May 7, 2012
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com
“It is time for healing the wounds of our increasingly polarised and fractured society. Only then can the forces of chaos and disruption be defeated. Only then can we take comfort in the knowledge that the GE 13 will not only be free and fair, but free of turmoil and dispute.”–Dato’ Azlina Aziz
Post BERSIH3.0: A Time for Healing
by Dato’ Azlina Aziz
On the eve of BERSIH3.0, my husband Nazir and I visited the surroundings of Dataran Merdeka to see for ourselves preparations for the rally. Although it was only 10.30pm on Friday night, a large crowd of protestors was rapidly building up, with Police officers lining up around Dataran. We were shocked, to say the least, by the expanse of barbed wire encircling the square. The vision of protestors on one side and the Police on the other, separated by barricades and sharp steel, seems to symbolise division, confrontation, aggression. We both went home that evening with a deep sense of foreboding and unease.
The events that unfolded the next day are too familiar now to recount. But whether you attended the rally or observed from the sidelines; whether you supported the cause or condemned it; whether you countenanced public assemblies or disapproved of them altogether; I think it’s fair to say that most of us have been deeply disturbed by the events that played out in our capital that Saturday. The scenes of mayhem — attacks on Police motor vehicles, protestors facing tear gas, a pistol allegedly being drawn in a crowded area, physical assaults on members of the public, Police force and press — are not ones familiar nor palatable to us Malaysians who value security and order.
It is a sad state of affairs when the actions of a few who resort to violence and aggression result in suffering and trauma for scores of people, and the aftershocks of the event continue to roll on. In coffee shops, offices, newspapers, web forums and blogs are heated debates on the “rights” and “wrongs” and repercussions of what happened that day.
Many are angry. Some are fearful, and anger often goes hand in hand with fear. Others are eager to find someone to blame for the turn of events. The violence and confrontation that played out that day have intensified the gulf and fissures in our society. A vision of unity for Malaysia seems further away than ever. Sadly, recent public statements by social and political leaders have only accentuated division and dissent.
In the blame game and recriminations that have followed, I cling to the belief that maintaining unity must be foremost on our minds, as the most effective counter to disruptive elements of violence and chaos.
To do this, we must start by healing the gaping wound that opened up that day and it is my hope that two major concerns will be addressed.
Firstly, violence cannot and will not be tolerated in a civilised society. All those who resorted to violence on that day must be brought to justice whoever they are, and whichever side of the divide they stand on. The chairman of BERSIH has condemned the actions of violent protestors as “wholly unacceptable”. The IGP has made a rare appeal for help from members of the public in identifying rogue Police officers.
For the sake of unity and promoting the healing process, is it too much to ask for the authorities, public and organisers of the rally to set aside their differences and work together in identifying and acting against the few who resorted to violence?
Secondly, I fervently hope that the authorities will engage with the many thousands who turned out en masse that fateful Saturday, a fair number of whom were ordinary Malaysians who felt compelled to give physical presence to their concerns on a variety of issues, of which electoral reform is just one. Grievances and resentments should not be allowed to fester. Those that are more perception than reality require better engagement and explanation. Those that are substantive require attention and action.
Healing the wounds of BERSIH 3.0 is imperative before we embark on what will possibly be the country’s defining political event in decades to come: the GE 13. Public confidence in the electoral process is essential if we are to avoid an aftermath of anger, dissent and disorder that the unfolding of BERSIH 3.0 seems to suggest.
As it stands, the stage is set for the results of GE 13 to be contested even before a single vote is cast. It is a slippery slope thereafter, one that we have witnessed in other countries, with hugely detrimental effects on the social fabric and economy.
Much has been said about the progress of the Parliamentary Select Committee and the officials of the EC, and I will not touch upon this here. But surely a quick and effective step to improve public confidence would be the appointment of a few upstanding Malaysians, who command the respect of all parties, to be entrusted with overseeing the general election.
BERSIH 3.0 was a traumatic event for Malaysia. I hope we can overcome the trauma and learn
from our mistakes. I hope we can come together in unity and say “No” to violence in whatever shape or form. It is time for engagement, for listening, for cutting the invisible barbed wires that separate “them” and “us” and extending a hand over the divide to those who may disagree with your views but have as much of a stake and future in the country as you do.
