Archive for April, 2008

Me feeling bitchy again.

My old friend Vince and I met up for coffee after ten years again and we were lamenting on the current problem of too many activists wanting to activate issues without actually finding a way to resolve the rising problems.

I must first say that I generally respect and admire the work that activists and NGO members are doing for a living — I gather it must not be easy, making a living out of complaining about how badly governence (in any area) is being carried out in this world. My main peeve with many of my friends (and God, I have A LOT OF FRIENDS in NGOs ok, my own Godbrother is one) in these activist-organizations is just how much of their time they concentrate into organizing 'activist' events without actually providing enough resources and ideas to resolve the problems that they keep complaining about.

So we were talking about how so many people in NGOs consists of people who are too lazy to work for corporate establishments. I've met several people (friends and strangers) who dish out their contact cards pridefully with a, 'Hi I work for this NGO and we fight for the rights of abused women…' as if it makes them better than the other people who have to become employees of money-making entities.

I can't stand them, sometimes the pride in their voices and the condescending ways which they address us minions make me wonder whether is it truly some cause they are working for, or is it for the glory of 'making a contribution' to society that drives them in their work.

I went to one conference on corporate responsibility a few months ago, attended mostly by corporate organizations that were frantically trying to gather resources in order to formulate their individual CR policies (Corporate Responsibility is the current 'buzzword' in the business fraternity and if you don't have a CR policy, you're as good as dead-lah). So this particular conference was also attended by several glamourous and branded kind of NGOs. My first hand experience of these presidents and patrons of the creme de la cremes of Malaysian NGOs wasn't exactly inspiring.

The short exchanges I was 'privileged' to have with regards to our views on Malaysian society didn't exactly motivate an awareness to do something for my country. Or maybe it was just me, I'm pretty good at picking out the irritating things about strangers and 'nice people'.

The first thing that irks me about these NGO-big guns is how educated and refined they seem to be. Notice, how when they talk, it seems as if they have ALL THE RIGHT DIFFICULT WORDS peppered into their little soliloquys about how much they worry about our doom-headed earth and also all the right facial features to further exemplify how much they worry more about this poor world then the rest of us minions.

Maybe its just guilty me feeling a tad uncomfortable, but after a while it gets tiring trying to defend yourself in front of someone who professes to be more spesel than the rest of us because, 'You know I work for an NGO and I spend my time contributing towards positive change, while you work for a company that is only interested in making money.'

It feels rather surreal especially when the person who tells you that he 'contributes towards change' happens to also be drinking from a mineral water bottle, and oh my, wearing a very expensive pair of Bally shoes (I wear Vincci RM19.90 heels poor me), and dressed in Christian Dior.

Or the other tai-tai from this establishment that 'works towards upholding the rights of women with abusive husbands' whose credits to her work is recorded and dramatized in photos of expensive fund-raising events where everybody comes in Versace or Gucci, and then later the proceeds with be photographed and publicized in functions where the patron Datuk or Datin will give away some ugly looking styrofoam based mock cheque to the poor charity home in question,.

I was complaining to Vincent, and who pointed out, 'And then you have people who complain about the climate and drive Single Occupant Vehicles to work, when they can easily car pool.'

I know too many of that sort. The type who would prefer a taxi over an LRT because the taxi is more comfortable and more reliable. The type who complain about dirty means of power generation (gas is dirty, coal is dirty) who also complain over the 'high prices' that renewable energy demands of its consumers. The type who want the not just a slice of the cake, but want the whole thing and also the plate if possible.

The thing is, I've got a problem with hypocrisy. And to me, NGOs practise this too many times to actually demand the right to be better than all of us. The other problem I have with NGOs is just how many problems they are able to dig out of everywhere, and how little solutions they are able to provide to this problem stricken universe of ours. You see, everyone can create problems, but just how many people are able to provide solutions?

NGOs that keep on harping on issues just contribute towards the problem. So this is where I draw the distinction between myself and an NGO person. I don't pretend I know the solutions – I don't, and I'm honest about my ignorance. I am also honest about my negative contributions towards the issues that plague this world. I contribute to pollution, by virtue of my impending marriage and the possibility of me getting children, I'm contributing to the rising population in this world.

But you see, at least with people like me, the minions like you and me who have to work for money-minded businessmen, we acknowledge our contributions towards the deteriorating state of this world and are willing to admit our shortcomings. My problem with so many NGOs is the fact that too many of them can't stop accusing us of being ruthless when they are equally the same.

It would be nice if some of these activists can start activating an NGO of sorts to push and regulate the current trend in complainists towards growing as solutionists. And then it would be nice if all the current wave of dialogues and problems can start fruiting some resolutions – and then since we all love to talk so much, after that maybe we can talk some more.