Malaysia S Damned If You Do Damned If You Don T Political Solutions

---

 



“But you can’t make people listen. They have to come round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up around them. It can’t last.”
- Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
Former prime minister (twice) Dr Mahathir Mohamad is peddling a new manifesto; Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Azalina Othman Said has finally seen the utilitarian value of bipartisanship, my friend Zaid Ibrahim wants the Agong to act, some folks want reconciliation, some want a unity government, and a cabal of political operatives just want the chaos that comes with a politically weak regime.
All these ideas that seek to steer us out of this mess are anti-democratic and would most probably lead us further down the rabbit hole. What this pandemic has exposed, besides the wobbly guardrails in place, is the reality that Malaysian elected representatives have no desire to face a common enemy but would rather use the pandemic as an excuse to further destabilise democratic norms and institutions, which were already hollowed out after decades of political malfeasance.
Now in any other functional democracy, this would be a problem, but here in Malaysia, the rakyat are used to repressive laws and lip service to democratic norms. Since we never really had to “fight” for our independence and since minorities in this country either place the blame on everything wrong with this country on the voting preference of the majority or ignore the authoritarian values of their power structures, there has never been a clear alternative to the system in place.
All of which is a blessing for this current government. Think of all previous governments as a dress rehearsal for the fascistic nature of this current Malay uber alles (above all) government. Now, of course, it is difficult for the state to demonise minority communities so what they are doing is targeting migrant workers or undocumented “illegals”. This is an old tactic for regimes who cannot withstand public or parliamentary scrutiny, hence they offer up convenient targets for their incompetence.
The only solution to this issue should be a democratic one and this would mean calling for fresh elections, which could be one of the outcomes if Parliament is opened. This is why the current government does not want to roll the dice on a democratic solution. Of course, elections could only happen when and if we achieve herd immunity and at the rate we are going, the country could be deeper in the manure hole if and when we have elections.




I appreciate that folks think some sort of unity government is a feasible idea, but the reality is that nobody really wants a unity government. If Umno was seriously considering working with Pakatan Harapan it would have done it a long time ago.
Clearly, the internal divisions within Umno are beneficial to Perikatan Nasional (PN), and the only way to destroy any kind of Umno/PN relationship (by agitators within Umno) would be (1) reconvening Parliament, which could possibly weaken PN’s hold on the government and (2) calling fresh elections, which would realign priorities within the party and would disadvantage Bersatu because its electoral prospects are extremely slim.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has not demonstrated any interest in reconvening Parliament and as such, this idea that the current prime minister would “advise” the Agong on a suitable date for Parliament to reconvene is ludicrous. There would be no political advantage for the prime minister to do anything that would subject his regime to any kind of scrutiny or rebuke.
What is truly unbelievable is the hubris of this government. Here you have an opposition that is willing to work with you, the backing of transactional allies until the next election, and a public that is willing to put up with anything as long as the state provides some sort of relief from the pandemic.
The fact that the prime minister and his loyalists think that the best way to maintain power is by staging an emergency is indicative of how truly delusional these people are.
This is what makes the situation in Malaysia extremely dicey. In order to get a “legitimate” government, we would need to have fresh elections and the only way to get fresh elections is if we achieve herd immunity. Now, can anyone blame cynical people for thinking that the longer this pandemic drags out the more politically advantageous it would be to certain parties?
This is why there is this attempt to balance the economic interests and security concerns of this nation. People are tired and frustrated and this has more to do with the handling of this pandemic than the measures taken. And what do you expect?
We have had many flip-flops, unequal application of sanctions, ludicrous statements from Putrajaya minions, concerns about the distribution of vaccines, concerns about government data when it comes to the pandemic, and outright disdain for the way how certain industries are targeted while certain industries are coddled. In other words, the whole house of cards that the political system was built on and its effects on the economic ecosphere are slowly crumbling.
Do not be fooled, though. Even having elections will not solve the systemic issues facing this country which has resulted in the botched response of this current government. Indeed, having an election would probably mean even more politicking. Topics like race, religion, and royalty will become even more pronounced.
However this plays out, we get the government we deserve. - Mkini

S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - "Let justice be done though the heavens fall."

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

---