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Malaysia is in the midst of a prolonged psychological war. The Umno/Barisan Nasional party-in-power struggles to regain lost ground, using techniques and strategies that have been successful in the past. But today these techniques no longer work, and the psych-war turns daily toward the opposition. There are many reasons; here are some.
While it is possible for a party-in-power to use the police to curtail the activity of opponent parties, it is normally the beginning of isolation, both nationally and internationally.
If the opposition used 'illegal' means, or posed some significant threat to the well-being of the nation, irregular and extra-judicial means might be justified.
But the threat must be convincingly shown, and the evidence must be credible, otherwise the activities are seen as an illegal misuse of police power. It betrays a cruel attempt to maintain political power against the wishes of the people, openly expressed.
Naturally, the open expression itself is strenuously opposed, using the media and public speeches to create an aura of trustworthiness, stability and control in a time of artificial crisis.
These speeches now have the taint of perfidy. Listeners note the total absence of any desire to expose or punish crime. The public is nauseated by daily talk of morality by immoral men.
Justifying arrests
The ministers of Umno/BN engage in an ongoing campaign to justify the arrest of opposition figures in an effort to forestall the growing political power of opposition parties.
First the officers of Keadilan, who stopped the busloads of illegal phantom voters, were arrested without charge or trial. Now the officers of PAS, who are challenging the ruling against peaceful assembly, were arrested, using this same archaic law. There are allegations of foreign influence, of dark cult practice, but the public is not fooled.
The unfair law, known as the Internal Security Act (ISA), is itself illegal, depending on the existence of a declared state of emergency to be effective. There is no state of emergency in Malaysia, except the emergency facing the Umno/BN coalition.
The ISA draws its sanction from a state of emergency declared decades ago, which has been allowed to languish on the books. Yet the ruling ministers insist that the nation is in peril, and that national security is being threatened.
Everyone, however, see this to be a lie, an excuse for cruelty and brutality, and that the ministers are but clawing desperately to stay in power to avoid prosecution for their gross malfeasance in office.
The arrest of PAS members shows the government fear of the ceramah (public talks), calling it an unfair extension of the election campaign period, beyond the 10 days allotted prior to polling day.
A basic part of the Malay culture is the kenduri (feast), of which there may be a dozen a week in the average kampung (village). The ministers could require a police permit for these meetings, as generally everyone shows up.
They do not do this, because the kenduri is such a fundamental part of the daily life of the Malay that such interference would guarantee the immediate dissolution of the grassroots party machinery.
The ceramah differs but slightly from the kenduri, and generally features a popular speaker, though the feast may be omitted.
As an occasion for a general get-together, both the kenduri and the ceramah serve as combination coffee klatch and information channel, largely supplanting the newspapers and TV as a means of learning the latest Umno-government psych-war strategy.
'Missiles'
Recently the government threatened to deliver 'new missiles' against 'dangerous' websites, in an effort to curtail the growing threat of the Internet. In practice this means sending large e-mails to selected writers in hopes their e-mail boxes will become over-filled and thus inoperative. The e-mails invariably contain a harmful virus.
To knowingly send an e-mail with a virus is a stupid and malicious offence, as there is no way for the sender to know where the virus may end, or what damage it may do.
The educational system has pride of place in any aspiring country, and great effort is made to recruit and train capable, intelligent teachers, provide adequate physical facilities and teaching aids, and a conducive learning environment.
These are paramount objectives of an enlightened leadership. Instead, in Malaysia the teachers are constantly harassed, threatened, given unflattering labels, and placed at a disadvantage in the presentation of critical thinking skills.
Students are arrested, threatened, falsely accused of cult worship and arson, and placed under constant surveillance to prevent the mildest expression of dissent against government policies.
The avowed aim is to "improve morality", but the effect is to demonstrate to all observers what absolute immorality in practice looks like. What once was designed as an appeal to young voters has degenerated into a wave of educational terror.
Ailing crony companies
In an effort to attract immature foreign bond buyers and innocent speculators into the mystical Southeast Asian markets, the chart of the KLSE (Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange) has been painted to mimic a technical rebound, double bottom and all. As in the movies, it is a painted backdrop, set up as an illusion to fool the eye.
The shares of publicly-listed firms, many technically bankrupt, are bought up by nominee brokers, using public pension and travel funds. The assets, the right to replace management, and the enormous debts are assumed by the Finance Ministry in the name of the public. But the Finance Ministry cannot find a capable executive to lead itself; how then to find new executive talent to rescue defunct firms.
Banks, recently encouraged by the central bank to make loans without collateral to any and all, are now told they must swallow their bad loans, since failure to repay "is a risk that banks must take". Bad news is discounted and delayed. Statistics show that Singapore is now in a recession, having had two successive quarters of lower figures. The second quarter results for Singapore were released within two weeks after the quarter ended.
Malaysia has yet to release the bad news, and one may expect second quarter GDP results, verifying a recession, to be postponed into September. The Japanese Economics Minister Heizo Takenaka has paid his visit, and delivered the bad news. The US market is still falling fast, yet Malaysia puts a bright face on things, determined to evade or at least to defer, the inevitable.
Evil men
The economic news is always "the bottom is in, buy now". Because it is possible to point to steady exports and stable reserves, the lack of leadership, the enormous debts, the failure of Malaysia, Inc. everywhere is soft-peddled. There is a total absence of failure analysis.
The Anti-Corruption Agency is put on ice. As a matter of policy, there is no accountability
The mood in Malaysia now is melancholia, mixed with expectation of momentous movement. The evil men do is taken for breakfast fare, and the long wait for an overdue day of retribution brings yawns.
There is no more Malaysia Boleh! (Malaysia Can Do It!). Malaysia could have, but did not. And now it will not and can not.
The ceramahs continue, more determined than before. The arrests only increase the anger. There will more ceramahs, more than all the police can prevent. Courage and patience are the essence of the Malay soul. People are certain truth and justice will return.
Though the surface shows sign of sighing and sad singing, beneath is stolid and stern stuff, awaiting the slow, steady rise of the sun. As a strategy, it will win.
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