Are you a moderate or extremist?

I am not surprised by the political developments currently going on in the country.

After the failure of the Reformasi movement in 1998, one of the most significant developments of the past decade has been the resurgence of the social movements scenario. At a time when there is sprouting alienation from political parties, civil society is playing a growing and critically important role in Malaysian democratic development.

Since then, the subject of social movements has been linked to the rise and fall of hopes on the quality of Malaysian democracy.

The Reformasi movement was not able to sustain itself and the spirit of “movement” died off several years later as it was transformed into a political party.

The emergence of the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) in 2005 and other movements such as Himpunan Hijau fighting for civil and political rights, human rights and civil liberties revitalises the spirit of “movement” and provides a new turning point for the transformed political landscape in the country.

Responding to movements, such as Bersih, which cut across the boundaries of race and religion, counter-movements aimed at defending their race and religion against other ethnic minorities in the country are at the same time mushrooming.

The growth of counter-movements mobilised around ethno-religious issues shows us how Malaysian politics preserve the ability to surprise.

The growth of social movements could mean a lot of things, positive or negative, depending on their type and nature.

Looking at the direction the country has been heading in recent years, the growth of social movements signal that the government has failed to engage with society.

The government has been selective in considering the demands put forward by social movements such as Bersih. At the same time, it provides support to movements such as the Pertubuhan Peribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa).

Just last week, a new movement calling itself Negara-Ku was formed. It is a contemporary social phenomenon born out of the challenges that threaten the peace and harmony of its multi-ethnic and multi-faith society.

Such forms of social movement are poised to begin an era of broadening and deepening the consensus for social justice and nation-building in the long run.

Following its inception, the movement received various attacks from Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), Perkasa and others.

The latest has been the formation of the Protect Malaysia Movement (GLM), aimed at protecting Malaysia from the so-called evil threats. One of the movement’s key messages is to prevent non-Muslims from interfering in Islamic matters.

Isma condemned Negara-Ku as a new front to champion “humanism, liberalism and religious pluralism”, while Mingguan Malaysia suggested Negara-Ku should be renamed as “Agenda-Ku”.

The root of these problems has been a building up of tensions and frustration within society. So much anger has built up mainly due to the government’s failure in overcoming the alarming issues in recent years.

Many falsely think that when a social movement is formed, it is about protesting against the government. In fact, most of the time, the goal is about mobilising the people. It is crucial to show that there is a convincing movement speaking to the people’s concerns and putting forth views that they support.

This is especially critical in the current stage where the main task is to broaden and deepen the movements that cut across racial and religious boundaries.

Although the government of the day “survived” the 2008 and 2013 general elections, it muddled through rather than tackled the root causes through genuine political reform.

The way that the Malaysian government under the leadership of Najib Razak deals with this current challenge has an impact on the domestic trust in its institutions and also its international image as a moderate Muslim country.

It is time for those of us who care for our country to take conclusive action. Although it remains to be seen how emerging movements such as Negara-Ku can effectively impact the Malaysian political landscape, at least such initiatives signify that the priority of effective political power can no longer be assumed to be simply the government’s role.

Effective power should, therefore, be shared and negotiated by diverse forces. – July 14, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.