Malaysaikini : “I was also very disappointed when the then premier Dr Mahathir
Mohamad said, ‘we didn’t think we were going to win and promised heaven
and earth and now can’t deliver’. I expected many in Harapan to speak up
and say that’s not true, but so many just kept quiet at the time.
“Many
things could have been done. The Sedition Act was still in use. Yes,
they could have blocked it in Dewan Negara but at least pass it in the
Dewan Rakyat.
“I think what happened along the way was that people
got so caught up with politicking to preserve their newfound positions.
They were easily manipulated because of this,” he told Malaysiakini in an interview.
According to Haris, the best way to ensure that Harapan won the GE15 would have been to deliver reforms and keep its promises.
“Despite
that, I have to be optimistic. But it has to be tied to the willingness
of the people to rise as a united force as they did in GE14. When push
comes to shove, when Malaysians decide enough is enough and come
together … we are an unstoppable force,” he added.
Haris, who is currently fighting a battle
against Stage 4 cancer, lamented the impact of the party and coalition
systems that easily swallows up well-intentioned individuals.
“Last
election, I voted for Maria Chin Abdullah. I worked with her in Bersih,
and when she announced she was coming in as an independent but under a
PKR ticket, I was excited.
“But unbeknownst to us, she then joined
the party, and unbeknownst to us, she got close to the Azmin faction.
Why get involved with party politics if your promise was to come in and
enact reforms?” he asked.
“I really feel the voting public should be looking not at symbols but to evaluate the candidate. That’s what I want to push.
“Enough
of political parties coming with manifestos. We should give them the
manifesto. Don’t forget to ask difficult questions. Where in the
constitution does it say special rights, for example? Let’s stop playing
populist politics.
“Let’s establish that we are a secular state
even as efforts are underway to undermine that secular state, taking us
to an Islamic state that is detrimental to the whole population.
“We need to embrace the truth because a nation cannot be built on lies,” he said.
Culture of fear still present
One
of the key roles Haris played was to help Malaysians see that it was
alright to speak up against corruption and injustice, but he feels that
after the Sheraton Move, many are now back in their shell.
“I
don’t think the culture of fear has ever left us. People were emboldened
by what they saw in the elections, but the Sheraton Move shook a lot of
people to the core. To think that having kicked these robbers and
thieves out of power, they were able to find their way back.
“So
you have government servants who are petrified of being punished for
voting for change. The only message I have is that you can use fear as a
force of energy. If thieves break into your house and you have a bat,
you can stand and defend or hide and pretend you don’t hear your wife
screaming.
“I think fear is something that grips all of us without exception. It’s how you respond to it,” he said.
According
to Haris, Malaysia is being held back by soul-less politicians holding
high office ad infinitum and cowardly leaders, opposition or otherwise,
afraid to raise controversial issues, all of which is compounded by a
bullied rakyat that is fearful and silenced.
To that end, he lauded Malaysiakini
for also coming along at the right time. “With Premesh Chandran, Steven
Gan and the whole team. We also owe so much to the brave reporting over
the years. I’m pretty sure they have had offers to sell out, but they
stuck to their guns. So these are the heroes.
“Malaysiakini
had great coverage of the Bersih and Hindraf rallies, and I was very
proud to be associated with them then. Hopefully, they can remain
independent and keep the political parties at bay,” he said.
He
recalled how when he was convicted in a sedition trial and sentenced to
eight months in jail (eventually reduced to a fine), a reporter came up
to him and said, “Haris, you are very brave to give up your freedom.”
“I
said you are wrong. I haven’t given up freedom, you have! I refuse to
be silenced. They warned me, but I spoke – so who is free?
“In
circumstances when efforts are made to deprive you of that freedom, you
have essentially two choices. Yield that freedom, or fight to hold on to
it. If you choose the latter, there is usually a price to pay. The
prison sentence was, to me, the price I had to pay in refusing to be
silenced,” he said.
Haris is always Malaysian first, no thought of selling out
Thank you Haris