Do we cruise it was Umno which gained autonomy for Malaya? That is what Umno would similar to us to believe, of course. It was not Umno. It was a center category as well as those with income (Malays, Chinese as well as Indians), a Malay teachers, a Malay writers, a Malay journalists, and, many critical of all, a Malay nobility, which headed a autonomy movement. Yes, as well as which is since a initial 3 budding ministers were all 'orang istana' (palace people).
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Whenever we speak about revolutions, what would routinely come to mind would be a French Revolution of 1789 -- as well as with which we picture a Storming of a Bastille. Most would demeanour during a events of 1789 in a certain light. This is, of course, due to a romantic picture which has been combined as well as a impression which this was a beginning of a finish for monarchies as well as of a bieing born of republics which brought with it liberty/freedom, equality/democracy, as well as so on.
In reality, a 1789 revolution, theFirstFrench Revolution, was a full of blood affair. It was a box of a heal being worse than a disease. No doubt, during first, headlines of a series was greeted with fad all over Europe. But when they began to realise which a series was not so many a feat for a people though a defeat for a 'Old World Order', a monarchy complement which prevailed in Europe during which time, unrestrained for a series began to decline.
The British press, for example, began to tell perspective pieces, cartoons, caricatures, etc., which would emanate a disastrous picture of a revolution. The revolutionaries were mocked as well as portrayed as fools as well as barbarians. Invariably, ! a revolu tion, which had primarily got off upon a good start, met with antithesis from roughly a total of Europe.
We must remember which a dual biggest landowners during which time were a aristocrats as well as a clergy. More than 70% of a people were ignoramus peasants who worked as serfs upon land they did not own. Serfs were no better than slaves. In a way, a climax as well as a church shared energy as well as monarchs were considered as carrying been appointed by God as well as anointed by a church.
By transferring energy as well as tenure of a land to a people, this not usually meant a loss for a climax though for all a aristocrats as well as a church as well. Clergymen, who were roughly similar to second-tier nobility, became 'common people' with no energy as well as no property. This frightened a rest of Europe, which fundamentally had a same complement as in France, as well as which they did not instruct to see changed.
If we were asked what we would cruise as a many poignant aspect of a First French Revolution, we would contend a Reign of Terror in a aftermath of 1789 as well as a climb of a 'common' man as a new 'monarch' of France who would draw towards a total of Europe up to Russia into a full of blood fight never prior to seen in such proportions.
France was in chaos. For ten years it had seen zero though counter-revolution after counter-revolution. Those who sent thousands of French organisation as well as women to a electric chair merely weeks or months prior to were themselves sent to a guillotine. Executioner currently became executed tomorrow.
In fact, a electric chair was invented during which era. Initially, they hung a 'traitors' though so many had to be sent to their deaths which a hangman could not keep up with a schedule. Hence they came out with a thought of a guillotine, which was faster as well as some-more fit as well as could keep up with a number of people which had to be put to death.
The aristocrats as well as! preachi ng in a future grew tired of all this death as well as disharmony as well as longed for France to return to a aged 'peaceful' system. Others, upon a other hand, wished to return to a Reign of Terror. They needed a clever chairman to revive sequence as well as they saw this chairman in a form of Napoleon Bonaparte who had proven himself upon a battlefield.
France's neighbours had ganged up opposite France in an try to put down a commonwealth as well as revive a monarchy. Hence a need for a military genius to defend France opposite a foreign enemies of a revolution. Napoleon not usually established a clever peremptory government though he additionally introduced poignant reforms of a bureaucracy, authorised complement as well as education system. And whenever France occupied any neighbouring nation they introduced this same complement into those countries, a little which is still in make use of today, such as a metric system.
Eventually, France was defeated, mainly due to a folly in attacking Russia. What was primarily a reason for Napoleon's success in a future became a same reason for his disaster -- in which a 'living off a land' as a armed forces fast advanced into enemy domain without being hold behind by logistics support, similar to a aged ways of we do battle, became unfit when Russia retreated as well as left a 'scorched earth' behind. It was not so many a Russian armed forces rsther than than a cold as well as starvation which brought a French armed forces to a knees. Out of 600,000 organisation who left Paris, a mere handful done it home.
After Napoleon's defeat, a 'New World Order' had to be created, or during slightest a New European Order. And this was what a Congress of Vienna was tasked with in 1815. The bounds of Europe were redrawn. New nation-states were combined as well as aged nation-states swallowed up by their neighbours. New countries emerged as well as aged countries disappeared. They did just similar to what they did later to a Ottoman Empire af! ter a Fi rst World War -- as well as which is a reason for all a problems a Middle East is confronting today.
What a 1815 Vienna Congress hoped to achieve was a replacement of a Old World Order sheltered as a New World Order -- mainly to maintain a monarchy complement as well as block any probability of republics emerging in Europe. Basically, a Vienna Congress was perplexing to turn a clock behind to pre-1789 days, a epoch prior to a First French Revolution.
But which was pre-1789 when many of a people were ignoramus peasants cum serfs/slaves. Since then, since of a office building of roads, etc., which done transport as well as communications easier as well as some-more efficient, trade opened up as well as with it saw a presentation of a center category which was richer than a peasants though not of a nobility.
