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MALAYSIAN POLITICAL AWARENESS

Our beloved country has seen a lot in politics especially after the 2008 12th General Election. Political related incidents are always on the primetime news headlines. The importances of those political events are also affecting our social and economical well being. But have we ever wondered do all of us Malaysian have the same understanding or comprehension towards politics? Are we in the right track to cultivate the healthy political awareness?

Politics literally derive from a Greek word polis (state or city) and politicos which referring to anything related to the state or city. Technically politics are considered as the science of governing. The entire system of politics comprise of different number of players from the politician himself, the pressure group or NGOs, press and media people, the employees of the political parties, ordinary citizen and etc which also signifies the distinct level of political awareness.

Normally those who have the first hand experience will be one who has the exceptional knowledge of the fields. This is also applies to politics. This group is the one, who make the headlines, knows all political related issues, the candidates and sometimes the key political players personally. They understand the language of diplomacy and can strategize with institutions and community organizations when necessary. Politicians and the closest people around them such as political advisers etc consist in this area of definition.

The second group is also considered to be close to the first one but they would like to remain “outside” the political circle. This group is very involved with it. They also read political material, keep up with the daily news and might write articles or a blog. They have a preference for direct contact and search for an abundance of information wherever possible. In addition the 12th General Election has set a new benchmark for Malaysian media impact toward our voters in general where the new age media such as online papers, news portals, blogs, etc outshine conventional media.

Next is the group for the commoners. They keep themselves updates with the past and present political issues. They are also selective and highly motivated towards one particular issue instead of towards any particular party affiliation. The term on the fences are better recognized for those falls in this category. More and more Malaysian tend to be in this group because the open media policies practiced in Malaysia, everyone is free to access any information available on the conventional media and internet and now it`s up to us to be wise enough to do apple to apple comparison. Those who are in this group might and might not be a member or supporter from any political parties. For some supporter of one particular political party the openness in media exposure gave them the chances not only to be able to face with their counterpart from the opponent parties maturely but also the abilities to do sort of check and balance on their own party leadership. And again the number is increasing due to the computer and internet literacy is on the rise in this country.

Then comes the next category of merely followers which are those who are typical plain supporters of the each political party. They are often dogmatic about their views and prefer partisan preferences. They often know little if anything about other perspectives. They are primarily focused only on those they dislike. While this person might be passionate and loud about their views, they are also often hypocritical when it comes to the practice of these views.

Those who do not care at all also exist in our political society. Some might says these people doesn’t have the interest to know about the nation political well-being because it doesn`t benefit them directly. Politics for them is just another reading section available on the newspaper and nothing more.