What passive resistance needs as called upon by FirstGM.
For the Gandhi gambit to work, there has to be 3 prerequisites.
1. Awareness
You cannot simply oppose for the reason of opposing. Your cause must be clear and agreeable to a significant group. Right now, "everyone" is complaining, but not everyone is complaining about the same thing. Some are complaining about the Olympiad selection, some about the gross mismanagement, some about the corruption etc. Someone needs to rally all these people under one umbrella.
2. A viable alternative
Once again, you can't oppose just for the sake of opposing. Say we throw out this current regime. What is our alternative? Who then will be in charge? What makes the new regime better than the current one? Even if there is an alternative, there will be doubts. The current administration has been there "forever". Will the new team have the experience to achieve success? What if the new team is worse?
To convince people, a structured and viable alternative has to be offered before you can kick out the old regime. No point kicking out the current leaders and leave a leadership vacuum in the MCF. If there is no one to take their place, then the old powers will simply return.
3. A win-win mentality
Right now, most people believe that there is too much to lose by opposing the authorities. For someone who has been suffering from this "oppression", it is easy to call for passive resistance. But you must be reminded that the majority of the chess community consists of "mediocre" chess players. The normal distribution applies to the playing level of all chess players. So, only the "high achievers" who hope to achieve something in Malaysian chess are upset by MCF's garbage.
The rest of the crowd, which I (for the lack of a better word) call "mediocres" simply play chess as a hobby. They do not seek to achieve more than the mere excitement of battling it over the black and white jungle. Why should they go and rile up the lion of the jungle and risk not being able to enjoy their past time. Do not ignore these people because they are the majority and this will be the group that can help kick out the old regime. The first and foremost question is, "What is in it for them?" If you cannot offer a win-win solution for this group (the majority), then passive resistance from a small group of people who can shout loudly, will be just pure noise.
This is why, opposing the MCF is a long and arduous process. These 3 prerequisites have to be fulfilled. This is why I have taken up the cause to rile up the public about the gross mismanagement that is going on. What I am doing is not mere complaining. Far from it. I am trying to raise awareness with regards to the rot that has been going on for too long in our backyard that now, it has stink up the whole neighborhood. I am trying to wake the neighborhood up.
Can you all wake up and smell the stink?
Gandhi will probably be behind bars for the rest of his life if he tried that here in Singapore and Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteThe circumstances to his victory are totally different. The British were beaten by their notion of fair play. Sorry, that doesn't work here.
Hard to disagree with you here, John. Nonetheless, these 3 prerequisites apply for a change in regime. Right now, I just don't see a viable alternative. No point trying to kick out the current regime until someone deserving and willing to take up the challenge puts up his hand
ReplyDeleteRaymond cited too much fear.
ReplyDeleteI would say inertia seems more like it.