Groups opposed to the Penang undersea tunnel project abusing the word Forum

What is a Forum?

I am explaining this here because I am perturbed that the term forum is being misused. I am telling you this, so that you are not deceived.

A FORUM is a gathering of people to discuss an issue of public interest. A group of concerned citizens may organize a forum in which the moderator introduces the ISSUE, for example: "The state government is planning to build an undersea tunnel and a few new highways. What is your opinion?" Members of the public attending the forum may then rise up and give their opinion, whether or not they support or oppose the issue. The MODERATOR, as its name clearly suggests, ensures the discussion remains completely IMPARTIAL. At the end of the discussion, the points raised are collected and published for the benefit of those who did not attend. The public benefit from seeing both sides of the issue.

If a group of concerned citizens invites a key player, such as the Chief Minister of Penang, to meet members of the public, and they pose questions related to an issue of public interest, that is not a forum, that's a DIALOGUE.

A forum requires concerned citizens who are the organizer to exercise complete impartiality over the issue of public interest. The invited public can be partial, the organizer cannot. If the media asks the organizer, the appropriate response would be: "I have a CONCERN, but I can't tell you whether I am for or against the issue." In short, no comment. Citizens and groups with concerns over issues of public interest can organize a forum to canvass public OPINION.

As can be observed, this is not happening. In the local context, concerned groups usually have an opinion already bottled up and is simply looking for a venue to uncork it. ("Apa ni, cannot take sides ah? Then where got fun neh?!") They are not keen on accepting public opinion, they're keen on the public accepting their opinion. If they organize a gathering of the public where they state their opinion, it is not a forum, it's a STAND.

It has been the trend of late for concerned groups to invite so-called experts for the sole purpose of articulating their stand. Calling these gatherings a forum, they have this paid member of the academia come over, parrot the stand, and then go home. Apart from saying what he is supposed to say, he doesn't know much about the plight of the local people, and he doesn't care, as long as the check is in the mail.

A group of concerned citizens who have opinions over issues of public interest should not call itself a forum. For example, any groups calling itself "Penang Forum" should be completely impartial to issues of public interest, and serve as a mouthpiece in presenting public opinion. It should concern itself with getting the voice of the people into the open, not getting its own voice into the open. If it decides to have an opinion on its own, it is no longer a public forum. It shouldn't even be called a forum. By right it should be called a WATCHDOG.

It's against true democracy for a watchdog to self-appoint itself the Big Brother of the general public and elbow its opinion as public opinion. When a watchdog organizes a stand, and the only acceptable course of action for the invited public is to support the stand (and the opinion of those opposing it is suppressed, belittled and ridiculed), that is not a forum, that's a RUBBER STAMPING.

As a member of the public, we should ignore, even dismiss, rubber stamping events that masquerade as forum.

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