Types and levels of politics

Buku ini adalah mengenai Politik dan Perabangan di Sarawak. Ia menyingkap kronologi permikiran orang melayu Sarawak dulu dan sekarang. Perabangan di sini merujuk kepada politik keturunan Abang dalam politik Sarawak. Penulis Abang Yusuf Puteh adalah penulis yang aktif menulis buku tentang politik , adat dan budaya Sarawak. Antara buku yang ditulis beliau adalah Marriage Custom Among The Sarawak Malays (1966), Little Footstep (1993), a Rose Garden In My Heart (1994), Another of Day Wekes Up (1995), River of day Tears (1996), Midnight at Noon(1996), The Malay Culture (1996), The Malay Mind(1997) dan The malays of Sarawak(1998). Buku Malay politics & Perabangan 1999 ini amat menarik. Beliau mengambarkan pemikiran dan arahtuju Melayu dalam politik.

The Malays have their own phrases for types and levels of politics. Below I shall briefly discuss some of them to indicate the kind of confusion and direction plaguing Malay political mind:

(a) Politik Minta'. I have briefly mentioned this element in Malay political thoughts and actions. Dependency syndrome has characterised the Malay political mind. The Government is partly to blame for this. The founding fathers of Malaysia popularised minor rural projects (MRPs) in their manifesto. It served both as carrots for support and genuine plan for provisions of simple amenities in the rural areas. When the two aspects are considered together, MRPs provided the rural Malays with an opportunity to ask and ask till it became a culture in politics, at least a habit. I shall touch on this again later but for now let us say that politik minta' corrupts.

(a) restraint on leadership potentials, making them followers, and (b) creation of what I call a beggar's tendency. The Malays must rid themselves of this corrupt mentality, and learn to: (a) be self‑reliant, and (b) value self‑esteem. The leaders must realise that politik minta' is a great moral shame. What has been happening in Malay politics is that politik minta' is in fact encouraged by the leaders or those aspiring to be leaders for two main objectives: (a) by getting what the people ask they create the impression that they have power and influence, and (b) to make the people dependent on their leadership, the blackmail of politics.

(b) Politik Pak Turut. This refers to followers or supporters who readily agree or endorse any proposal or suggestion by their leaders either because of ignorance or because of hoping for favours. The Malays are the experts in this, and lose much in consequence not only politically and economically, but more so in maruah. They are looked at as easy prey in manipulative politics. It is a game they really excel in but in practical implications it is an exercise in futility as in the Malay saying untung sakarong rugi sagnni.

(C) Politik Pak Anggut. Pak Anggut is different from Pak Turut. While Pak Turut means follow‑the‑leader as a political philosophy, Pak Anggut is the application of blind loyalty. It suggests a ready or even automatic agreement to whatever the leaders say. It is not bankruptcy of ideas but more of timidity. In Kabong, in my home district of Kalaka, they have another fine name for this class of politicians. They are called, very aptly, burung kokor, the cuckoo, for everytime a cuckoo makes a noise, you will notice, it nods. And cuckoo in English slang has another bad connotation.

(d) Politik lalang; politik padi. This portrays the conflict in Malay personality. As I have said, politics today requires a certain dosage of arrogance as pre‑requisite for success while Malay culture subscribes to the noble virtues of humility. Unfortunately politik lalang is gaining ground at the village level. Anyone who makes a lot of noises, and

business contracts in minor development projects, or appointment as a Councillor or as a Tua Kampong. The humble and gentle ones are left behind. However, in farming culture, lalang (weeds) may grow tall and robust but produces nothing except nuisance to Man, while padi, in its humble way, gives Man his rice. The Malays are now in the throes of conflicts between arrogant politics and humble culture. What has happened is this: arrogance is causing much nuisance at the grassroots level, and timidity is exploited at the top.

(e) Politin Pak Malang. The phrase has several meanings among which are: (a) indecisiveness, (b) a weak mind, (c) greed, (d) selfishness. Pak Malang is a character in the local folklore with most of these characteristics, the result of which is that he becomes the loser.

(f) Politik Gerai. This is the most popular form of political Malay forum, the gossip sessions at the gerai right across the State. The gerai is the assembly point of idlers, and pala angin. Gerai is a mini‑parliament where issues of the State, national problems and even international subjects, including the World Cup, are expertly discussed. Gerai is a fascinating place to hear multiple‑views of many subjects under the sun. At the gerai we can also see cliques and camps of political affiliations.

Gerai, anywhere in Sarawak, is the most exciting political stage. It is a stage for loyar buruk, pala angin (boasters and bluffers). There the Government's policies are discussed, analysed, endorsed and severely criticised. It is also at the gerai that Ministers and political leaders are similarly dealt with. It is a free‑for‑all forum where no holds are barred. The main characteristics of politik gerai (politics of market‑place) are:

(i) Small talks on big issues, thus creating confusions among themselves. News spread fast here, factual or false.

(ii) Trivial and petty, where nothing and no one seems

Largely offensive, as if they suffer from persecution complex. The idlers usually form groups of their own kind. Very often loud laughters are heard as jokes are traded on the authorities and politicians. Discussions can be intense, and at times tense. The defenders of Government take their stand just as boisterously.

In many ways, politik gerai is unhealty, self‑destructive and full of self‑pity which is a reflection of their despairs in life. On the positive side, the gerai is a useful place for passing on messages: either to inform, or misinform, or even disinform. One must not, however, underrate the intelligence of the actors of politik gerai. They can actively discuss President Clinton's sex scandals, President Estrada's private fife, Arafat and Israel, Sadam Hussein of Iraq, events during the September 1997 Haze Emergency, the additional RM'IZ billion approved by the Council Negeri in May 1998 at the height of economic crisis, Bakun, yoyo of Ringgit, Rupiah (go to Indonesia if you want to be a millionaire, they would laugh).

In summary, politik gerai is largely negative and maybe misunderstood as an Opposition forum even though the debaters could be Government supporters. This is especially so in recent years when the Malays seem to have realised that their overall interests have not been fairly attended to. The greatest excitement now in politik gerai is UMNO. In some remote ways politik gerai has a semblance of the ancient Greek forum of democracy: freedom of speech, freedom to criticise and freedom to be angry too.

(g) Politik Panadol. I call this the politics of bluff, and politics of carrots in which the political leaders at State level and village activists have done exceedingly well by promising all kinds of things the purpose of which is to provide temporary relief. In politics the simile serves as an illusion,