S Thayaparan
“Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed and well-fed.”
COMMENT | Well actually, the political elites have intervened in the plight of families seeking their due.
A successful conclusion after a 19-year struggle occurred in 2019 for 24 families from the Ladang Bangi estate in Selangor when they were offered keys to their new homes, thanks to the assistance of - you guessed it - Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).
From the reportage by PSM on Feb 21, 2019: “For 19 years, the 24 families faced court trials, constant harassment by gangsters to vacate their homes and some were even thrown into jail by the authorities for fighting for their rights.”
The families were so happy that the homes “…came equipped with a refrigerator, TV, cabinet and air-conditioners”. The sartorially challenged S Arutchelvan joked, “Even I am staying in a low-cost unit and I don’t have such facilities.”
Of course, this took place just before the Semenyih by-election. This goes to show that elections may not bring about changes, but apparently, days leading up to elections do.
“Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed and well-fed.”
- American novelist Herman Melville
COMMENT | Well actually, the political elites have intervened in the plight of families seeking their due.
A successful conclusion after a 19-year struggle occurred in 2019 for 24 families from the Ladang Bangi estate in Selangor when they were offered keys to their new homes, thanks to the assistance of - you guessed it - Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).
From the reportage by PSM on Feb 21, 2019: “For 19 years, the 24 families faced court trials, constant harassment by gangsters to vacate their homes and some were even thrown into jail by the authorities for fighting for their rights.”
The families were so happy that the homes “…came equipped with a refrigerator, TV, cabinet and air-conditioners”. The sartorially challenged S Arutchelvan joked, “Even I am staying in a low-cost unit and I don’t have such facilities.”
Of course, this took place just before the Semenyih by-election. This goes to show that elections may not bring about changes, but apparently, days leading up to elections do.
PSM deputy chairperson S Arutchelvan
These types of gangster tactics are not new, of course. As Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said on Jan 18, 2020, in another case of this kind in Nibong Tebal, Penang:
“However, the (land) owner is adamant about evicting the families.
“He has been sending his agents daily to the plantation to threaten the families and convey the message that it was a matter of time before tractors and heavy machinery will be sent to demolish their dwellings and temples.”
Corporate greed
I have no idea why this is still an issue. I have no idea why big developers, who spend millions on their corporate social responsibility programmes, still try to play out and demonise disenfranchised families.
These families have a history of doing the hard, often thankless jobs of working in estates and, let us be honest, far from the democratic and societal norms that privilege a certain class of urban people.
These same class of urban people demonstrate that they really do not give a damn about families like these but then wonder why corruption and corporate greed are part of the system in this country and look to political saviours to lead them to the promised land.
And the Ladang Bangi political happy ending just makes it more frustrating for families and activists who spend years attempting to get people what they’re due but who are hampered more often than not by the very forces that promise change in this country.
These types of gangster tactics are not new, of course. As Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said on Jan 18, 2020, in another case of this kind in Nibong Tebal, Penang:
“However, the (land) owner is adamant about evicting the families.
“He has been sending his agents daily to the plantation to threaten the families and convey the message that it was a matter of time before tractors and heavy machinery will be sent to demolish their dwellings and temples.”
Corporate greed
I have no idea why this is still an issue. I have no idea why big developers, who spend millions on their corporate social responsibility programmes, still try to play out and demonise disenfranchised families.
These families have a history of doing the hard, often thankless jobs of working in estates and, let us be honest, far from the democratic and societal norms that privilege a certain class of urban people.
These same class of urban people demonstrate that they really do not give a damn about families like these but then wonder why corruption and corporate greed are part of the system in this country and look to political saviours to lead them to the promised land.
And the Ladang Bangi political happy ending just makes it more frustrating for families and activists who spend years attempting to get people what they’re due but who are hampered more often than not by the very forces that promise change in this country.
Do not be fooled. The nexus between political power and corporate interests is non-partisan.
What I do not get is all these political operatives who have embarrassing connections - well, embarrassing when made public - with developers but who do not attempt to use their influence to ensure families like these enjoy the basic rights that their party supporters often take for granted.
The mainstream Malaysian activist landscape is littered with political activists who work towards becoming appendages to political operatives who have a public persona of caring for the disenfranchised.
