The burger politics of the Tanjung Piai by-election
COMMENT | We have a choice of six different hamburgers, that’s what the Tanjung Piai by-election seems to me.
Option 1 - McDonald’s
Voting for the Bersatu/Pakatan Harapan candidate Karmaine Sardini is like going to McDonald’s, i.e., supporting the establishment.
But many people who loved Harapan are becoming frustrated due to several broken manifesto promises, such as the failure to close down Lynas, forgive PTPTN loans, abolish oppressive laws (Sosma, OSA, Sedition Act) and recognise UEC (Note: the last two promises don’t cost anything to implement). Not to mention dubious projects such as the Flying Car and the Turd National Car...
COMMENT | We have a choice of six different hamburgers, that’s what the Tanjung Piai by-election seems to me.
Option 1 - McDonald’s
Voting for the Bersatu/Pakatan Harapan candidate Karmaine Sardini is like going to McDonald’s, i.e., supporting the establishment.
But many people who loved Harapan are becoming frustrated due to several broken manifesto promises, such as the failure to close down Lynas, forgive PTPTN loans, abolish oppressive laws (Sosma, OSA, Sedition Act) and recognise UEC (Note: the last two promises don’t cost anything to implement). Not to mention dubious projects such as the Flying Car and the Turd National Car.
More worrying is the potential return to the Mahathir Lama of good old-fashioned cronyism and patronage politics, especially with several key GLCs under the control of Bersatu leaders and their ally Azmin Ali, as detailed in a study by think-tank Ideas.
To further dampen the mood, there have been controversies over Jawi-khat, the Malay Dignity Congress, a comic book and the alleged backdoor government. Strongman rule may also be returning, as seen in the Sosma arrests of Tamil Tiger “sympathisers.”
But we keep on eating McDonald’s even though we know processed meat, cholesterol and sugary drinks (creeping cronyism, patronage and strongman rule) are not exactly great for our health. Deep down, we know something is not quite right - but it’s the familiar choice of oily comfort food.
Option 2 - Boycott McDonald’s
Let’s call this the “Boycott McDonald’s” option, which is what the recent “Buy Muslim First/Boycott Non-Muslim Products” campaign had also advocated.
In the case of Tanjung Piai, this will mean voting for the MCA/BN candidate Wee Jeck Seng as a protest against the establishment, i.e., Bersatu/Harapan, and especially Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The thinking is: if voters support BN and inflict a big defeat on Bersatu in Tanjung Piai, it could be a wake-up call for Harapan leaders to deliver on reform promises pronto.
But things are more complicated in real life. While McDonald’s is a symbol of America, the local franchise is actually majority-owned by a Muslim company.
Similarly, not all of Harapan is really the establishment. Sure, while Bersatu mainly comprises recycled Umno folks, the other Harapan party leaders did make sacrifices (including going to jail) to fight for a better country. Some ministers are also facing resistance from the “deep state” of civil servants, or from hard-wired racial attitudes.
What is the alternative? Some will suggest “Support Ramly Burger” instead. But wait, since when was MCA a Malay product?
Well, as Kedah PAS state commissioner Ahmad Yahya said, in an insulting comparison, voting for MCA is like buying Malay-Muslim goods from a Chinese salesman.
To rub salt into the burger, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang added that MCA represents “non-Muslims who are not extreme... which has a single seat.” What that means is that MCA will be a “good boy” who won’t upset the dominant “daddy and mummy” of PAS/Umno.
Remember how MCA used to wage psychological war during the 2013 elections that “a vote for DAP is a vote for PAS” (because they were both part of the former coalition Pakatan Rakyat)? So now, does it mean that “a vote for MCA is a vote for PAS”?
Option 3 - Wendy’s Burgers
Wait, how about Wendy's burgers? Or rather, Wendy Subramaniam (below), the deputy secretary-general of Gerakan.
At least Gerakan had the courage to quit BN after the last elections. So, while they were tainted by association (duduk bersekongkol) with the previous kleptocratic regime, at least they are not quietly gritting their teeth while enduring the racism of Umno and PAS.
Can Gerakan reclaim its former mantle of being an opposition “People’s Movement”, when they first captured the Penang state government back in 1969? Have they regained the “seeds” in their “durians” to criticise both BN and Harapan in Parliament? Is Wendy a better choice as a protest vote?
Option 4 - unknown burgers
How about the tuition centre operator Ang Chuan Lock? At least he has the business sense to piggyback on the by-election to gain, if nothing else, some publicity. Another choice is Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz, the president of Berjasa, a political party nobody seems to remember.
Or maybe Faridah Aryani, who represents the cabbie group, Gabungan Teksi SeMalaysia. Is she anything like Big Blue Taxi founder Shamsubahrin Ismail, who is best known for trying to prevent competition by running down the proposed Gojek motorbike taxi service in August as fit only for poor, destitute Indonesians (causing an international uproar for which he had to apologise)?
Voting for any of these less famous people will be like sinking our teeth into an unknown burger. Hmmm… what is that striking pungency, that unusual aroma… what’s in the “mystery meat” of the patty?
Option 5 - F, as in forget, the burger
By now, I think it’s obvious that there are no clear, easy choices for the Tanjung Piai by-election, or even the next general elections. That’s when some people just switch off and become disillusioned with Malaysian politics.
It’s too hard to analyse the different choices and to know who is really telling the truth. It’s easier to just declare “screw it, all politicians are bad”, and plan for ourselves (or our kids) “to get the hell outta here”, i.e., to emigrate.
Option 6 - make a better burger
This is the hardest choice. It goes beyond marking an 'X' on a ballot paper every five years. Rather, it’s about creating the politics that we want. It’s about citizen activism - thinking of, speaking up for, and actually working for a better Malaysia.
It can be as simple as making constructive comments on social media. Networking with like-minded people. Donating money. Brainstorming new ideas.
Or we can take it a step up. Get involved in our residents' association. Volunteer for projects. Lobby authorities to approve things. Lobby authorities to get rid of unnecessary approvals. Do what we can quietly, without approval.
It’s not about just passively accepting whatever international burger franchises there are, be it McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King or whatever. It’s about building our own Malaysian burger brands, just as My Burger Lab, Burgertory or Burger Bakar Abang Burn have done.
Democracy is not a passive spectator sport like golf. It’s more like running - we have to participate to reap the health benefits.
We get the politics that we press for because, ultimately, politicians are creatures of popular pressure. What if enough people demanded local council elections? For PTPTN loans to be forgiven? For Lynas to be closed?
When enough of us believed that Abdul Najib Razak and the once Almighty BN were not fit to hold power anymore, they collapsed like a house of cards. That is something that all politicians, in power or otherwise, should keep in mind.
But that can only happen if we push for the politics that we deserve.
ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist and editor who prefers teh tarik khau over tepid English tea. You can add milk, sugar and halia to his drink at tehtarik@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
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