented.
And what about us?
After all that is said about the failures of politicians to back their words with actions, what about us? ‘Huh, you mean me?’ you may ask.
It is very easy for us to judge and condemn politicians for breaking promises, being corrupt, and caring more for their BMW 7-series car and Damansara Heights bungalows than for a poor widow struggling to feed a family of five.
Of course, being a democratic nation, the government is to answer to the people. However, as much as we rant, gripe, or complain against them passionately, our words will not take us very far.
Whether we grumble to one another at a mamak stall over three cups of teh tarik, or pen our dissatisfaction in erudite blogs or articles, the world will not be saved. Malaysia will not be saved. Changes will not come.
Lots of people had something to say about the death of R Seetha, the woman who killed herself over her brother’s death at the hands of the police. Some were plain critical while others analysed and attributed her sorry death to the pathetic economic, racial, and patriarchal fabric that enveloped her. Amidst all the lucid writing about the social tragedy of her death, did anyone bother to contact her and just visit her in the hospital? Or was this compassionate gesture overlooked in its simplicity? Words did not save Seetha; but a visit from a stranger who cared enough about her might just have given her the edge to push through and survive.
Besides complaining about the lack of transparency and accountability in the way politicians govern Malaysia, do we practise being transparent to our loved ones, our colleagues, our bosses, our customers, and even our government?
Do we lie to our boss about that little medical chit we obtained, justifying ourselves by saying that a fake MC is no big deal and that we deserve a break from being slave-driven by a stingy company anyway?
Do we pay our summonses immediately, or are we likely to stash them in a drawer waiting for the miraculous day when we suddenly don’t have to pay the fine?
Well, that day has come through a momentous court judgment awarding victory to a lone mini-market owner against a municipal council. So, would you still practise accountability to the law by paying your summons for parking illegally?
Corruption is something that Malaysians absolutely love to hate. It is ironic just how much it is written about and analysed.
It is synonymous with Malaysian culture. Practically everyone talks and writes about it, from old women chatting loudly in a decrepit coffee shop, to the urban yuppie who blogs in his spare time. While we demand that corruption be wiped out, and for crooked people in power to be brought to justice, how much do we apply those same demands on ourselves? Would we cheat on our taxes if it were 100 percent certain that we would get away with it?
Do we offer bribes to officials for our children to ‘pass’ their driving test? Do we actually ask the police for a ticket when we beat a red traffic light? Or do we hope that no fat, corrupt police officer was lurking around to prey on our minor traffic infraction?
When we cry for justice to be served for disenfranchised, disempowered people living in poverty, do we actually roll up our sleeves, go out to the dirty streets of the city, and volunteer to serve food to the homeless?
Do we sacrifice our Saturday evenings to lend a listening ear to a woman in crisis? Have you hugged a person with HIV? Have you listened close enough to a terrified child’s regular screams and cries at your neighbour’s, and sought the police for help at risk of being labelled a ‘busybody’? It is very well and easy to say, ‘Well, they’re the ones in power. They should do something! I’m just a regular Malaysian. What can I possibly do?’
Stop pushing the buck around. We may not be in the position to feed every single homeless person in Malaysia, or give every child an education, but we can effect changes wherever we are.
It is a fallacy to believe that we are powerless as individuals, and hence, give ourselves more reason to slouch in front of a TV and snigger cynically at a politician’s insincere speech. The change-makers of the world were ordinary people who did something regardless of their social and economic background.
My message applies to me as well besides you, my dear readers. So, as soon as you and I are done with this piece, these words may fade away from our memories, but we can and should go out and do something.
BOO SU-LYN is cynical about most things, but still believes that the world can be a much better place than it is today. She wants to reach out to people living on the streets, and hopes that even they can experience the joy of Christmas. She loves freelance writing.
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