Euro 2012 and the upcoming elections

As with any major football tournament, EURO 2012 has generated plenty of interest and talk among fans, even here in faraway Malaysia. I’m sure fans have been pledging allegiance to their favorite teams, discussing players and tactics and trying to predict who will win. On my part, I will be supporting England as usual; even though I don’t think they have a hope of winning. I’ve always supported England when it comes to football championship, unless by some miracle Malaysia qualifies for world cup, in which case I will definitely be cheering for our national side. 

I think my support for England is partly due to family influence and partly to the fact that I follow the English Premier League. My dad, from whom I inherited a keen interest in football, is an England supporter, so naturally I’m following his footsteps. I also watch lot primer league matches, which means I’m more familiar with English football, and that’s why I find it natural to support the English team. There are various reason why we support the team we do. 

 I know of friends who support England like me for sentimental reasons. Judging by the amount newsprint and airtime devoted to the premier league, English football is very popular in Malaysia, so it shouldn’t come as surprise if many people here are England fans. But if its success you are after, you probably shouldn’t be picking England because they haven’t done very well in recent tournaments. This time, I think they will do well even get out of the group stages into the quarter finals. Those who choose teams based in success will plump for nearly favorite like Spains, Germany and Netherlands. They might go step a step further and pore over past results, current performances, player available, managers’ track record, formations and tactics to decide which team has the best chance of winning. 

Still others might pick teams which play attractive football, combining fluid passing and movement with strong attacking options and solid defence. Maybe some will have a soft spot for the underdogs and go for less fancied sides like Denmark and Czech Republic. Hens there are people who clueless about football but get caught up in the excitement or want to lay some bets, and go around asking friends for tips on who they should be backing. 

Come to think of it, it all quite similar to choosing political parties, isn’t it? 

Some people support a particular party because it happens to be one that their family has always voted for, regardless of performance. Maybe they do so out of sentiment and a sense of loyalty to their family’s political affiliations. Others will take the trouble to look at the manifesto and candidates presented by each party to decide which one is the better choice. They will not probably swayed by emotions but will choose what they think is best based on the available evidence. Some might choose a party because they are attracted by the style of its philosophy and its leaders. Hopefully there won’t be many voters who have no idea of what is going on and need to rely on advice from friends about which party to support. 

However there are two major difference between Euro 2012 and the upcoming general election. The first, obviously, is that whatever happens in the final on July 1 will have no bearing on Malaysia, whereas the outcome of the elections will set the direction for our country for the next five years. Secondly, as we stay up late to watch our favorite teams in action, all our cheering in our living rooms will not influence the result, in fact our teams won’t even know that we’re rooting for them. But as voters in this country, we have a say in how election will turn out. Indeed, it is our duty to cast our ballots wisely, responsibly and conscientiously to ensure that we elect the government we want. So whatever our reason for choosing one political party over another, I hope we give them more carefully consideration compared to picking a favorite football team. 

 Ultimately, our choice should be based on what we believe will be best for the country and that means picking a party that stands for what is right and good and will deliver promises. Here’s looking ahead to a great Euro 2012. In the meantime, let’s not forget our responsibility as citizens and voters to choose wisely for the sake of our future.

Asking question to Distract

At the tail of an interview last week, when I asked a political scienti about his thought on when the general election would be held, Prof Dr Andrew Aeria (Faculty Social Science, Unimas)  shot back : “ That’ not important.  It’s a “red herring” all that matters are issues. 

He said again, “An election isn’t about dates; it’s about what people are concerned with.”  I became embarrassed immediately- the professor would have seen this had been chatting face to face instead of over the phone.  I was equally embarrassed for not quite knowing what a “red herring” meant.  A check on Google says it is either a dried fish, or something that is intended to mislead or distract.

Of course, Prof Aeria was referring to the later meaning of the metaphor.  The less we let people divert us onto when the election is going to be, the more we will discuss issues, and how to move forward.  There so much on the minds of Malaysians.  Chiefly, we concerned about rising cost of living versus slow income growth.  We also care deeply about freedom of speech in relation to extremism.  Corruption is perpetually on the tongues of politician.

Yet, what is actually being done?

There are rights movements campaigning for greater judiciary independence, just as the Government insists its recent losses to the opposition prove a fair legal system.  Gosh.  Parents are worried about their children’s education- Bahasa Malaysia or English.  While teachers are caught in the middle of it all.  Of late, there have also been talks of escalating public healthcare cost and its weight on national debt.

Above all, there are issues concerning quality of life that is worth pondering over.  Malaysia has never been at such crossroads before, and perhaps indeed I’s “the time they are changing”, as B0ob Dylan sang so tunefully- and timelessly- about 1960s America.

So Prof Aeria is right: It matters not when Parliament will be dissolved.  In fact, when we Malaysians ask when the Government might be holding the General Election, that question is technically and fundamentally wrong.  The Government does not set the election date: it’s the election commission which does.  All the government of the day does is to dissolve Parliament with the consent of the Yang Dipertuan Agong.

In our political system, the prime minister is not really tested in elections for he is not directly elected by the people.  We elect members of parliament, or MPs.  The person who becomes Prime Minister is the one supported by the majority of elected MPs in the parliament.  He then appoints minister- again with the consent of the Yang di Pertuan Agong- to form the Cabinet A.k.a “Executive”.

The executive’s plan and polices must then be passed by parliament, before they are sent to the senate, which gives the final okay.  But that’s not the end of it; every single piece of legislation can still be challenge in the court (the judiciary) to see if it fits with the constitution.  The legislative, executive and Judiciary are checks and balances for all of us.  It’s quite an awesome system the British left us.  In most countries, the free media is often called “the fourth estate”, acting as the fourth check on the system.  Yet with such a political system as complex as that, the only question most of us bother to ask is, “when will the election be held?”

Prof Aeria’s assertion that overemphasis on “when” being distraction is truer still when the speculation comes from the mouth of the high ranking politician.  Whenever a senior politician talks about the election, it will be reported.  Think about the amount of the column-inches and airtime wasted on “when”, but not about “what” issues and “how” to address them.

Inevitably, whenever “when” is brought up by those in power, it is followed by the wrong “why” specifically, “why the government of the day deserves to be re-elected?”  To be sure, this is true the world over.

In Malaysia, though, there has long been deliberate distortion of the words “Government” and “opposition” in relation to which parties belongs in which camp.  Listening to some government officials speak, you would be for thinking that should Pakatan Rakyat become the ruling government one day, it would still be known as the “opposition”.

Maybe the only “ when” question we ought to ask ourselves – given the state of politics – is: “when will we grow up?”


~Agus~