Falasi beban kebenaran

Burden of truth” atau beban kebenaran ini dilihat berbeda mengikut platform yang digunakan oleh seseorang individu. Masyarakat Malaysia sebenarnya polarised, atau berpecah mengikut platform – dan menghalang ramai orang membuat pertimbangan secara adil terhadap isu-isu yang sedang berlaku.

Sebagai contoh, di Twitter, disebabkan rapid information transfer, ramai merasakan mereka mempunyai first-hand information dalam pegangan mereka, walaupun belum ditentukan lagi sama ada maklumat berkenaan benar ataupun salah. Manakala di Facebook, Instagram dan TikTok, sentimen sangat memainkan peranan. Penulisan yang mendayu-dayu dan background music yang sendu akan mendatangkan reach yang sangat tinggi.

Dalam masa yang sama, di mana-mana platform sekalipun, fenomena troll amat memainkan peranan dalam menghasilkan reach yang tinggi. Ini kerana budaya troll ini diibaratkan sebagai penyakit berjangkit yang mampu menyebarluas konten atau provokasi yang diinginkan tanpa sempadan. Penzahiran rasa sebegini dilihat seiring dengan zaman, lebih moden, dan mereka yang menjuarai troll akan menjuarai opini awam.

Polarisasi juga kian meluas akibat superiority complex terserlah dalam kalangan mereka yang merasakan platform yang mereka duduki lebih baik dari platform lain. Ini membawa kepada short-sighted conclusion bahawa the information that I’m receiving in this platform is much truer than the other one.

Manakala, key opinion leader yang diterjemah melalui mereka yang mempunyai ramai bilangan pengikut dalam media sosial berkenaan memainkan peranan besar dalam mempengaruhi pandangan masyarakat terhadap isu besar. Jangan kita menjadi pengikut yang merosakkan – menilai maklumat berdasarkan bilangan sebaran berbanding ketulenan maklumat.

Hal ini mengingatkan saya kepada firman Allah ta’ala dalam surah al-An’aam ayat 116, di mana Allah menyebut,

6_116

Dan jika engkau menurut kebanyakan orang yang ada di muka bumi, nescaya mereka akan menyesatkanmu dari jalan Allah; tiadalah yang mereka turut melainkan sangkaan semata-mata, dan mereka tidak lain hanyalah berdusta. (6:116)

Juga kewajipan tabayyun yang dizahirkan dalam al-Hujurat ayat 6,

49_6

Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Jika datang kepada kamu seorang fasik membawa sesuatu berita, maka selidikilah (untuk menentukan) kebenarannya, supaya kamu tidak menimpakan sesuatu kaum dengan perkara yang tidak diingini – dengan sebab kejahilan kamu (mengenainya) – sehingga menjadikan kamu menyesali apa yang kamu telah lakukan.

Semoga Allah ta’ala melindungi negara ini dari kerosakan. Sama-sama kita doakan agar negara ini terus diberkati ahlinya, kekayaannya, kemuliaannya dan yang paling penting keimanan warganya. Amin ya rabb.

Would Malaysia’s woes be solved by a national recovery council?

This op-ed was published by South China Morning Post on August 7, 2021.

Malaysia’s former prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has proposed the formation of a national recovery council recently in light of political turmoil in Malaysia.The suggestion was made in the spirit of bipartisanship, to be implemented the situation gets better, and the government can call for a fresh election.

Council members, under his proposal, would include medical specialists, business people, bankers, lawyers, education practitioners and a few bipartisan politicians.

The concept of a National Recovery Council is not new to Malaysia.

In 1969, in light of racial riots, Tunku Abdul Rahman (Malaysia’s first Prime Minister) advised the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to form Majlis Gerakan Negara (MAGERAN) or National Operations Council led by Tun Abdul Razak as Director of Operations to restore law and order.

MAGERAN was proven to stabilise racial climate among civilians more than 40 years.

Holding a fresh election is the real solution for this never-ending political turmoil. However, it is very unlikely for the government to call for General Election amid the pandemic, as it might produce the same outcome as Sabah election in 2020.

Forming a governing council in lieu of the elected government will further extend the period of emergency in Malaysia, obstructing the exercise of checks and balances through parliamentary system. However, considering the nation is facing a severe political crisis where members of parliament are facing trust issues, it could serve as a a short-term solution.

Yet, it seems unlikely it will be established without the political will of the current government. In 1967, the council was established with the recommendation by the Prime Minister.

There are also questions revolving around well executed national Covid-19 immunisation programme mandated to current Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin. The future of the vaccination programme is one of the important aspects that should be considered with regard to the establishment of the council. Appointing new team to conduct the vaccination programme will only hinder its progress, as running the programme requires understanding in national political framework and seamless coordination between multiple agencies.

So is National Recovery Council the solution Malaysia needs? Yes and no. Yes, if it is truly created to expediate Covid-19 mitigation plans and act as bipartisanship platform solely for nation rebuilding purposes. No, if it is formed with the intention to lay out a foundation of power for particular figure or organisation. Let the general election decides.

Muhamad Firdaus Ali, student, Shiga University, Japan

https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3143941/would-malaysias-woes-be-solved-national-recovery-council

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© Muhamad Firdaus Ali.