JUNE 18 — Former PM Tun Mahathir’s merciless onslaught on Datuk Seri Najib Razak has not only exhausted the PM but also throws the country’s politics into disarray.
We have no idea when all this mayhem could come to a stop, and there is nothing much concerned Malaysians could do to help sort things out.
At least the chronic spat within a BN component party, MIC, has finally come to a close.
Vice president M. Saravanan queries the irregularities within the party and challenges party president G. Palanivel, and this thing has been dragged on for a year and a half now. The ongoing legal disputes have taken a heavy toll on the interests of the country’s Indian community.
To make things worse, the line separating the two factions couldn’t have been more explicit as the party is headed towards near collapse.
The High Court recently rejected Palanivel’s application for legal review, meaning MIC will now have to conduct fresh elections as per the instruction of the Registry of Societies, including the re-election for a new president.
Even as the MIC crossfire is coming to an end, an amicable settlement for the ongoing disputes between rival factions within Dong Zong, supposedly the defender of Chinese education in Malaysia, is nowhere in sight.
The conflicts have not only been dragged on for so long without any trace of letting up, there are even signs the intensity is picking up force with internal conflicts now extended to the legal battleground, and this is very likely to affect the educational organization’s staff and students at the country’s independent Chinese high schools, creating disunity among Chinese educationists and the Chinese community at large.
The ferocious exchange of curses and physical clashes visible during the crossfire have set very bad examples for students pursuing their studies at Chinese schools. The leading faction is hitting out at independent high school principals sympathizing with the challenging faction through online posts in an ill attempt to abort the organization’s EGM while hurling threats at dissidents in a boisterous, rascally manner.
The Dong Zong rukus has come to this far thanks to those in power abusing the Chinese education agenda as a manipulative tool to advance their powers and influences, all done in gross disrespect for the well-being of the country’s Chinese education.
As a matter of fact, whenever it comes to clash of individual interests, rival factions are bound to emerge, one still holding the reins while the other attempting to challenge that authority. This not only holds true for political parties but civil organisations as well.
Normality the challenging faction rises out of a need to fight for a change in the status quo, often with the kind intention of putting an off-course agenda back on track. Democracy is all about respect for individuals’ rights, and as such the people deserve the right to oppose the government while the members of a political party have the right to confront and challenge their leaders.
This is a symbol of a democratic society, a kind of civil awareness introduced into the public by way of civic education.
If the government is efficient and clean, and the people are contented, there is very little the challenging faction can exploit and triumph. In a similar manner, if the leaders of a political party or organization are competent and capable, magnanimous and impartial, then they should receive respectful treatment from the party or organization members. No one will be that dumb to start an uprising.
Even though there are indeed individuals challenging their authority, they need not be treated as monsters, or called names. Unfortunately, such shameless acts of overpowering the challengers have taken place repeatedly in the course of Dong Zong’s factional war.
As a matter of fact, the challengers are like eggs trying to hit the stone in challenging the authority of those in power. If not for nobler aspirations, who want to throw an egg against the stone?
The time has come for individuals to reflect on what they aspire in life, and as democratic mindset grows in our society, people will start gauging the every move of their leaders
If the leadership is incompetent and weak, it is natural that challengers will rise up. If an inept leader lacks the wisdom of backing off in favor of the more capable, the confrontation will only pick up steam, jeopardising not just the well-being of the entire organisation but the individuals’ reputation, too.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
