These past three years since, BN has been fast sliding down the road of political survival. Hence today it is very evident that BN has gone on the defensive with the ‘opposition’ coalition party trenching into an offensive advantage.
Why?
The problem is the leaders and power brokers within the BN army have been operating from an out-dated mindset for far too long. They failed to grasp the revolution taking place within societies with Malaysia being no exception in this globalizing and networked society.
Civil society, through the liberating technologies of the new-age millennium, has increasingly harnessed the power of democratic governance. Our leaders have failed to take cognizance of the fact that society is “being changed from arborial beings, rooted in time and space, to rhizomic nomads who daily wonder at will without necessarily moving (their) bodies at all” (Mark Poster, 1990).
When governments and leaders fail to recognize and accept the fast changing landscape of socio-political fundamentals, the civil societies pour into the streets. Their action cannot be curtailed by the age-old tested and proven means of threats, arrests, punishment and absolute controls.
The more you take as prisoners and kill, the more will rise like a tidal wave. Time remains the defining factor.
Cybernations and social awakening
Our leaders and their ill informed advisors need to know that what we are witnessing around the world today is the advantages of “cybernations evolving … people sharing an interest, exchanging information and possibly arranging to meet with one another … on a global basis (providing) the distant village dweller the opportunity to make contact with any person, anywhere in the world” (Rolf Jensen, 1999).
And throughout the history of humanity, we have ample attestation to prove that when people come together systems fall apart, and resurrect a new framework to help propel that society onward.
BN had the disadvantage of a comfort zone for far too long. Whether it will be able to restructure itself to face the already changing Malaysian society is the million-ringgit question.
Given BN’s political warfare tactics, it appears that transformation is quite unlikely within its own yard. For as long as it continues to keep reinforcing itself with the justifications, admonishments and smear tactics of race, religion and sex, it is bound to sink even further.
BN leaders (past and current) continue to live in a self-denial mode. They keep clamoring that the ‘opposition’ with its “pack of lies” is hurting BN and misleading people. This clearly tells us that BN is blinded to the truth about the networked society. In today’s environment even a doctor knows that he or she cannot anymore just tell the patient to follow instructions. The doctor is matched and challenged by the patient’s access to knowledge and practice and insists in a participatory role on the route to recovery.
BN leaders must accept the fact that there is an awakening within civil society. That society is no more caught within the limitations of the Penny Press of a by-gone era where psy-war could move societies according to the whims and fancies of power brokers.
Even media moguls today are rudely being awakened to this changed information landscape in the world.
Two options left
It appears that there are only two options left for BN as the country suspiciously creeps to its impending 13th general election.
One, is for BN to accept the fact that it does not anymore have the privilege of time and resources to do a through spring cleaning of its entire framework of entrenched political mindset and untenable political SOPs.
And in doing so, prepare the ground work to return to power as a shining star of hope in the 14th general election. But most people know this would be a hard-to-swallow pill of salvation for BN because it may never rise again as the in-coming winning political party may go on a killing spree in its attempt to bring back all stashed-away wealth for the benefit of civil society’s growth and empowerment.
Then the other alternative is for BN to seek a sincere act of contrition. This will demand that BN goes into overdrive mode to purge its party of all misdeeds and bring to book in a transparent and without fear or favor manner all those who have thrived on crimes of misappropriation and corruption.
That will call for intense and courageous shake up strictly starting from the very top and going right down to the grass root levels. It would necessarily demand reviewing and enforcing all Royal Commission recommendations of the past; addressing the judiciary; the police and related enforcement bodies; and review and repeal of laws that hint a protection of power brokers but vilify the ordinary civil society.
The times have changed
Now to do so, BN need not engage exorbitant external consultants. The middle path to accountable, transparent and justified governance is clearly plotted in the road map of Vision 2020.
Hence for as long as BN hollers all kinds of accusations and throws cry-baby tantrums at the opposition party leaders and accuses and admonishes citizens while counting on the large sector of rural electorates, BN is destined to make a dangerous fall down the ravine of political obsolescence.
So stop blaming your opposition enemies. Stop slamming labels of ‘ungrateful public’ on citizens’ foreheads. Stop raising alarm bells of laws that will come crushing on the ‘enemies’ of BN. Stop devising and remote-managing race and religious fueled political war strategies.
As the late John Denvor sang, indeed “The times have changed”. Either BN changes with the times or sinks like a stone. If it changes and embraces the aspirations of civil society it has every reason to celebrate. If BN takes the old and expired political route of acting tough, branding its opponents as enemies and not embrasing them as collaborators, then BN leaders must only blame themselves for their half-a-century dinasour political party's demise.
The very fact that citizens are expressing their concerns over BN’s governance is already a hopeful signal that they are still giving that last straw to the leaders and power brokers of BN to transform before God and man.
But when all else fails, civil society will join the world of peaceful protestors. That is the dictum of true democracy and rising civil liberties on this planet earth.
