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opinion

Whats in a national slogan?

August 28, 2013

AUG 28 The Malaysian government has once again given freesumpitammunition to their detractors to derai

them. The comical Endless Possibilities slogan was massacred by cynics who had a field day toying around with

it. Let us not forget that the tepid 1 Malaysia slogan that is heralded as a masterpiece by the Najib administration

is at best, flaccid.

The problem with both complementary slogans is that they are extremely ambiguous and thus allow too much

room for interpretation. Does 1 Malaysia mean the abolishment of affirmative action policies or does it mean aMalaysia ruled by one political power base?

As for Endless Possibilities, well, the interpretation for this is endless.

According to political anthropologist Andrea Cornwall, development discourse is peppered with jargon which

serve as buzzwords and buzzwords. The same can be applied to slogans.

These are soundbites, which are concise and succinct, but they are not precise. They could mean anything and

nothing at the same time and thus are fuzzwords.

I dont doubt that when the prime minister gives these slogans a shout out, he means it in an idealistic manner.

For him, Endless Possibilities and 1 Malaysia would mean an aspiring, harmonious Malaysia.

But the prime minister and his coterie of ministers are not normal Malaysians like you and me. They live in their

own ivory towers. They are equipped with police outriders to part the Red Sea of the atrocious Friday evening

KL traffic. They live ensconced in well-guarded residency areas. They can give employment to their children as

volunteers for their causes.

Their lived realities are different from ours. Hence, they can afford to have a worldview where 1 Malaysia and

8/13/2019 Whats in a national slogan_ _ Opinion _ The Malay Mail Online

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Endless Possibilities are seen in a positive light.

As for the rest of us, we are not so lucky.

Whats in a slogan?

The fetishisation of 1 Malaysia is rather scary. We have a Kedai Runcit 1 Malaysia and various paraphernalia

devoted to promoting the 1 Malaysia cause. Even our KTM Komuter trains are painted with the 1 Malaysia

logo. I predict that the next move would be to engrave the number 1 in front of the name of civil servants on theirnametags. Just imagine: 1 Hishammuddin and 1 Zahid Hamidi. Beat that Israel!

It appears that 1 Malaysia has evolved to become Malaysias national philosophy. Nevertheless, like all slogans,

this national philosophy lacks substance and analysis. It fails to embed itself into our national consciousness

because of the high ambiguity and polarised interpretations. The same goes for DAPs lukewarm Middle

Malaysia. I havent heard much of it since its inception.

To diminish the ambiguity, a slogan must be teleological it must have a clear goal. I have many qualms with

Mahathir Mohamad. But Wawasan 2020is quite a nice touch. It displays the audacity to aspire and strive to be

a developed nation by 2020. It asserts that whatever it is, we must all pull our weight to be developed by 2020.

The only problem with this slogan is that thejanji mestilah ditepati. The failure to reach the target by 2020

would only confirm that we as a nation have failed ourselves.

Context is everything

I believe that a slogan must be applicable to the contextual considerations that the nation is in. Wawasan 2020

was concocted in the early 90s when Malaysias economy was booming and we were receiving lots of

petroringgits. The slogan was compatible with the national mood which was brimming with optimism.

Malaysia Bolehis another slogan that was created during the heyday of our economic growth. It defined a

Malaysia that had the capacity to aspire and reach for the stars. Of course, in contemporary Malaysia this slogan

is viewed in a more cynical manner but at that time, it was on almost everybodys lips.

The governments idealistic sloganeering is not in tandem with the tense atmosphere shrouding Malaysia. People

are looking for a decisive prime minister who is certain on providing solutions for the problems at hand. Curiously

enough, the prime minister is silent on polemical issues but very noisy when it comes to promoting his slogans

as if they were magical incantations to our woes.

The slogans are smokescreens, obscuring the real problems that the average Malaysian encounters. Whenpeople are crying out for real policy solutions, the response, which is by supplying more slogans like Endless

Possibilities is ill-timed and unsettling. Against this backdrop, no wonder these slogans are met with endless

sarcasm.

The prime minister counters his critics by claiming that Endless Possibilities is a form of national branding to

project to the world. However, if the rakyatare cynical and have little confidence in this lacklustre brand, what

are the chances that the international community would buy it? What matters more: how the rakyat sees it or

how the world sees it?

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Malaysia is facing a turbulent period. Crime is everywhere. Corruption is endemic. Cronyism is entrenched. The

world economy is in a rupture and the Ringgit is weakening. Crass nationalism is gaining momentum. The rakyat

is jittery, in need of firm but fair leadership to steward this nation to calmer waters.

I dont like slogans but if the government insists on the need for slogans, it is imperative that the slogans respond

to the pulse of the nation. In these uncertain times, slogans that assuage, assure and demonstrate leadership to the

rakyatare optimal. At least, it shows that the government recognises these fundamental problems.

Recognition is a few steps away from solution.

Construct slogans which address specific issues plaguing the collective conscience. Zero Crimes would be

suitable for the Home Ministry determined to reduce crime. A Malaysia for All sounds welcoming to those

abroad and acts as a precursor to address the religious and ethnic intolerance beleaguering us. A Roof above

Every Malaysian Head can be one for the housing issue in the Klang Valley.

We need a listening government. You know what? That could be a slogan in itself: The Listening Government.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

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