Camaraderie in Pemuda Gerakan

Often one can feel it in a football team, social groups, a rugby team, a church, a political party and even among the members of the underworld society. Some call it comradeship – do we have such spirit in the youth wing? Yes and no. Perhaps it is more accurate to state more in the negative.

In the party, every member seems to subscribe to the idea of ’satu hati’ (one heart-unity) being the core political value. Virtually every meetings and conferences, we hear the cheering of such motto. Are their claims justifiable? If we are to explore the value of comradeship, we must in the first place know what the term means. On the other hand is there any true intention to foster such spirit? Surprisingly or not I am actually of the view that other political parties in Malaysia embrace such spirit more enthusiastically than Gerakan as a whole. Motivating factor such as common goals/ideals or pecuniary interest has indeed encouraged comradeship among them. The party’s performance last year was a result of self-inflicted bad luck, arrogance, poor judgment and inexplicable stupidity. None of the Pemuda will want to see a repetition of the same nor hoping that the party goes into oblivion or extinction. The stakes are high.

Of late, for some reasons, participation in meetings and activities organised by the national youth had not been encouraging. To me it is simply a matter of commitment, respect and priority. For instance if there is a meeting to be called in relation to the appointment of councillors or candidates, suddenly the spirit of comradeship will be on fire (or interlocutory camaraderie). I can also guarantee that any event invited by the party President will hardly be ignored. The more so in the year of the party election or general election, everyone is rejuvenated and reinvigorated. Put it simply, one is unlikely to be late or miss his date with a lady he loved. Not to mention to leave early. It does not require a rocket scientist to answer the underlying reasons.

Only the fittest survives, this is what comradeship all about in (most) the youth wing today. There are actually ‘different teams’ (or each states minding their own business) within the wing, with each conserving their forces and energies trying to dominate in the future. Everyone must speak with sarcasm and conceal their intention. No one is eager to build a united team spirit, let alone to foster comradeship. Never say ‘yes’ nor ‘no’ to all request but such attitude is bound to failed in any politics around the world according to Anthena. Turning sly and manipulative are all counterproductive in the long run. Learn when to say yes or no is the right way to go and then commit it. “But that is what politics all about” said another comrade, no wonder we can hardly progress as such is not under conscious and rational control and often proves the saying that no forever friends or foes in politics to be true. This is not healthy for Gerakan now. It is inevitable that everyone has his own agenda but what is more important now is the party agenda (if there is a sincere one).

I am trained as a lawyer, my knowledge of the orthodox party’s culture is relatively shallow. Some comrades pointed that I am ignorant or too naive to play the game of politics in the party. I am not discouraged. Knowledge pertaining to strategies of Sun Tzu, Napolean, Athena and Machiavelli had always been my favourite readings and discussion since many years ago. I feel that very often a simple answer to a complicated (or even easy) problem is often around the corner, but they fail to find it only because their minds are overly occupied by some preconceived ideas. I was encouraged by a comrade who recently advised via a sms that states “It is when the tide is against (us) that we know we are moving in the right direction. If we back off, we’ll be carried by the wave. Move forward and chart a new course”.

At the end of the day, the youth just cannot convince the people out there or compete if we are unable to clean up our own backyard. As what our advisor Tun Lim once said “if you are telling the truth, you do not need to hide in anonymity. He/She must be committed…to reinvent and to strengthen Gerakan…”.