When their career goals are met, they suddenly forget the people and issues they used to champion and instead get into the business of seeing their patrons reelected.
Malaysia, like most other countries, has a history of allowing developers to run riot for various capitalist reasons. Now, this is not a screed against capitalism, but rather, the lack of - or should I say - disregard of political will when it comes to curtailing the excess of capitalism which has led to a whole host of problems.
To understand the political power that developers rely on, you just have to pay attention to political economist Professor Edmund Terence Gomez, who factually described the situation when it came to the displacement of farmers in Perak:
“Dissecting the cases of the 11 areas in question, Gomez urged the group to show the courts how the menteri besar usurped the power of the state through subdivision of power which allowed him to be the sole decision-maker on what happened to the land.
Political economist Prof Edmund Terence Gomez
“He explained that the group needed to return to the actual source of the problem. ‘Once he (the menteri besar) gives (sells) the land, the developer owns it,’ he said.”
And let’s face facts with corruption and lack of political intervention. Developers have caused numerous problems to the environment and infrastructure of this country.
Disenfranchised families
One would think that, with all this, developers would be attempting to gain public favour by providing families displaced by the development with access to homes and basic amenities.
When it came to the Perak farmer issue, for instance, one of the farmers said something that people should pay attention to, “Our government doesn’t understand food security, and everyone wants to become rich quickly.”
One would think that the political elites of this country who drench their base with the kool-aid, would ensure that in the states they run, developers would at least pay heed to disenfranchised families, which would lessen the burden on state coffers, not to mention environmental concerns, which always comes back to bite us on our behinds.
The displacement of marginalised families, especially when it comes to disenfranchised Indians, causes a range of societal issues, which ironically could be tempered with capitalist intervention, not to mention state action.
Instead, these problems are left to fester. Some sons and daughters of these families, who descended from a lineage of parents who engaged in hard honest work, succumb to the lure of crime, corruption and social malfeasances, as much for escape as for profit.
No doubt issues like these will continue to be minor stories in the news cycle, and the bread and circus of political corruption and identity politics will dominate the headlines.
Then, landslides occur and environmental groups and certain political operatives, who for decades have been warning that rampant, often corrupt development is a recipe for environmental disaster and loss of life, are in the spotlight again, soon to be forgotten.
Meanwhile, there will always be forgotten families fighting for the right to have a roof over their heads and political operators colluding with developers while gaslighting people, either with race, religion or a new Malaysian dawn.
“He explained that the group needed to return to the actual source of the problem. ‘Once he (the menteri besar) gives (sells) the land, the developer owns it,’ he said.”
And let’s face facts with corruption and lack of political intervention. Developers have caused numerous problems to the environment and infrastructure of this country.
Disenfranchised families
One would think that, with all this, developers would be attempting to gain public favour by providing families displaced by the development with access to homes and basic amenities.
When it came to the Perak farmer issue, for instance, one of the farmers said something that people should pay attention to, “Our government doesn’t understand food security, and everyone wants to become rich quickly.”
One would think that the political elites of this country who drench their base with the kool-aid, would ensure that in the states they run, developers would at least pay heed to disenfranchised families, which would lessen the burden on state coffers, not to mention environmental concerns, which always comes back to bite us on our behinds.
The displacement of marginalised families, especially when it comes to disenfranchised Indians, causes a range of societal issues, which ironically could be tempered with capitalist intervention, not to mention state action.
Instead, these problems are left to fester. Some sons and daughters of these families, who descended from a lineage of parents who engaged in hard honest work, succumb to the lure of crime, corruption and social malfeasances, as much for escape as for profit.
No doubt issues like these will continue to be minor stories in the news cycle, and the bread and circus of political corruption and identity politics will dominate the headlines.
Then, landslides occur and environmental groups and certain political operatives, who for decades have been warning that rampant, often corrupt development is a recipe for environmental disaster and loss of life, are in the spotlight again, soon to be forgotten.
Meanwhile, there will always be forgotten families fighting for the right to have a roof over their heads and political operators colluding with developers while gaslighting people, either with race, religion or a new Malaysian dawn.
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
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