Pakatan needs young activists to win, says Bersatu's Maszlee Malik

Radzi Razak Radzi Razak Updated 6 years ago · Published on 25 Mar 2018 3:00PM · 3 Comments

Dr Maszlee Malik hopes civil society activists will be there to correct him. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Kamal Ariffin, March 25, 2018.

BERSATU’S Dr Maszlee Malik is urging activists and youth to help Pakatan Harapan defeat Barisan Nasional in the next general election. 

Maszlee, a scholar who joined the party a month ago, added that the high ideals held by young activists would keep PH politicians in check should the opposition coalition win Putrajaya. 

“I urge the youths to channel your idealism to ensure there is a regime change. And if there is one, uphold your idealism,” Maszlee said in an interview with The Malaysian Insight. 

“If they don’t like Tun (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) in this new regime, they could be the check and balance. We need that.

“For me, when I am in a political party, I could play the role of the outsider. But I hope that civil society activists will be there to correct someone like me. In Islam, this is called ‘Amar Makruf Nahi Mungkar’ and its political language is accountability,” said the activist and university lecturer.

Before becoming a Bersatu member, Maszlee did aid work for 18 years, conducting programmes in Jordan, Malaysia and the UK. 

In Malaysia, he was active in IKRAM, Teaching for the Needs (TFTN), Down Syndrome educational centre (Orkids) as well as volunteering at soup kitchens in Kuala Lumpur.

Maszlee, who was educated at Jordan’s Al al-Bayt University and Durham University, UK, is excited to be able to use his experience in activism and community work in his political work.

“It’s a form of rejuvenation. It’s as though I’ve been reborn. New things to learn. We’re used to teaching in universities, but I find from speaking with people on the street, farmers, people at the coffee shops, they have many things to teach us.

“Activism helped me empathise with others, to be patient and to see things from different perspectives and not to be judgemental,” he said. 

Maszlee said a successful political party needed three things – charismatic leaders, intellectuals and the support of youths. 

“During Umno’s founding, it had these three elements. In PAS, the ulama could be thought of as intellectuals. Gerakan, MCA, MIC, PKR, Amanah. They have these three elements.” 

Regarding concerns that PH was not ready to administer the country, Maszlee said such doubts were to be expected.

“We had such doubts in the past, before several states were taken over by the opposition. That is the nature of it. In 2008, people didn’t expect the opposition to be able to run the state governments in Selangor and Penang. 

“In 1990, no one thought PAS was ready. It’s only after you win, then you learn how to run a government. Politics is a form of education,” Maszlee said. – March 25, 2018. 

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Comments

  • Pakatan needs to sound like a winner to win .... winners will look like they are heading somewhere, winners don't whine and complain, winners prefer minding their own business and winners don't look like they are having a good time when they are minding the business of others ....

    pakatan looks confused as to where it is heading, always whines and complains, doesn't seem to have a business of its own to mind and looks like it is having a jolly good time when it is interfering in the business of BN....

    its not a question of age, it is a question of aura ....winners deserve to win, and pakatan is just not projecting the aura of a winner ....that is the problem ...

    Posted 6 years ago by Nehru Sathiamoorthy · Reply

  • Invariably, the young people of Harapan will meet the same fate as Syed and his fellow young Turks. Stomped on by Mahathir who will not tolerate any opinion but his own. Mind you Syed & Co were a bunch of idiots who thought they knew everything and were unprepared to consult anyone. So they had the potential to become ‘good leaders’..Malaysian style

    Posted 6 years ago by Dennis Da Menace · Reply

  • I would suggest to Maszlee that the last thing a Malaysian political party needs is charismatic leaders and intellectuals What Malaysia needs is visionary and empathetic leaders. Charismatic leaders are only for weaklings who need to be told what to do. They epitomise the delusions held by most Malaysian politicians (and D Trump) that they know everything. As for intellectuals. Do you mean men and women Who can pass exams, but have no common sense and no empathy with the people. Give me a labourer who cares for his fellow men ...any day. As for the young people. Well, Maszlee, when the young people are the product of Malaysian repressive religions and repressive parents they are not going to be of much value to anyone.

    Posted 6 years ago by Dennis Da Menace · Reply