It is time for healing the wounds of our increasingly polarised and fractured society. Only then can the forces of chaos and disruption be defeated. Only then can we take comfort in the knowledge that the GE 13 will not only be free and fair, but free of turmoil and dispute.
*Dato Azlina Aziz was formerly employed as Associate Director of Barings Securities Research responsible for industry analysis and political commentary. She holds a master’s degree in women’s studies from Oxford University. She lives in Kuala Lumpur with her two children and husband Datuk Seri Nazir Razak.
Related articles
- Seeing BERSIH3.0 from Afar: The Bright Side (dinmerican.wordpress.com)
- Road to Malaysia’s Day of Destiny (dinmerican.wordpress.com)
- Kee Thuan Chye’s Take on BERSIH3.0 (dinmerican.wordpress.com)
- Nathaniel Tan Reflects On BERSIH 3.0 (dinmerican.wordpress.com)
- Post 428 BERSIH3.0 Rally: Sympathy and Stridency (dinmerican.wordpress.com)
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
Dato Azlina is a voice of moderation at a time when it is tempting to extreme positions on issues we face as a nation and a people. We have not been to be able to lower our voices and listen more, and sit down together and resolve issues that threaten to destroy the fabric of our nation. The focus of attention should now be national unity and restoring trust and confidence in our national leadership. Let us end partisanship and rediscover the value of our rich diversity. Who will lead us out of this morass?–Din Merican
“Dato Azlina is a voice of moderation” — Dato
Azlina is a voice of capitulation.
Healing? What for? The wounds are psychological, not physical and it behooves me to give a short treatise on ‘healing’.
Well dear lady, there’s primary healing or ‘by first intention’ in which the wounds caused are clean and uninfected. These wounds are usually incised or surgical wounds, which heal pretty well and minimal scarring given care. They are easily cleaned and sutured up.
Then there is the much more common type – dirty, infected, contused, lacerated and abraded ones which heal by ‘secondary intention’. What happened in Bersih 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 was definitely of this type. Sometimes we allow such wounds to fester and remain open so that the toxins can be discharged instead of poisoning the innards. It leaves pretty ugly scars and takes much longer, even with the best of care. But still healing is accomplished, because of the natural order of things. It is sad to note that when the Authorities brutalize their own charges – a festering sore results. To get rid of the toxins, we must leave the wound open and clobber the ‘germs’ and detritus with all manner of antibiotics and antiseptics. Painful, but necessary.
Comprendo?
Hati batu mestilah sejuk, Hati batu mana ada perasaan kemanusiaan atau kesihan keatas insan lain, hanya fikir diri sendiri.
Sacrifice the rakyat for the benefit of greedy politicians ? Don’t they have eyes to see the evil SPR’s deceits ? And the police joined in for the free for all bullying of innocent protesters ! Damn them
Being who you are and those credentials,I figure you are missing the point here about Bersih,to Heal,just give us back our money that your beloved extended family n friends has stolen from us,then actual Healing will come,never till then,you reap what you sow.
Politicians on both sides are to blame for the present state of tension; they want power and when they get it, they tend to abuse it. Anwar promises the moon and Najib on the other hand uses state funds and crony money through privatisation and the national treasury to buy voters. And we have little choice unless there is genuine democracy and good governance.
We see some change in Penang and Selangor under Pakatan but not enough. Kelantan is still in the boon dogs under PAS. Kedah, again under PAS leadership (Ustaz Azizan Razak), is neither here nor there, having to permit logging on forest reserve land in Baling area for state revenue and then messing up Kolej Universiti Insaniah with a massive state guaranteed loan for a new campus in Kuala Ketil, near Sungai Petani.
Our country is heavily in debt and the Najib government thinks local borrowings is not a problem because he can issue bonds;there is EPF, PERKESO, Tabung Haji, and Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera to tap, after running FELDA to the ground. The banking system is liquid but for how long. The whole system sucks. No one in power is willing to fix the system.
What healing can take place if the concerns of the rakyat are not addressed and the leadership at all levels is in a state of denial and if we cannot have free and fair elections and if our right to protest is being trampled upon as can be seen during 428 Bersih 3.0.How do we deal with a Mahathir who is promoting communalism and racial disharmony and people like Tun Hanif Omar, Rahim Noor and Musa Hassan, and their kind who share the world view of Al Kutty. How do we handle arrogance of power and betrayal of public trust?
