10 things that I want civil society to do

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Two weeks ago, I wrote about the 10 things that I wanted Barisan Nasional to do (read here). All the non-BN supporters said ahhhh.. padan muka BN, kena marah dengan Raja Monyet. Then I wrote about the 10 things that I wanted Pakatan to do (read here). This time, all the non-Pakatan people said ahhhh.. padan muka Pakatan, kena marah dengan Raja Monyet. In the midst of this melee, the so-called third force, civil (sewel) society folks, arty-farty centrists, spineless fence-sitters rubbed their hands in glee. They all said Monyet King is fair. What they really meant was as long as you dont criticize us, we will say that you are fair.

In order to be really fair, I think it is proper that I also write about the 10 things that I want civil society or the third force to do [although I think Yoda might be offended at the use of the term force. You cant simply play around with this force thing, you know]. [Actually I am also not sure whether using the term third force is appropriate to what I am writing so I am rojakking third force, civil society, NGOs in the write up. Dont bother with the technicalities, you will get I am trying to say]

1.Be fair

Please adopt my philosophy bodoh is bodoh, bangang is bangang - meaning when someone is stupid, he is stupid regardless where he is affiliated to. When someone from BN screws up, do criticize. When someone from Pakatan screws up, do criticize. Most importantly, when someone from civil society screws up, do criticize. Screwing up is not the monopoly by politicians, you know. Many of you tend to be overly critical of the government and go easy on the oppositio! n. The g overnment, being the government, has obviously more responsibilities and have to make more hard decisions hence fodder for criticism. The opposition, on the other hand, which has to make less hard decision, frequently screws up yet people are easy on them. [The DAP insisted on a Royal Commission of Inquiry for Teoh Beng Hocks case and they got it. They even got a very respectable former judge to chair the RCI. Yet when the RCIs report does not suit them, they go around town criticizing the RCI. Why doesnt the so-called civil society pick on this hypocrisy]. BE FAIR

2.Good governance

Wash your backside first. When it comes to governance, many NGOs are simply f*#^ed up. Many are barely democratic and many have cronyism and nepotism as their core principles. I am sureyou all know NGOs that are handed over from father to son, mother to daughter. There are many dictators people who rule their organizations with iron fists and show no signs of letting younger ones take over despite holding positions for over 30 years. How many NGOs are transparent in their finances and fund-raising?. Very few. We all must practice what we preach. If you want the government to be transparent, you must practice transparency in your own organization. If you want a healthy democracy in this country, make sure your own organization practices democracy. If you want the government to practice meritocracy, promote meritocracy in your organization. [Homework for you : Please do some research how many of the 62 NGOs that supported BERSIH practice what they preach]. GOOD GOVERNANCE IS FOR EVERYONE.

3.Empathy

Havent you guys heard this saying I dont care how much you know until I know how much you care. Have you ever wondered why the government sometimes never listens to you ?. There is no trust. They dont trust you, you dont trust them. So,! masuk t elinga kanan, keluar telinga kiri. In the past, I have always advised my friends in the green NGOs that building trust is fundamental for advocacy. You need to empathise with the government. I lead an organization of 30 people which is hard, hard work. Imagine running a country of millions of people. Try to empathize with the civil service. Try to empathize with the politicians. You are not the only ones who care for the country. Most people do. It is just their methods and priorities may be different. So, tuan-tuan dan puan-puan, spend some time understanding how it feels to be in the other persons shoes. EMPATHISE.

4.Capacity building

Civil society must build its capacity. Advocacy is hard work. Advocacy requires specific expertise and skills. At present, many NGOs are pathetic. Just because you form a society does not mean that what you say or do is right. Many NGOs are actually detrimental to society not because of their intentions, but because of their lack of brains. Issues are complicated these days. Many issues have wide implications at the local and international levels. Simply screaming at the top of your voice without really understanding what you are really screaming about is a great disservice to the nation. NGOs need to spend time and money training their people. You need to nurture the next generation of civil society leaders. It is no different from private companies and political parties planning for leadership succession is vital. I also wish that many NGOs will spend a bit more time really understanding their causes before blabbering. [The Lynas plant in Kuantan is a classic case where civil society has lost the plot I will write about this some other time]

