‘NOTHING TO HIDE’ DIALOGUE – NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY!

Umar Mukhtar

Technically speaking, the police can stop anything and everything from being held, for reasons of the event endangering public security. Ask Dr. Mahathir, in his 22 years as Prime Minister, that had happened numerous times. Sometimes they were just suspect political ploys, sometimes even truly dangerous. None of this goobledygook of the legal breaches thingy brought up by some lawyers.

So that being the case, our country must be the last place for anything spontaneous to happen? Not really. An organised dialogue is an organised dialogue. The operative word is ‘organised’, which entails forward planning that takes into account Murphy’s Law that what can go wrong may go wrong. Organising involves work.

Where have you heard of two belligerent groups of opposing sides allowed in an enclosure to witness adversorial advocacy? Even football fans are separated in stadiums. It showed the shallow thinking of the organisers. No passes to control attendance when only top NGO officials should be allowed in. Was this a public event?

What if a hundred thousand people turn up? The bastards barged in? Surprise, surprise! Mahathir, like Hishamuddin Rais is representing himself, an NGI, non-governmental individual. That counts? By his own admission, he is not a member of Perkasa.

Was the police consulted on security arrangements? Or were the half-baked lawyers their own security experts? If truly the objective was an exchange of opinion, how do you control unruly noise level from drowning what were being said? I may sound too fastidious for your liking but when things turn ugly, it is too late to wish for this or that.

Hasn’t the PM got aides that check all these? Or were they the promoters themselves, out a naive sense of uncontrolled open dialogue being beneficial? Really? Or sending your boss to the lions to satisfy certain people whom you secretly admire. How long has this stupid NGO being in existence? Why not the Federation of Muslim Lawyers or even the Bar Council?

Marina Mahathir insinuated many things in one breath. How I wish she was just as outspoken when I was a university student where cops storm the residential colleges with one-inch diameter canes during her father’s days as Minister of Education, and watching a girl friend got whacked like a cow? From that day on when I see policemen, I see cow-herds.

And grabbing away microphones from speakers? It was rampant. So don’t feign surprise and indignation. That’s the way the game is played. Your father taught us.

The truth is somewhere in between. The police could have been guilty of all that you suspect of, Marina. Agent provocateurs and all. They may have been doing their political masters bidding too.  The ‘rampage’ at PWTC the day Anwar Ibrahim was arrested in 1998.

So lesson no.1 for would-be organisers – don’t allow any excuse for such breaches or allegations of such possible breaches to be substantiated. Work and think. Think and work. Otherwise, your datukship will be delayed.

Or, a big OR, things could actually get out of hand because of lax safeguards. Now that is another ballgame altogether. Nothing in political discourse require sacrificial collateral damage. Stop the event by all means. It is not worth it. Politics is not a spectator sport. It calls for deep rational thinking within oneself without cheering squads or trashy jeerings.

Me, I’ll  just read and research the facts. Not for me these attention-seekers and football hooligans turn politically-agitated audience. In my old age, I have seen these political rivals argue fervently against each other, then people get hurt, and in another decade later these politicians become bosom buddies. Ask Anwar.