iv>By The Editor
The more important order of the day is for our elected representatives, on both sides of the divide, to work towards moving the country forward.
The recent by-election in Permatang Pauh was the "most violent," according to Malaysian Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar.
In several ways, it was indeed a violent episode, with instances of physical aggression and assault occurring during the period between nomination day and the end of polling day.
Members of the media also came under intimidation and some were beaten up. Many supporters on both sides of the divide went beyond rowdy and boisterous, and some voters found themselves becoming targets of verbal abuse and lewd behaviour.
According to the authorities, 71 police reports on various incidences were lodged. That's bad.
Given the high stakes, it's understandable that things got out of hand, but nevertheless, it's certainly not excusable.
Too many of us seem to have become too easily prone to emotional outbursts nowadays. It's as if we are living in a society that is unbearably angst-ridden.
Even the weather, at least in the Klang Valley, is reflecting the mood on the ground, as it were.
Angry thunderstorms are almost a daily occasion, with voluminous amounts of rain pouring down on the hapless city folk.
And with the rain comes the worst of the infamous Kuala Lumpur gridlock, which remains in "full force," regardless of high fuel prices.
It has not helped that several roads have been closed for Merdeka Day rehearsals, which has made navigating the city roads no fun at all, to put it mildly.
Mix it all together, and you begin to wonder if the country has somehow come under a curse or as we Malays would say, "kena sumpah."
I am, of course, joking here, although the pun was well and truly intended. But seriously, external observers could be forgiven if they came to the conclusion that Malaysia is in a pretty awful mood. It need not be so.
We have to learn to look on the bright side of life (whistle away, all you Monty Python fans), if not always, then most of the time.
No doubt, the Permatang Pauh by-election was hardly a shining example of how people should conduct themselves within the democratic process.
But we can be thankful that we Malaysians remain restrained enough that we have not had to experience the death and destruction that plague elections in some countries.
Allow me to state here that I do not condone the sort of behaviour exhibited in Permatang Pauh, before anyone accuses me of being an apologist.
There are lessons that can be learnt, not just from Permatang Pauh, but also from events prior to the by-election. First and foremost, we have to stop all these personal attacks that are being flung through the air thick and fast as if they were going out of style.
If certain matters are being investigated or have gone into the province of the courts, then we should leave these matters well enough alone to be resolved within the jurisdiction of the respective authorities.
There is no sense in incessantly harping on them, as attacks of this nature demean not just the accused, but the accuser as well.
They only lead to a downward spiral of increasing venom and vehemence that does no one any favours, least of all innocent, albeit interested bystanders such as you and I.
We also have to learn to put things in perspective, to see that in relation to many people elsewhere, things here are not as bad as they might seem. And if we really do believe that things are actually bad, then the right-thinking person will focus on finding ways to fix them, rather than be sidetracked by unnecessarily getting worked up by the problem itself.
All eyes are now on Anwar Ibrahim, who was sworn in as Permatang Pauh Member of Parliament and Opposition leader yesterday. He fought a very hard fight in the by-election, and gained a thumping win to pave the way for his return to Parliament after a decade-long absence.
The Malaysian air is electric with anticipation and excitement over what Anwar will do in the august house of the Dewan Rakyat (parliament).
Since it is called the Dewan Rakyat, allow this humble citizen to give him a few pointers of what I think Malaysians expect of him as Opposition leader.
Let's see some intelligent, civilised debate that seeks to help the people, rather than debate that is not much different from the mud slinging we got in Permatang Pauh.
Let's see viable alternative solutions to those proposed by the Government, if those proposals are accused of not having the welfare of the people in mind.
And let's have the Opposition cobble together a shadow Cabinet, if it believes it has the people, who can do a better job than the ones in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's current ministerial line-up. I think these things are not too much to ask, because all of us need to realise that while elections are an important component of democracy, they are over and done with, as far as Malaysia is concerned.
The more important order of the day is the efforts that our elected representatives, on both sides of the divide, need to put in to move this country forward.
