The Creation of Empty Vessels?

When I was in primary school, in Standard 5 to be exact, Mrs. Anne my class teacher, taught us the meaning of the phrase "an empty vessel makes the most noise".

She actually said that in order to hush the class down, as my class was known to be one of the most noisy classes in the whole batch. We weren't naughty - we just had a super-abundance of energy and enthusiasm.

But the phrase implied that a person who makes noise, is a stupid person with a vacant mind. It did enough to the ego of my classmates to keep the class quiet.

An empty vessel makes the most noise.

The phrase returns to my mind repeatedly nowdays, as I observe several different mailing and discussion groups - discussing on a wide range of different topics and populated by people of different interests, backgrounds and expertise (or sometimes, the lack of it).


There are a few trends that I've noticed amongst discussants on e-mail groups.

Most are residing in the urban areas. Most have some form of tertiary education and are studying, are working in executive level jobs as professionals or entrepreneurs. Most have a working grasp of the English language, if not proficient in it. And unless it's some exclusive chatroom - it tends to be a multi-racial crowd, discussing a variety of issues.

It is without doubt that the strongest medium for freedom of expression in Malaysia, is via the Internet. More things are said by large numbers of people in cyberspace, than in any number of physical gathering possible. E-mail groups allow for information to be shared with hundreds and thousands, if not millions of people.

It's hard to imagine that it's only about 10-11 years ago, only a select group of people in Malaysia knew how to use the Internet.

And now, about 15% of all households in Malaysia, have Internet access - although the trend is still a very urban related one - KL, Selangor, Penang, Johor and Sarawak would make up close to 75% of Internet penetration in Malaysia (based on 2002 numbers by MIMOS)

It's probably a fair statement to say that on the majority, the Internet is probably one of the most accurate barometers of what the urbanites are thinking, especially for those below 40 years of age.

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So, what are they thinking about?

Current issues. Most of them are discussing current issues and a substantial amount of their time are spent talking about current issues which relate to the Government and the quality of governance (or the lack of it).

There is probably no other medium that opens itself to an endless supply of Government bashing, as e-mail groups do. And in Malaysia, we specialize in this.

Be it the fuel subsidies, criticism on the way GLCs are run, the comments and behaviour of our elected MPs, the ripple caused by the new wave of movies like Sepet, Gubra and the banned "Lelaki Komunis Terakhir", the destruction of our local environment, the idiocy and retarded service level of the local civil service, the open and hidden corruption of political leaders, religious conflicts and governance, issues of race-based privileges - the Internet is the platform for all these angst and repressed dissatisfactions, to air themselves.

To a certain extent, it's a good thing. It's a good thing that Malaysians are expressing themselves openly. That they're not afraid to do so. That they don't hold themselves back.

That they don't bottle up their feelings and prejudices and wait for the volcano to erupt. And with everyone opening up, you get to see the different opinions held by others not like you - those who are young, old, conservative, anarchist, Malay, Chinese, Kadazan, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, citizen, foreigner, etc.

In that sense, the Internet has done more for freedom of political expression amongst Malaysians - than any other medium has done in the past.

More openness means more exposure to others. It means seeing other perspectives unlike or even opposed to your own. It means seeing people of all intents - sincere, flippant, stupid, saboteur or even power-crazy. It may mean less naivety or it may mean more cynicism, depending on the "weather" of what is discussed.

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It would be fair to say that some of the things that you read in these e-mail circles will influence you greatly, if you didn't know any better. And if you assumed that the main protagonists - the active speakers within the e-mail group - do know better than you.

After all, Malaysians are a shy lot. They don't express themselves or say very much publicly, for fear that they could be wrong. 11 years of schooling has taught you that it's a bad thing to get things wrong. So, you never take that risk of being wrong.

In fact, it teaches you to go with the tide, to agree with what the majority seem to be saying. Or at least, the perception of whom the majority seems to agree with - it's safety in big numbers. It's ingrained in you that it's never a good thing for you to be wrong, alone.

Now, what's wrong with this picture?

From what I've observed of e-mail groups (and I've been a member of several big and popular local e-mail groups) and from many of the popular "citizen journos" blogs that I've come across - the comments on the local political situation, national or local governance or even local politicians, are VERY negative.

It's like an orgy of people who are intent on being negative on every single thing the Government does.

All it takes is one negative comment and everyone seems more than eager to jump on the "bitching bandwagon". Few of them will try to be constructive but almost 90% of them will leave comments which are neither comforting nor constructive.

Fair enough, for the most part, all of us have had some experience (some more than others) of being shortchanged by the Government and politicians. Some have been directly victimized by direct actions, others may be indirectly victimized by inaction or indirect actions. Some would go so far to blame everything that happens in this country to the position of the Prime Minister - regardless of who sits there.

But the outpouring of collective frustrations by Malaysians reflect one thing - everyone feels that they've been cheated out of their due. It's gushing with complaints, anger and paints a very bleak picture, for the future.

But no one does anything about it. I don't even think that they even see it as their responsibility to be constructive or to help make the dark scenario better.

They complain about national issues in a public forum, they villify all characters possible (especially if they're closely related to the Prime Minister) and then they go back to their daily lives of work, family and friends.

They don't even try to make any sort of change - it's like they've done their responsibility by joining the "bitching bandwagon" and adding to the chorus of doom and gloom.

It reminds me of an old saying: "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem".

This is one of those things that will stop our people from having a developed mindset. It's a learnt helplessness - you talk about it and you walk away. The buck never stops with us.

