Revolution of the Minds Not of the Body

By: Abolqaz Bin Anuar

It has only been almost a week since the 13^th general election of Malaysia was held last Sunday. Yet in these six days, Malaysian has now experience strange and alien events that locked our attention as a nation to this phenomenon. The election race that was the hardest to call in our history has bought about short term effects. This election was in best described as an epic battle, which at one point was too close to call. At the end of it, the ruling party of ‘Barisan Nasional’ had won the body of Malaysia with 133 seats to ‘Pakatan Rakyat’ 89 seats retain the right on paper to govern Malaysia for another 5 years. However the number of votes collectively went to ‘Pakatan Rakyat’ as 52% of the people voted for them but only 49% of the voters cast their ballots in ‘Barisan Nasional’s way, meaning that the hearts and mind of the people belonged to the ‘Pakatan Rakyat’.

These numbers that was publically shown was nothing more than statistics, information that tells us, the people of Malaysia that our country is now divided. With the modern day social media within our grapes Malaysian (mostly of the younger generation) has turn on each other in a war of words, and battle of wits, criticizing one another for their choices on the polling day. Sure you could not blame the social media for this for they are merely tools just like a gun and a hammer, for the flaw of every tool is its user.

The politicians did not do anything to deter this fast growing hate between the two sides of the fence; they even made it worst by throwing allegations towards each other instigating the crowd even more. Though I do believe that there were foul play involved during the 24 hours of the 5^th of May, but I cannot at this point prove any of it so this subject will be put aside at this moment. The headlines of the newspapers cause serious damage in the fragile stability of this nation and in the peace that Malaysia has enjoyed for so very long. Many do believe that the worst is yet to come, but the public being Malaysian are doing their very best to not let things get out of hand. This you could see from the activities that are currently circulating in ‘facebook’ and ‘twitter’. However many knows that they may now never look at a person in the same manner again as their political views has seemed to corrupt whatever friendship they had before.

As I sit here surrounded by the dark of the night, my mind began to recall the things that have been going on in this recent week. The event of the “Utusan headline” and the “805 Black Parade” has been laid down in my mind in a form of pattern, as I try to predict the events that might come. As a mere observer, I could not help but see nothing, but as a gifted student of history (as I would like to see myself) I could not help but notice that these patterns and events have appeared so many times before. Maybe not in Malaysia that I know of for sure (because the events of 13^th May 1969 is a topic many Malaysian would very much avoid), but it had happened throughout history so many times before. That is when I actually see what is really happening to my country.

Malaysia has been ruled by the same governmental party for the last 56 years. In that time, the government has imposed its way of thinking into the hearts and mind of Malaysian. For 56 years a single way of thinking, of right and wrong has been smeared into the minds of the people and it has stuck in many that the ‘Barisan Nasional’ way is the right way and the only way. However the thing about the phrase “too long” is that it becomes complacent. The BN leaders have corrupted their purpose and nature from what they once were, from what they had set out to do. It is not their fault it is the nature of the human being. If you are at a high place or in power for so long you tend to forget.

As a result of this lacklustre of the BN, some minds of the people has broken away from what is now tradition and old thinking of the government and has awaken from their sleep to a reality of what Malaysia really is. These few have spread the word of this terrible reality and day by day more and more people are joining this neo Malaysian thinking. Many of this new movement do not really understand what it really is, but they to have their versions and stories to what led them to the choice of neo Malaysian thinking, but one thing for certain was that from 2004 when this neo Malaysian thinking had first emerge till now 9 years later, many have come and awaken to this new revolution. Thus this is what truly happened on the 5^th of May; the collision of ideology of the old and the neo Malaysian. The neo Malaysians are fighting for a change and a new life in the ruling government, while those who still honour the old ways are fighting to preserve the old ways, the way it has always been.

I have seen this before this battle of the old versus the new. It happened in France during the revolution in 1789, and again in Japan during the ‘Meiji Restoration’ in 1868 again in Russia in 1917 and it is happening now as we speak in Syria. The only difference was this ‘Malaysian Tsunami’ as they have already branded it has not seen yet a single bloodshed. I tell you now my fellow Malaysians, no matter where our loyalty stands we must ensure ourselves that this change in Malaysia does not get out of hand. We must resist any provocations that would result in physical violence. If you want to continue your right to free speech that is fine by me, but remember to always check where does it end, where the limit lies. For if you do not remember that I could tell you what would happen, but I suggest that you read for yourself what happened in France, Japan Russia in those years, and see for yourself what is happening in Syria.

If anyone tells you that the accomplishment of your victory whatever the goal is could not be achieve without bloodshed, then I suggest you look again at how the fathers of this great nation gained independence for Malaya. It was without bloodshed. I hope for that handful who read this, spread the word to other Malaysians so that we could have our revolution in a peaceful manner. For those who do not know their history are bound to repeat it.