Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
This emergence can come from the
political leadership of East Malaysia, who have repeatedly shown they
are capable of transcending the race and religion divide.
East Malaysian leadership can lead the change towards a new
generation of younger leaders with new ideas for policy development and
implementation by people who care about what happens.
The
political leaders of Sabah and Sarawak have long governed with
philosophies very different from what Malaysians have experienced in the
peninsula.
Former Sarawak chief minister Adenan Satem stands out
as the role model for a new united Malaysia but unfortunately, he was
unable to complete his mission with his early demise.
East
Malaysians have a sense of nationalism that others in the peninsula
have lost to other narratives. These narratives are perpetually causing
division and regression at the cost of cohesion and advancement.
Many
in Sabah and Sarawak also have a sense of patriotism which has
withstood the test of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), the unequal
relationship of the federation’s three component states, their status as
stepchildren in budget and development allocations, and the numerous
other ways the coalition government dominated by peninsula parties have
discriminated against them.
Frankly, it’s time to look east to
Sabah and Sarawak and for the peninsula-dominant political pundits to
stop ignoring what is happening in the other half of Malaysia.
It
is time to take their principles, culture, and lessons and incorporate
them into an administration and government that governs all Malaysians.
The East Malaysian political leadership can unite and nurture Malaysia towards maturity and new hope.
This is not to underestimate the challenge as society, economics, and
politics of Sabah and Sarawak are also diverse, and there has never
been a strong and resilient Borneo perspective.
However,
both territories have enough in common to provide a fresh look at where
Malaysia should go, and this can begin with the 16th general election.
Positioning for possible post-GE16 vacuum
There are two basic strategies for this possibility to be rolled out and achieved.
Create a movement in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak with local citizens, activists, and politicians.
Work
with a bloc of existing parties in a coalition (a reverse takeover of
the unity government). This would mean East Malaysia parties with
peninsula partners becoming the largest bloc in Parliament after the
next election and leading a new government.
It is indeed very
possible for East Malaysia as a bloc to be the largest grouping in the
next sitting Parliament after the next general election. The East
Malaysian bloc will not just be the kingmaker in the next election, it
can take the leadership.
Besides being established partners of
past BN governments and the present federal government, coalitions such
as Gabungan Parti Sawarak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) would
fare even better if they continue to engage and form alliances with one
another to present themselves as a united East Malaysian front in
preparation for the next polls.
This is so that if talks between
Pakatan Harapan and Umno break down in the future, the East Malaysian
bloc may continue to push for inclusive policies, including MA63 and
others, and in doing so, become the stabilising and positive factor in
the fractured political landscape that is likely to emerge after GE16.
With
56 seats up for grabs in the next election and perhaps more after the
delineation exercise, GPS and GRS may safely hold at least 30 seats and
may even be in a position to add more to their new partnership.
Should
the delineation exercise result in expanding East Malaysia’s
parliamentary representation to at least one-third of the total number
of seats in Parliament, this will greatly increase East Malaysia’s
weight and participation in the federal government.
Courageous easterners
It
is evident that East Malaysian MPs have more gumption when it comes to
matters related to racial and religious issues. In contrast, peninsula
parties are either too emotionally and financially invested to think
straight or are just trying to score political points by fanning matters
and issues to the extreme.
The issue of using only Bahasa
Malaysia for communication with government departments was promptly shot
down by Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg.
Similarly,
the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) has been accepted by the
Sarawak government since 2014, whereas this remains a contentious matter
in the peninsula.
Other than that, Tourism, Arts and Culture
Minister Tiong King Sing regularly stands his ground when he broaches
issues that no other non-Muslim MPs dare to talk about.
Looking at
the political situation today, Peninsular Malaysian parties are all
established and have little room left for improvement. This is
especially the case since reforms have taken a backseat to compromises,
power-brokering, and procuring a larger slice of the political cake.
That being the case, smaller parties on the peninsula should also form alliances with Borneo parties such as Warisan.
Although
Warisan’s attempt to enter the peninsula fizzled out during the last
election, it would be beneficial if there is communication between
Warisan and all the smaller parties of the peninsula such as PSM, PRM,
Muda, Gerak Independent, Parti Kemajuan Malaysia, and the Green Party as
soon as possible.
This can be the foundation for strategically engaging other coalitions further down the road.
Not impossible
Some independent observers forecast that there will most likely be a hung Parliament after the next GE, similar to GE15.
Should
this happen, there is an opportunity for existing blocs to realign with
an East Malaysian grouping, leading to potentially more than a new
coalition government.
This
bloc, led by East Malaysia parties and including parties based in the
peninsula, can reignite reforms and lead to a new type of politics.
Malaysians
from all communities are sick and tired of the same-old, same-old
polemics of the past, and GE16 is the time to get it right.
If the
existing federal coalition government needs a push in the right
direction, it can only be achievable if the East Malaysian bloc unites
and “serbu” (charges into) West Malaysia to keep the old guard on their toes.
We
are confident that many voters will agree with the above premise. We
recognise that some will see it as improbable or will scoff at the idea
of an East Malaysian party bloc leading a future coalition.
The pundits may dismiss or disregard the above proposition, but can they present a better alternative?
There
is an urgent need for a new unity in the country. This can be shaped by
the outcome of GE16. The East Wind can be the transformative catalyst.
This article is the first of three parts.
LIM TECK GHEE is a former senior official with the United Nations and World Bank.
MURRAY HUNTER is an independent researcher and former professor at the Prince of Songkla University and Universiti Perlis.
CAROLYN KHOR is a former ministerial press secretary, a former United Nations Volunteer and an independent researcher/writer.