I give Dato Azlina an A for trying to start a dialogue of reconciliation and unity, in stead of confrontation and violence. But let me tell her that her own brother-in-law, Najib, has lost control of his administration and UMNO. He is weak because he is now in a situation of having to pander to the demands of extremists and ultras in UMNO led by Al Kutty and his cohort in order to remain President of his party. Najib is under siege and cannot think straight, that is if he can think at all.
Well put, AHMADI HUSSEIN.
She gave the game away when she called them protestors.I would have called them Malaysians for truth and integrity in government.
And this voice of moderation calling for healing would have been more effective if done before the event. Especially when you have good access to the ears and hearts of those who for their own reasons decided that force is always the only answer. Even against your fellow citizens.
Azlina should just stick to her knitting. This is typical upper middle class cucumber sandwich crap. The issue is about Corruption. Of Mind , Intent and Action. She has to look no further than her immediate family.
Having said that her Father, Tan Sri Aziz Taha is exemplary and someone I hold in much respect. Her healing notion is pretty much in line with Nazir calling for Amnesty ( of corrupt crimes ) a few years ago ; clearly an intellectual sell out. It’s almost an His and Her twinning of opinions because both simply ran out of energy in pursuit of truth ( and effect requisite punishment if appropriate).
Dear Dato Din Merican – many thanks for this. I hope you and family are well. Horse, thank you for the kind words about my father – they’re very much appreciated. Incidentally, I should tell you that I’m hopeless at knitting. Regards Azlina Aziz.
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Dato Azlina, you and your family, your Dad, the first from my batch to be Bank Negara Governor(and he is first among equals), and your mom from my hometown Alor Setar, are very special to me. I am happy that you, Oya and Anwar are doing well. You have received an excellent education. I am proud to know all of you. You wrote an excellent piece. Don’t worry about the different reactions. This blog promotes discourse.–Din Merican
In this country any person or body that criticizes the government is treated with scorn, intimidated and demonized not only by the regime by the media, police, and NGOs.
The government does not like to engage them. It confronts them mercilessly, calling them names and hurling imagined and preposterous charges – like ordinary folks wanting to topple the government.
Antagonism is the language of the arrogant.
Well Said Ahmadi Hussein.
There can be no healing if the people are not heard. Yes She can try to conciliate , but healing? Hang on a minute.
We dont need to heal anything but those who govern us. They are sick ( in the head) and thats why the only medicine for this Dis ease they have is too have fair elections.
Thats becasue we only talk about personalities not Issues to handle those policies. Thats why all these states are not improving. As for PAS they must understand that praying is one thing but HARDWORK is another prayer we must do on earth to achieve results. Dudok masjid sembahyang 24jam pun tak berubah lah ekonomy orang kampong. They need policies for their livelihood to be addressed as do all Malaysians. Merapu lah all these politicans.
*not polices ot handle all those issues* . (CLF you are right, I blame it on tiredness. brain malfunction)
Thanks, Dato Azlina, for the article. Bersih 3.0 has shown the progressive willingness of the silent majority to voice out against wrongs in the country. It will be good if more people in the upper echelon of society speak out.
I agree wholeheartedly with Horse . Asking for healing is glossing over the real issues as usual. So then nothing changes. Well said Horse. You know why they ask for healing becasue they have money and they care a damn about the poor and the people. They fly all voer the world and live it up.
”Desperation is a highly emotional state of mind”
it looks like Najib is desperate looking for help?
the call for moderation should come from the quarters who are paid by the taxpayers to ‘look after’ the country. who should have a sense of responsibility instead of arrogance and neglect. where are/were they?
Horse is right
‘The issue is about Corruption. Of Mind , Intent and Action. She has to look no further than her immediate family’
that is the root cause and without solving that problem you can’t talk about healing/moderation. this is the shirking of responsibility towards the nation, its people – once again the taxpayers.
I hope Dato’ Azlina has enough medical knowledge to understand CLFs version of healing the wounds. the psychological wound is rather not healable – freund Sigmund can attest to that. at that especially a wound that is open since 54 years and slowly going gangrenous. we are not keen on an amputation so the priority is to REMOVE the PATHOGENS from the body and quickly.
Oxford university is the oldest university in the world. does it really mean anything in malaysia? just ask how many highly qualified malaysians(I’m not one of them) are working abroad, not for the money or anything else but because their own country betrayed them! healing the wounded mind.
where do we start??
.
