Bloggers Should Seek Meeting With PM Rather Than Engage In Public Outcry

Lately there are efforts to ‘shame’ or ‘bring down’ Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak by bloggers who are supporting Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN). While a few did not directly call on Najib to step down but of course subtly, one or two did not hesitate to openly and directly make the call and even to extent of calling Najib names, not nice names of cause.

They seem to be wanting to rally public support, behaving like leaders of the oppositions, in their call for Najib to step down and urging Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to take over.

One or two bloggers even went to the extent of conducting surveys to show Najib that they are capable of rallying people to ‘push’ him out of his Putrajaya seat, on the purported reason that Najib has ‘abandoned the Malays and compromising too much to the Chinese and Najib listens too much to his advisors who are blamed for the wrong actions and policies.’

They named the advisors and even Najib’s press secretary, put up their photos and alleged so many things that by now, the general public may have already know the advisors’ name by hard, their background and everything about them.

They blamed Najib for listening too much and follow every advise these people gave, which they claimed at present distancing or widening the gap between Najib and the Malays and Najib and the rural folks.

In a democratic country headed by a leader who respect and follow democracy, any citizen can point the leader’s mistakes or weaknesses and they can even write to media or in their blogs, if they have, anything they are not satisfied with.

After all democracy calls for the citizens democratic rights to communicate with the leader chosen by the majority and also the right to seek explanations on policies and questions the reasons behind Najib’s moves.

However, as democracy is also giving freedom of expression for the people, we should also take note of the decorum as Malays, a race rich in culture and manners that even if one is angry, one will always find a good and subtle way to tell the leader.

In this case with the bloggers, who are Malays, they should themselves know the way to tell Najib their minds.

At the very least, before they embarked on rallying public opinions and support for their ‘cause to bring down Najib for whatever reasons they feel right’, they should have the courtesy to send him a note seeking a meeting

Najib is one man who, till now have yet to turn down any request for a meeting if he knows it is for his ears only or for the good of the people, and these bloggers who had met Najib few times before, there is no reason Najib would turn down their request for a meeting if they seek.

They would have a different perspective and would not have embarked on the efforts to rally public support if they have done that – seek a meeting and seek explanation from the man himself why he is doing things that they see as not beneficial and repressive, if that is the term they wanted to use.

Calling Najib and his secretary and advisors names which are ‘not nice for the ears and hearts and create animosity’ is not the Malay way and obviously not even the western way, the supposedly progressive race that most Malays are trying to emulate.

Frankness and being honest are attributes that should be followed but on the other hand, relaying the thoughts and opinions should follow the civilized and educated ways rather than promoting oneself as champion to the public, as if to prove to the public that one is vocal and brave to engage in a public outcry.

Like posting a letter to the Prime Minister publicly that seemed to reflect one is rallying public support for one’s cause and same time highlighting to the public that one is smart and fearful.

There are other ways to relay the message effectively without even highlighting oneself in the public.