by B L Chen

Penang, 15 Oct and 10 Nov 2000 The settings could not have been more different. On the first occasion, it was a dimly lit open space and when I stepped in, it was with a sense of wonderment at seeing so many people seated quietly on the grass, listening attentively. As we settled ourselves into the few square feet of unoccupied space, a makcik offered us a few pieces of newspapers to sit on – a simple gesture that immediately established a sense of oneness even among strangers. It was 15 October 2000, when Haji Abdul Hadi Awang came to meet the people of Penang. On the second occasion, it was to the deafening drumbeats of the lion dance that we stepped into the Penang Chinese Town Hall, and within were the round tables covered with red tablecloths so typical of Chinese dinners. Most of the tables were still unoccupied and like typical Chinese dinners, it was to be a long time before things got started. It was the Malam Mesra keADILan on 10 November 2000. Entirely different moods and milieu – but ostensibly for the same cause – the furtherance of Reformasi.

15 Oct: Subdued Expose

I had looked forward to Haji Hadi’s talk, drawn by his reputation as a fiery speaker. But what ensued was a very measured and subdued expose of the Terengganu oil royalty issue and the many malpractices of the Federal Government in trying to deny the PAS State Government of its due in development and operational budget. Also alluded to were the unsavoury practices and abuses committed during the Barisan Nasional’s long rule in Terengganu when this oil-rich state actually ran up a debt of RM700 million!

It was with mixed feelings that I listened to Haji Hadi’s speech-making firsthand . Where was that rousing oratory I had heard so much about but never heard before? His deliberately calm and sober delivery, though well laced with humour and irony, was certainly not what I had expected – was it a manifestation of the transformation that political office has required of him or was it because he felt the necessity to quell the fear of “fundamentalism” that the Chinese in Penang might harbour?

Yet the crowd was largely Malay – and I wondered how they felt about the delivery. Nonetheless, it was obvious from the response of those around me that the speech went down well. It was at “question time” that I felt vexed. The representatives of DAP raised the tired issues of hudud and the banning of karaoke and some supposed Chinese members of keADILan asked ludicrous questions like “will there be democracy if PAS takes over the government?” and whether PAS would accept Foreign Direct Investment from non-Muslim countries.

This time, I really wondered how the largely Malay crowd felt. Has it not been said enough times that hudud does not apply to non-Muslims? Is the Chinese community so enamoured of crooning at the karaoke lounge that it comes before issues of a united struggle for freedom and justice? And, if the Chinese members of keADILan cannot be sure that PAS can be true to democratic practices – how can they join forces in Barisan Alternative? What then is the basis of Reformasi?

Once again, were these planted questions to offer PAS a platform to allay the fears of the Chinese in the audience? If so, the latter should more rightly feel insulted than reassured. The “questions” were probably more reflective of the parties’ mindset – that they are still not able to shift from the racial paradigm. A fact sadly confirmed in the recent Lunas nomination fiasco.

10 Nov: Leaders should not fail the led

The same kind of racial overtones tinged the keADILan dinner. It was after all billed as a gathering for keADILan leaders to meet the Chinese community of Penang. Cheah Kah Peng, the Penang keADILan liaison chief, raised the curtain with a long diatribe against vision schools. Sure, there are legitimate criticisms to be levied against the way the policy is being pursued by the UMNO-led government – and even more so, its attempt to use the issue to fan racial animosity in its bid to regain Malay support.

What bothered me was when Cheah switched to speaking in English, the content of his speech was entirely different – there was not a reference to Chinese education. Are the BA politicians going to adopt the BN practice of saying different things to different audiences? Surely this is not the basis for building a common understanding and a united front? However thorny the issue, they need to be debated fully and openly. Is that not the essence of transparency that BA is supposed to champion?

When Dong Jiao Zhong leader, Loot Ting Yu, was allowed to rant on stage for a full 45 minutes on the betrayal of the Chinese and Chinese education by the government, my heart went out to those in the audience who knew not a word of Mandarin. I saluted their patience in sitting through it. But if they had understood what he was saying, they might not have exhibited equal forbearance. Loot’s constant positing of the issue as “they” (government/Malay) against “us” reflected his outdated chauvinistic stance that is definitely not the kind of stuff Reformasishould be made of. From the reactions of many in the audience, I had my doubts as to whether most of the dinner tickets were bought on the strength of support for Reformasi or Chinese education.

This is not to deny that many worthy words were said in the course of that long dinner – Azmin Ali’s pledge to defend the rights of all regardless of race and his plea to the people to stop being duped by BN lies was roundly applauded. Tian Chua’s call for the continued struggle for justice, freedom and democracy was answered with resounding shouts of Reformasi!

But the prize of the night went to former Kuching MP, Sim Kwang Yang, for proposing that DAP merges with keADILan and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM). If that indeed happens, BA would have achieved a new milestone and laid the foundations for a truly multiethnic party. Are the party leaders ready for this?

The brave souls who risked injury and incarceration on Kesas Highway on November 5, the thousands who congregated in Kamunting on October 29 have moved beyond the concerns of skin colour – let not those who are supposedly leading them reverse the tide.

The multitude that gathered at Sungei Nibong, Penang on October 15, the crowd that partook of the keADILan dinner on November 10 may not be ready as yet to face the tear gas and the water cannons – but they are certainly sympathetic to the call for a new premise for Malaysian politics. Let those who are supposed to be leading them not fail them.

If the leaders cannot seize the moment, those who are supposedly the led will have to blaze their own trail to keep the flame of reform burning, as the Chinese rendition of Reformasi, Lei Huo Mo Xi, exhorts.