Two famous quotes came to mind when I read Haris Ibrahim's post on Jawah Gerang. He seems set to start the ball rolling in Sarawak, to change the people's mindset and control of the state's affairs, in this coming by-election in Batang Ai:
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. - Plato.
We must become the change we want to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandhi
The People’s Parliament :The return of the reluctant politician
Who is the reluctant politician?
In a post in November, 2007, I suggested that such a person “has what it takes, who doesn’t want to get into Parliament, but gets in out of love for his country and his people, does the best he can, and can’t wait to have someone take his place”.
I met and spoke to one last Saturday in Sarawak.
I am, of course referring to PKR’s candidate for the forthcoming Batang Ai by-election, Jawah Gerang.
Doesn’t want to get into Parliament, but is now willing to stand in this by-election out of love for his country and his people?
Jawah told me that after 22 years of active politics, and after being dropped from the list of nominations in the last general elections, he felt that he had had enough, more so after being sidelined by the BN leadership in Sarawak for no reason other than speaking up for the marginalised Ibans.
“Was that not why I was elected? To look out and speak up for my constituents? In BN, you get punished if you try and do what’s right, if what you try to do runs against the interest of the leadership”, Jawah said.
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