That it's somebody else's responsibility to solve things. That it's somebody else's neck that should be risked on the chopping block. That governing the country is just about the Government doing right - and that it has nothing to do with a pro-active citizenry that participates in the process of a more refined governance.

That's why things never move in Malaysia. Whose going to get it moving if everyone waits for something to happen?

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The truth is, centralization of power towards the office of the Prime Minister is so strong in this country (something we've inherited from 22 years of Mahathir governance) that we expect our Prime Minister to be accountable for not only national development, but even the state of our roads, potholes and drains.

It's a magical seat to us - where the the person who sits in it - will turn into Santa Claus - and grant Malaysians all their deepest wishes and dreams for this country.

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But back to the issue - if everyone feels cheated and yet feel that they're not left with a viable choice (there seems to be no viable national level Opposition that Malaysians would feel comfortable in electing, in previous and foreseeably, future elections), then what is the correct way, to express oneself?

E-mail groups are potentially much more than just "bitching bandwagons" on the Government.

Yes, an expression of things that are wrong is a good thing. Someone should highlight things which go wrong, especially done when it's done by the people we elect.

But after highlighting the problem, we should do our part to be constructive and suggest solutions or remedial actions.

Write to the newspapers about it - share it with the rest of the country. Someone who is in a position to do something about it may read it. Or if you'd like - e-mail it to the Prime Minister, the relevant Minister, the Economic Planning Unit or the Backbencher's Club in Parliament.

Or speak to your industry organization or local NGO about it, if the issue is related to what they cover - they may have stronger links and access to the people in power than you do.

Some may cite cynicism on whether these measures would be effective. I say you should try some or all of these avenues and see what works. At the very least, you would have done your part in highlighting the issue to realm of public awareness or to the ballpark of the people who may be able to act on the issues.

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And just as important - is to highlight the areas where the Government has done right. As a country, we need to feel good about something (of course, without being complacent, while at it)

For all that's wrong with this country, for all the things that will impair our future competitiveness - there are many things that have been done right, too. We cannot be one of the most competitive Asian nations in the world, if all our Government has been able to do - is to do things wrongly.

Yes, there are many things that could have been done better, economically, politically and socially. Some we've realized early on, most we've realized when the going got tough.

But Malaysia is a complex country to run - we've managed to stay afloat from the mutual compromise of all races, which is the lynchpin of our political stability and the foundation of our economic growth and making up the story, as we go along.

And the adaptation of the story gets more complex, as the world globalizes, leaving a deep impact on the way Malaysia has planned for the future. It challenges our mutual agreements, the foundation of this country, our social contract. Nothing will be able to remain the same for long, without question, if Malaysia is to survive for the long run.

Malaysia's a young country (almost 50 years since Independence and 36 years since the foundation of the NEP was laid in 1971) and it's not even yet a nation.

There's still much to do to make it a nation - but it's something that we've got to keep chipping away at, so that successive generations can enjoy the fruit of our struggles and efforts. There is still a long way to go, before the sentiment of "Bangsa Malaysia" can be felt by more than a small minority of the urban community in Malaysia.


So, the next time you're on the "bitching bandwagon" and talking about the Government, be it past or current administration - remember to highlight all the good things, too. Nothing good comes out from a dark, doom and gloom sentiment - especially when it's shared with the masses.

If you want to empower people - sell them a vision. Tell them what they can do - perhaps, if they can't solve national problems, teach them to solve problems at their locality level.

Show them what they can do within their own families - for better income, financial management, religious observance or educational achievement and personality well-roundedness of their children.

Illustrate to them that all it takes is one for one to be proactive and to take action - the slightest ripple is perhaps, the beginning to the biggest waves. And not to sit there, complain and feel helpless. If the Japanese, the Koreans or the Americans had this attitude, they'd never be where they are, right now.


And when you express yourself on these e-mail groups, don't add to the echo of helplessness, angst and one-sided Government bashing. We don't need another idiot that agrees with everyone else - dropping in cynical one-liners, just to feel included.

Sit back, analyse the issues, understand the context and come out with facts, figures and solutions (not just at the Government level, but also at the people level) that could help the situation.

Hold on to your intellectual integrity. Never only tell one side of the story, don't push an agenda by manipulation of facts, defer to the knowledge of someone who may have more expertise than you and be open to the possiblity that you could be wrong.

Always send your point across with politeness - never let the messenger overshadow the message. Sometimes, HOW you say things is just as important as WHAT you say.

Remember, the objective of all education, is action. It goes against the grain of being an educated person to have knowledge, yet fold your arms and remain helpless.

If e-mail groups are a form of mass education and if education is to happen, then there must be proper manners and intellectual integrity - where it's less important to be seen to be right than it is, to discover what the truth is.

The ego must be a slave to the greater good and higher knowledge, of the community. God forbid that we mislead others with our ignorance and our own selfish personal or community agendas.

(For Muslims, this is especially relevant - intellectual integrity is core to how Muslims are instructed to learn religion and other areas of learning - one which brought the Islamic civilization many great scientific and mathematical discoveries in the past)

At the end of the day, all of us have a responsibility when using a public medium like the Internet - to not dish our pure negativity and blame.

The Internet to a certain extent, made all of us a little "mini-newspaper". It's a great tool for progress, learning and action.

It should never be a tool for making the citizenry feel more helpless and powerless, about things happening around them. Be positive and retain that note of hope, which everyone can and should work on. That's what makes a people great - the sense that nothing is impossible, that nothing is beyond them.

We are both the creators and product of our own environment. You either shape it or ship out. Progress promises to leave behind, the helpless society which complains the most.

Don't be an empty vessel. Mrs. Anne would disapprove.