The evaporation of fear- The Malaysian Insider
July 28, 2011 — That feeling in the pit of the stomach or a dry throat and a quickening heartbeat; all of us have recognised and experienced fear. The expectation of bad things happening sometimes is worse than the actual experience.
Some fears are universal; fear of failure or a fear of making a fool of oneself, and then there are fears that certain societies face as a result of the peculiarities of historical, cultural and political factors interacting.
To a visitor to Malaysia even a decade ago, it might have seemed that here was a model society, with different races and communities living in perfect harmony and getting along without rancour or anger.
But scratch the surface and you find a populace for whom a wide range of subjects were off limits, or if discussed at all in public, would be in whispers with nervous looks over the shoulder.
The performance of the government, corruption and cronyism, racial stereotyping and affirmative action were a few such topics. The quintessential Malaysian fear was one of attracting too much attention. This fear was the result of two main influences; multiculturalism and the “big brother is watching you” syndrome.
Living in a multicultural society, it was and remains important to not offend the sensitivities of those with a different religion, dress code, eating habits or language. So while it was important to keep certain topics away from discussion out of respect or fear, it was equally important not to flaunt one’s personal beliefs in the face of others. Put another way, it was not cool to attract too much attention to oneself.
The big brother syndrome was a real threat, what with Ops Lalang, the Special Branch, the religious police, the Sedition Act, the PPPA, ISA, OSA and the Emergency Ordinance.
Honest debate was frowned upon on the back of a compliant media and opposing points of view were not tolerated. Oppositional politics was the preserve of the brave and the government knew best.
For ordinary people again the underlying fear was that of attracting too much attention for whatever reason because it could land one into serious trouble. There was room for only one personality cult.
But something has changed. It seems that almost no topic is taboo anymore. It seems that nobody is afraid anymore, either of offending others in society, or of the powers that be. Malaysia is still multicultural, and all the same laws are still in place, so why this sudden vociferousness?
It’s not as if the government has changed tack. When required, it still uses the same heavy-handed tactics evidenced by the EO 6, and some elements of the vernacular mainstream media still have a new demon every week to instil fear, whether it is the Jews, the Communists, the Christians or the Indonesians.
The single biggest defining change has come from the availability of information from the Internet. Not just the alternative local media, but also an awareness or global issues, other societies and economies, and alternative models of governance. The democratisation of information allows for the formation of a rainbow of opinions, each with its own logical and emotional underpinnings.
In Malaysia, this exposure to information in times of economic hardship led to an explosion of anger as to how much of what was wrong with local governance was hidden from so many for so long.
Simultaneously, the lack of censorship and action against anti-establishment commentators online, combined with the anonymity of the medium, led to a real evaporation of fear of consequences for those voicing their opinion.
As long as the mainstream media does not allow this anger an outlet, rising Internet penetration will make online news portals not only more popular, but will also tend to lead them to be dominated by opposition voices.
In fact it can be argued that the fear genie is truly out of the bottle and it is too late to turn back the clock. For the people who turned up for Bersih, it seemed to be as much about challenging their own fears as it was about free and fair elections .
In light of the recent battering of authoritarian regimes around the world at the hands of their people, any attempt now to circumscribe legitimate grievances and anger in an authoritarian manner may have drastic repercussions on the powers that be.
This movement will inevitably also change the way multiculturalism has been practised in Malaysia. Increasingly, perceived communal injustices will trump interracial respect every time for as long as the people identify politicians primarily by their race and not their performance.
The hope is that over time existing social ties, customs and history will restore cordiality between the various groups, while simultaneously holding politicians to account in creating a just, fair and transparent government that works for all citizens.
Of course, I will still continue to be afraid of my boss.
Some fears are universal; fear of failure or a fear of making a fool of oneself, and then there are fears that certain societies face as a result of the peculiarities of historical, cultural and political factors interacting.
To a visitor to Malaysia even a decade ago, it might have seemed that here was a model society, with different races and communities living in perfect harmony and getting along without rancour or anger.
But scratch the surface and you find a populace for whom a wide range of subjects were off limits, or if discussed at all in public, would be in whispers with nervous looks over the shoulder.
The performance of the government, corruption and cronyism, racial stereotyping and affirmative action were a few such topics. The quintessential Malaysian fear was one of attracting too much attention. This fear was the result of two main influences; multiculturalism and the “big brother is watching you” syndrome.
Living in a multicultural society, it was and remains important to not offend the sensitivities of those with a different religion, dress code, eating habits or language. So while it was important to keep certain topics away from discussion out of respect or fear, it was equally important not to flaunt one’s personal beliefs in the face of others. Put another way, it was not cool to attract too much attention to oneself.
The big brother syndrome was a real threat, what with Ops Lalang, the Special Branch, the religious police, the Sedition Act, the PPPA, ISA, OSA and the Emergency Ordinance.
Honest debate was frowned upon on the back of a compliant media and opposing points of view were not tolerated. Oppositional politics was the preserve of the brave and the government knew best.
For ordinary people again the underlying fear was that of attracting too much attention for whatever reason because it could land one into serious trouble. There was room for only one personality cult.
But something has changed. It seems that almost no topic is taboo anymore. It seems that nobody is afraid anymore, either of offending others in society, or of the powers that be. Malaysia is still multicultural, and all the same laws are still in place, so why this sudden vociferousness?
It’s not as if the government has changed tack. When required, it still uses the same heavy-handed tactics evidenced by the EO 6, and some elements of the vernacular mainstream media still have a new demon every week to instil fear, whether it is the Jews, the Communists, the Christians or the Indonesians.
The single biggest defining change has come from the availability of information from the Internet. Not just the alternative local media, but also an awareness or global issues, other societies and economies, and alternative models of governance. The democratisation of information allows for the formation of a rainbow of opinions, each with its own logical and emotional underpinnings.
In Malaysia, this exposure to information in times of economic hardship led to an explosion of anger as to how much of what was wrong with local governance was hidden from so many for so long.
Simultaneously, the lack of censorship and action against anti-establishment commentators online, combined with the anonymity of the medium, led to a real evaporation of fear of consequences for those voicing their opinion.
As long as the mainstream media does not allow this anger an outlet, rising Internet penetration will make online news portals not only more popular, but will also tend to lead them to be dominated by opposition voices.
In fact it can be argued that the fear genie is truly out of the bottle and it is too late to turn back the clock. For the people who turned up for Bersih, it seemed to be as much about challenging their own fears as it was about free and fair elections .
In light of the recent battering of authoritarian regimes around the world at the hands of their people, any attempt now to circumscribe legitimate grievances and anger in an authoritarian manner may have drastic repercussions on the powers that be.
This movement will inevitably also change the way multiculturalism has been practised in Malaysia. Increasingly, perceived communal injustices will trump interracial respect every time for as long as the people identify politicians primarily by their race and not their performance.
The hope is that over time existing social ties, customs and history will restore cordiality between the various groups, while simultaneously holding politicians to account in creating a just, fair and transparent government that works for all citizens.
Of course, I will still continue to be afraid of my boss.
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