Well reeper, we’ll have to wait and see.
But my gut instinct says that the goons will need a general amnesty, before any mediation and conflict management can proceed. Ahmadi Hussein is right in saying that the siege mentality of Lembek is nigh apparent for all to see. But the hubris and sense of entitlement has not abated. In most histrionic personalities it takes time to come to terms with reality. But i think Fear is the operative word, if not yet panic.
Kat, Reconciliation requires good-will and faith in a common cause. This is definitely lacking, as there are no shared values. The divide is too much to breach, and the country is torn asunder between the Elitists and Plebeians (class conflict), Rural-Urban divisions and Racial-Religious discord. The last of which is the least of our worries as seen by Bersih 3.0.
We are now entering a phase of attrition, somewhat like the “War of the Roses” in medieval England. Except that ours is about a “War of Hibiscus”, without excessive gore and mainly in virtual land. The threat of War is sometimes worse than the actual violence.
You know CLF over here a billionaire wanted to stand as candidate but they said that he will loose bcoz there was another candidate who had spent all his life helping the disabled. Thats what we need. People who are not from money. No Tun’s, Tan Sri’s and what have you. No one from “privelege” backgrounds. Although its long since I consider anyone to be legitimately privelege in M’sia. Folks who are quietly in the background doing what they do , working their ass off to help the people. We need REAL peoiple to run as candidates. Not these false people. People who understand life’s challenges and face it themselves..
Real people are the products of their nurture, Kat.
In Oz, anyone with the will, determination and grace can succeed. Over here it has to do feeding the feudalism and stratification of society. You can bring modernity and egalitarianism to Man, but you can’t take away his inbred cultural hubris.
The trouble is that the Malay psyche has long been entranced by celebrity, noblese, money and only then, ‘adat’.
Time for healing is just like saying sorry to the people of Malaysia. This is Kevin Rudd sorry speech “We apologise for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians”. Can this sorry speech be done in Malaysia. If yes, then can we have a clean and fair election. Otherwise, time for healing and reconciliation is just worthless as we the rakyat continues to suffer.
Dear Dato Din Merican – many thanks for this. I hope you and family are well. Horse, thank you for the kind words about my father – they’re very much appreciated. Incidentally, I should tell you that I’m hopeless at knitting. Regards Azlina Aziz.
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At least she has the courage to come in here if only to rebut the single allegation made by one reader that she is only a door mat. That Tan Silly Phang has so far failed to appear to rebut the numerous allegations made against him on your blog, Dato.
Aziz Taha’s reputation as BNM Governor when Ku Li was Minister of Finance was tainted by the BMF scandal exposed in the early ’80s. I wonder what Ismail Ali would do had the scandal been exposed during his tenure. Aziz Taha did not exactly fill the shoes of Malaysia’s first non-whte local governor.No one has risen to his stature to protect the integrity of a national institution.
Kathy,
Good decent people like Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, for example.
Din posted an article about him last July … It’s worth another read.
dinmerican.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/dr-michael-jeyakumar-devaraj-social-critic-tireless-activist-and-mp-for-sungai-siput/
Yes Ai Tze, good decent hard working malaysians. I call them the reluctant leaders. Those who dont care about politics but are leaders in their own right.Helping, doing service to mankind to the people in M’sia. Quietly. Over here those are the people who are recognised. (Extra) ordinary folks. Enough of this being dazzled by “money”. It is all false and it isnt theirs , its the peoples money. So whats to be dazzled about. Time to wake up and recognise these hardworking selfless M’sians who tirelessly do work without any recognition. They are the true leaders. They should be run as candidtates.
Yes that is so true CLF , it is nuture. Shame we are so dazzled by all that is false. Is it then a wonder M’sia is going down. ( we reap what we sow)
CLF yes there is too much divide to breach and of course we cannot concilite on matters that require accountability. Even as i wrote that i was doubtful. “healing ” is so over used. This is overlooking our needs as the people and trying to white wash the criminality of the whole thing.
The trouble is that the Malay psyche has long been entranced by celebrity, noblese, money and only then, ‘adat’.
C.L. Familiaris – May 8, 2012 at 8:01 pm
Absolutely. This is the downfall. How on earth do we change this? Thast why the situation today. They seem to worship those who are supposed to SERVE the country. How skewed is this?
The healing can only start after we get rid of the corrupt UMNO led BN government. Period.