In short, if we were asked to sum up what happened in 1820 Europe, we would contend which pre-1789 Europe consisted of usually dual classes -- a upper category of nobility/clergy as well as a reduce category of peasants/serfs. One generation later, Europe saw a presentation of a middle-class of traders, merchants, manufacturers, millionaires, poets, writers, painters, composers, play-writes, actors, sculptors, architects, engineers, inventors, journalists, activists, as well as whatnot. And it was this organisation of people, in a epoch which historians call 'The Age of Romanticism', which carried a suggestion of reforms as well as changes.
Political movements as well as debating clubs sprang up all over Europe. Newspapers mushroomed. Secret Societies which operated subterraneous were formed. Artists, poets, writers, architects, etc., flourished, as can be seen in a works published afterwards as well as a buildings designed as well as built 200 years ago. It was an countenance of shift as well as this 'making a statement' of 200 years ago can still be seen currently if we were to tour Europe or we pick up books published or painti! ngs embe llished during which era.
In 1822, Greece saw a series where they successfully suspended their Ottoman colonialists followed by a Second French Revolution in 1830, Poland's Revolution in 1831, Italy in a 1820s as well as again in a 1830s, Spain in 1833, Germany in 1848, etc.
The fallacy many people have is which revolutions begin as well as succeed when a people roar 'enough' as well as they climb opposite tyranny. This cannot though be serve from a truth. Most of a times a people do not even understand what is going upon as well as have been too bustling perplexing to consequence a vital to care. It needed a presentation of a minority 'romantics' as well as an egghead center category for all this to happen.
'Romantics' as well as idealists similar to Garibaldi as well as Mazzini who joined Italy into one nation-state, a civil servants (mainly taxation collectors) in Greece who were fed up with a Ottomans 'bleeding' their country, a landowners of Poland who longed for to reject their Russian colonialists, Don Carlos (brother to a Spanish King, Ferdinand, who headed a Carlist movement) who opposed a Spanish Inquisition, a jingoist movement which longed for to combine Germany, as well as so on, were a spearhead of all these revolutions.
What 200 years of history, or during slightest a story of 200 years ago, has taught us is which a people make a difference little when it comes to revolutions. Most times a people either do not participate in it or do not understand what is going on. It needs a couple of pass people, a thinkers as well as those with money, to set a wheels in motion.
We speak about change, reforms, peoples' power,makhal sakti,kuasa rakyat, etc., in Malaysia. But what peoples' energy have been we talking about when usually 4 million out of fifteen million eligible Malaysian electorate come out to opinion for change, meaning opinion for a opposition? My prolonged letter upon top of has already shown which a people ha! ve been not significant. It is a egghead center category as well as those with income which makes or breaks revolutions.
Do we cruise it was Umno which gained autonomy for Malaya? That is what Umno would similar to us to believe, of course. It was not Umno. It was a center category as well as those with income (Malays, Chinese as well as Indians), a Malay teachers, a Malay writers, a Malay journalists, and, many critical of all, a Malay nobility, which headed a autonomy movement. Yes, as well as which is since a initial 3 budding ministers were all 'orang istana' (palace people).
Okay, a little of these people might have been in Umno. But not all of them were in Umno since many Malays of a 1930s as well as 1940s were essentially Socialists as well as members of trade unions as well as revolutionary movements or political parties -- not to be confused with Communists. In fact, it was select in a 1930s as well as 1940s to be a Socialist, whilst Umno was a Nationalist movement.
Hence, it was not a 80% or so peasants (farmers, fishermen,kampongpeople, etc.) who engaged a British as well as demanded autonomy for Malaya. It was a 1% or 2% teachers, writers, journalists, elites, nobles, intellectuals, comparison civil servants, merchants, traders, etc., who did. And which is how Malaya gained independence.
So, how do we describe all which to a current 'revolution' in Malaysia? If we were to draw parallels to Europe of 200 years ago, Malaya of 80 years ago, as well as Malaysia of today, afterwards we can see which we need a await of a intellectuals, comparison civil servants, journalists, writers, poets, painters, composers, singers, film producers, actors, upper center category (what we would currently call a corporate captains), as well as so on. It is these people as well as not therakyatwho have been going to ensure a success of a 'revolution'.
This was how it has been over a last 200 years. And this is how it still is today. So, ! how does Pakatan Rakyat attract this organisation of people? Don't begin screaming ABU. What ABU have been we talking about when usually 4 million out of fifteen million eligible electorate opinion for a antithesis whilst a intellectuals, comparison civil servants, nobility, etc., cite Barisan Nasional as well as Umno?
Hence, Pakatan Rakyat needs to make itself some-more commercial to this really critical organisation of people. You who have been now readingMalaysia Todayare many expected in which organisation of 4 million who voted Pakatan Rakyat in a last election. we do not instruct to evangelise to a already converted. we wish to know how Pakatan Rakyat can repackage itself so which it becomes some-more commercial to a organisation which does not yet share a aspirations as well as who, from over 200 years of history, has proven which it will determine whether a series succeeds or fails.
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