Dearth of political civility

Along The Watchtower
By M. VEERA PANDIYAN

Malaysians have come to a stage where partisanship has replaced reason and rationality, and the acrimony can be expected to continue until the next general election and beyond.

IN a week’s time the Chinese community will usher in the Lunar Year of the Rabbit, a year which geomancy experts say will bring much needed peace and tranquillity, taking over from the rather ferocious Year of the Tiger.

In politics, they foresee the Metal Rabbit bringing about diplomacy and negotiations.

They noted that in 1951, a similar year, the Treaty of Paris was signed to create the European Coal and Steel Community – the forerunner of organisations which eventually evolved into the European Union.

In Asia, it was the year when armistice talks that led to the end of hostilities in the Korean peninsula began; Japan signed a peace treaty with 48 countries, while Australia, New Zealand and the United States created a mutual defence pact.

But I won’t bet a rabbit’s foot that any form of diplomacy or civil behaviour will apply to the state of Malaysian politics this year.

It is unlikely to get any less nasty than it is now, especially in ­cyberspace, where digital venom is being spewed daily against those who do not share the same opinions.

Comments posted on blogs and websites and SMS texts sent via mobile phones by both pro-Pakatan Rakyat and pro-Barisan Nasional supporters reflect the level of spiteful and mean attacks that have crossed the line of decency.

Malaysians on either side – and lately, also those aligned with the so-called Third Force – tend to quickly accept anything with scant regard for accuracy, as long as it gels with their predetermined views.

We have come to a stage where partisanship has replaced reason and rationality, resulting in ceaseless political fights being played to the gallery to score points.

Monday’s emergency sitting of the Selangor assembly – which failed to amend the state constitution to give the Sultan and the Mentri Besar the power to appoint the State Secretary, Financial Officer and Legal Adviser, when it did not get the needed two-thirds majority – has further polarised the people.

The political discourse has come down to pure, unadulterated hatred, and the acrimony can be expected to continue until the next general election and beyond.

Moderate Malaysians who want less vicious rhetoric and more governance from elected representatives can do nothing about it.

While it is true that politics is indeed a blood sport and politicians are rarely civilised with each other, even from within their own parties, there must be a limit to the destructive effect on true democracy.

Earlier this month, the shooting of Arizona Democrat Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the killing of six others prompted a flood of reactions from people of all political backgrounds in the United States calling for a return to civility in political debates.

Last year, the Allegheny College in the US conducted a survey of 1,000 randomly selected people to gauge attitudes and perceptions on civility in politics.

The results showed recognition of the problem and growing concern over the implications of an uncivil body politic.

Among other things, the survey showed that 95% of Americans believed civility in politics was important for a healthy democracy and 87% said it was possible for people to disagree about politics respectfully.

Nearly 50% of Americans believed there had been a decline in the tone of politics since Barack Obama became President; 39% said it remained the same; while 10% suggested there had been an improvement.

Citizens paying close attention to politics were four times as likely to say that the tone of politics had gotten worse than those who paid only modest attention to the news.

Based on the survey, Americans were prepared to compromise on a wide range of policy issues.

For example, some two-thirds of Americans supported compromise on immigration reform, and women defined civility differently from men and were more likely to label recent public political behaviour as uncivil.

It would be interesting to find out how Malaysians would respond to a similar survey.

Meanwhile, the Chinese zodiac says that the Year of the Rabbit will be excellent for those born in the year of the Ram, like me, along with Dogs, Dragons and Pigs.

But then again it will depend on one’s element – Wood, Fire, Water or Metal. Strong Wood Ram will do pretty well this year, Weak Wood Ram will need to be careful.

Strong or weak, it’s better to be careful, I guess.

> Associate Editor M. Veera Pandiyan likes this quote from American poet Carl Sandburg: All politicians should have 3 hats – one to throw into the ring, one to talk through, and one to pull rabbits out of, if elected.

Nannies