2007 ~ 2012 |
A NEW CAMPUS AND THE BIRTH OF SASS
The Makers of Change
Dr Julian CH Lee
Giving new students the basics
of an essay structure during a
Transition Programme (2008). ▶
68
But it is an
error of fact,
and of belief,
that change
is wrought by
the few and
mighty. My
colleagues,
and our
students,
understand
this. They are
the makers
of change.
On 10 May 2018, the world received news that the
longest-serving elected government in the world had
been put out of office. I, and many others, had come
to believe that voting the long-incumbent government
out of office was impossible. I had witnessed firsthand
the impediments to fair participation in elections
and had written in learned publications about the
high hurdles that opposition parties and civil society
faced towards democratic participation. I agreed with
the authors who said that the characteristics of a
democracy need to include not only elections, but also
occasional changes of government.
I recall sitting in a fluorescently-lit basement during
the very first conversations steered by Wong Chin-
Huat about the possibility of creating an electoral
reform movement (and thinking to myself that such a
movement would never gain traction with the public).
I recall being with placard-wielding women activists
of the Women’s Candidacy Initiative during the 2008
General Elections, and being afraid as we waded into a
large ceramah-viewing audience from whom there was
no route for a quick escape if things became rough.
But change happened despite my firmly held gloom.
And when it did global reporting credited the result to
Dr Mahathir Mohamad. It appeared to many that this
was his triumph. I recall activities not directly about elections, like the
many consciousness-raising events in support of
minority groups, and watching colleagues like Yeoh
Seng Guan, Sharon Bong, Andrew Ng, Benjamin
McKay and Joseph Goh, all appealing to the hearts
and minds of their audiences.
I have no doubt that it is his triumph, but I also know
that it is much more so the triumph of the thousands
of people who had been working both wearily and
tirelessly for greater democracy in Malaysia –many
of whom had protested against Mahathir’s diverse
actions and statements. As the news broke of the
change in government, I tweeted: I recall helping twenty Malaysian civil society
organisations set up booths for SASS’s ‘NGO Fair’,
and their efforts over the years to inform students of
their work, and enabling students to envision careers
in their sector.
As my first sentence suggests, the impact that the
results had on the certitudes in my life was profound.
However, it is my second sentence on which I will
dwell for a moment, because when I think about
those who brought about the change in government,
Mahathir does not come to mind. In my mind,
I instead see fragments of the many scenes and
conversations at which I was present.
All of these actions, and of course so many more,
whether big or small, loud or quiet, were the things
that really brought about change. These will need to
continue into the future for there is much else to do;
a change in government may in fact change very little.
But it is an error of fact, and of belief, that change is
wrought by the few and mighty. My colleagues, and
our students, understand this. They are the makers
of change. And I am grateful for all your efforts in
so many domains, which have benefited so many,
including myself.
Julian CH Lee lectured at SASS between 2007 and
2012. He currently teaches at RMIT, Melbourne.