5.Create hope

The one thing that pisses me with the civil society is it is always gloom and doom. Why must it all be bad news, more ! bad news and yet more bad news. I think the civil society has an important job give hope. Malaysians must know that there is plenty of goodness in this country. Malaysians need to be assured that this land is where our future is. If you keep talking only about the bad things, we will become a nation of grumpy farts. I hope the civil society highlights and celebrates all the good things in this country. Why is it that nobody organizes a rally celebrating the great friendship amongst Malaysians, why doesnt anyone organize a rally cherishing the great food that we have, why are we not celebrating all the goodness? I want to see more positive news in our papers. I want to read more good news on Facebook. I want to listen to success stories from Malaysia. So, my sewel society friends, cut back on the gloom and doom and lets highlight the goodness of Malaysia. [I am not saying that we must not highlight the bad things, we must. All I am asking is for you do not ignore all the good things]. CREATE HOPE.

6.Engage with more Malaysians

Civil society movement tends to be focussed in the urban areas (which is not really surprising). Many tend to cater for and are led by the well-educated, often English speaking crowd. We need to appreciate that there is a big, big population out there which is not so well-educated and which is not proficient in English. Take for example a small time farmer in Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan. All he sees is a crowd of English speaking people who are always criticizing the government. Dont expect him to trust you very much. While issues such as democracy, good governance, transparency are important to the well-heeled urban crowd, the bloke in Jelebu is probably more concerned about the broken little bridge leading to his farm. Civil society needs to do more in reaching out to the folks in rural areas, the urban poor as well as the vast number of non-English speaking Malaysians. Simple things like communic! ating in Bahasa Malaysia will go a long way in terms of reaching out to the masses.

7.Learn from Sabah

Sabah is the best example in Malaysia of how NGOs work closely with the government. The state has a long history where NGOs and government work together very closely for the benefit of the rakyat. Although the arrangement is not perfect, there is reasonable amount of trust between the two sides. My suggestion is for NGOs from Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak to visit or talk to their counterparts in Sabah on how this is possible. There is a need for give and take on both sides. And for godness sake, dont tell me you will wait for the government to make the first move. LEARN FROM SABAH

8.Be prepared for the long haul

Understand that the battles that you are fighting could go on and on and on. Every cause that is worth fighting for is worth fighting for a long time. Too many NGOs give up too quickly. After one or two short campaigns, they close shop. At the same time, there are many NGOs who have been championing whatever they have been championing for a long time despite the challenges and obstacles placed in their paths. I really hope NGOs will be focussed on what they do. The world is a complex place. We will spread ourselves too thin if we enter every battle. Please focus on one or two key themes and stick to those for a long time. As I said earlier, advocacy is hard work. It takes time. Pace yourselves, plan your resources and eat tongkat ali to give you strength for the long haul. THINK LONG-TERM.

9.Work on the younglings

They say that our younger generation, the Y-gen, the Facebook gen, the 709 gen.. whatever are difficult to engage with. So what ? We are not going to ignore them. [this is related to items 2 and 4]. Go out ! of your way to recruit youngsters into your organizations. Many NGOs now are led by people who are 300-years old. Entire excos are made up of people who went to school in Malacca with Parameswara. Power is addictive, you know so they hold on to their crowns. Hello, brader without the youngsters, you are going to close shop soon. You need them. Find ways to attract them. Find ways to make them want to volunteer with you. Find ways to convince them that your cause is a worthy one. ENGAGE YOUNGLINGS

10.Stay away from race rhetorics

Enough said.

There are many NGOs and individuals out there whom I admire every much. They are so committed to worthy causes and have dedicated their entire lives fighting for what they believe is right and causes they believe will make a nation better. I have had the opportunity of working with many of them. I have the highest admiration for them.

At the same time, there are also many fatheads, crowbrains and chickenshits who masquerade as torch bearers of civil society. These people must be sodomised.

Then there are the ignorant. People who support causes without really understanding what they are championing nor understand the impact of what they are fighting for. They could benefit from the 10 points above.

The civil society is not very different from the political parties or private companies in Malaysia, They only differ in their raison d'etre. In other aspects such as governance, efficiency, skills, expertise, etc. they are struggling.

To conclude the 10-things-I-want-you-to-do series, I would like to say to BN, Pakatan and civil society, "lets cut down the chickenshit squabbling and focus on making this country great




Monyet King also says

After annoying the Barisan fellows and pissing off the Pakatan crowd, now I think I have succeeded in offending the sewel ooops sorry civil society. I think I will return to my harem and spend some quality time there.


Monyet King spending quality time at his harem