PAS closed political system with its focus on elections and on intra and inter- party collisions as its centrepiece is becoming outdated. The combination of traditional media particularly television becoming shriller and more persistent, the coming of age of social media which atomises the right to be heard and do so in real time and the emergence of a middle class anxious to build its own political constituency has created a new political force that wields influence that is disproportionate to its numerical presence. However inconsequential the media might be in determining the final outcome of elections, it can make the life of PAS government a living hell on a day-to-day basis. This is something PAS state government has encountered often, but not quite acknowledged.
In spite of its numerical inconsequence, the political system cannot govern if it does not cater to this new community of interests. For that it will need to reorganise itself, beginning with a new mental model of what administering power must look like. Coming to power is no longer a position of rest, but a call for action. To do justice to this, the question of who wields executive power and to what end must it be applied, become more important than in the past. If earlier, it was possible to think of the appointment and allocation state excos largely through the lens of political accommodation, today personal competence will begin to matter much more. The ability to engage with stakeholders and communicate effectively will put pressure on the system to throw up more worthy candidates. Visible responsiveness and the ability to connect emotionally will become important not just while campaigning but while governing.
If seeing is believing- go watch a Harry potter movie and after that take a standard test of creative abilities- say the Torrent Test of creative thinking (TTCT). Chances are, your score on this test would be far better than if you had just watched Schindler’s list. This is because realism constrains, while fantasy expands our sphere of possibilities. And one measure of creativity is how big your associational space is and how implausible, but useful connections you can make between distant ideas and concepts While Intelligence is measured as the ability to come up with the right solution to a difficult problem and is in some sense related to convergent thinking; Creativity is assessed as the ability to come up with multiple, novel solutions to say everyday problems and is related to divergent thinking.. One way one measures creativity is to look at the number of alternate uses one can find for a commonplace item- say a brick- and look at how original and surprising the answers are too.
Needless to say, for creativity you need an open mind- imagination and the ability to think up counter-factuals- not restricted by only what is already there, but also being open and sensitive to what can be possible. Fantasy, in a way is the perfect antidote, to liberate us form the here-and now and open us to more possibilities.
Our political system represents the people of the country on paper, but in practice it has become increasingly self-serving. Elections have been the defining feature of our democratic process, and indeed have been for the most part its primary and often, singular face.
Once elected, PAS have been able, by and large, to coast till the time comes for the next elections. There have been problems in maintaining power, but most of these have come from within one’s own party in the form of internal dissent and factionalism. The disagreements have not so much been about issues of policy or legislation, but about the personal ambition of those left out of the power sharing arrangement. The absence of inner party democracy has made the process of determining leadership a murky one, particularly in PAS where there isn’t a presumptive leader.
In UMNO something has changed fundamentally, as NXajib in particular has discovered, now any government needs to tackle two very different imperatives of democracy. Apart from the task of getting elected, today it has to face up to the increasingly onerous task of conducting itself while in power. Getting elected and staying legitimate are now two distinct tasks, needing very different set of skills. For most political parties, the rise of a new media-enabled middle class is a phenomenon that is very difficult to take seriously. Years of hardwired political wisdom tells them that this class is electorally insignificant, and that it can be paid occasional lip service to, but otherwise comfortably ignored.
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DATUK JOHARI ABDUL GHANI is an unusual politician. Perhaps even his worst critics might grant him that. been written about and discussed by many, in part because this was first time he engaged with this constituency but also because of what he said. Instead of addressing issues of direct interest to business, he chose to focus on his diagnosis of what was needed in a larger sense- linking aspiration with empowerment, and making the case yet again for real inclusion. PAS have otherwise shied away from using reforms as political tool; even PAKATAN Shining campaign was never about the idea of reform but merely about its apparent outcome. This curious coyness about reform is all the more interesting because the mainstream view on its necessity seems otherwise to face no serious challenges. It is now routine to classify the PAS ‘story’ in two phases- the licence Islamic Raj
The reactions have been mixed. The public face that industry put on its reaction has been very positive, but it is difficult to tell how real that apparent reaction is. Equally, there is no dearth of those that continue to ridicule him for what they see as a sophomoric approach to key national issues and his refusal to engage with questions beyond those that interest him. And of course, there are those that presumptively write off anything he says or does on account of his being seen as a thoroughly undeserving
What is wrong with Hadi being the PM? Isn’t he a Malaysian like all of us? I will have Hadi as PM any day as long as he is honest and care for all Malaysians. He is a better bet than any candidates from BN/Umno!
In some ways, the idea of PAS Hadi to be PM , the political system being made more accountable for its actions. While it is the government that has seemingly been the focus of all attacks, in reality it is the entire political establishment that is facing a significant challenge. Of course, this new formation, comes with its own biases and vested interests and its own assertive tone of self-importance. It privileges only a certain set of issues and often seeks solutions that are often token in character. In its bias for the theatricality of democracy, it creates a new order of complexity that needs careful and often sophisticated navigating. There is a demand for a new kind of PAS Islamic government, which is both heartfelt and shallow. This gives the political system an opportunity to reassert its legitimacy and give direction to this new instinct. Instead of being defined exclusively by this new constituency, there is an opportunity to harness its power and redirect it towards more inclusive and long-term goals. However given that the political system is largely in denial, it is unlikely that we will see it take the lead. What is more likely is more shrill noise, and more reluctant acquiescence. The republic is being reclaimed, but the journey is going to be an imperfect and messy one.The truth – the real truth – will become well established…. is that is untrustworthy as a friend. Even Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang … dangerous. ,The new P word resulted in verbal incontinence, with everyone jumping in to empty his blather. PKR went on a fast ostensibly to atone but actually to tone down electoral damage. …Read more
