The Europeans came here and prayed for democracy. Thereafter, they preyed on us like demons crazy for power.
– Lakota Chief Sitting Bull
The International Day of Democracy is globally celebrated on September 15 each year. Malaysians don’t anticipate a celebratory September 15. We are acutely aware of our Democracy Under Intense Threat (D-U-I-T). The political narrative remains harrowing, helpless and hopeless.
A government by the people and of the people is sufficient. The whole dynamics change for the worse when you add ‘for’ the people.
Democracy – ‘rule by the people’ – denotes a system of government in which people vote their elected representatives into parliament. In essence, we opted for a talking head who doesn’t really talk for the people.
“Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time,” observed Winston Churchill in an obvious reference to mass election hysteria and the tyranny of the elected minority.
Political leaders who subscribe to the sustaining values of a democracy must always put the people first. When and if that happens, we would have acquired a utopian government.
For example, platformism aims to create a tightly coordinated federation without government per se. Its main features include a common tactical advantage, a unified political policy and a firm commitment to collective responsibility.
How about an isocracy – a form of government where all citizens have equal political power? Will this work in an ethnocentric nation like Malaysia? The answer is painfully obvious.
Demarchy is another option that is based on many decision-making groups that deal with specific functions in a given area (transport, parks, land use, etc.) The members that make up each group are chosen randomly every year. Parliament redundant!
Malaysians are justifiably intimidated by a theocracy despite the freedom of religion guarantees in Article 3 Federal Constitution. The theocrats in the Opposition rudely ignored the Royal rebuke aimed at “agents of division” in a recent Parliament address.
These “agents of division” blur, blot and blind the nation’s vision, mission and provision. They openly curse and deny democracy by defying the rule of law while simultaneously disrespecting the Agong’s executive authority as enumerated in the Federal Constitution.
The media has awakened the citizenry but not the political leadership. That defines the pathos of our politics. Muzzling and censoring criticism is not healthy for a democracy. Antipathy for ‘national unity’ is a national disaster.
“Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary,” remarked Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr, an American commentator on politics and public affairs.
Niebuhr’s remark invites askance. Justice is an idea. Injustice is the ideal for venal politics. The perpetrators know they cannot be stopped.
Article 160 is silent on defining ‘democracy’ and ‘federation’ in the Federal Constitution. Where does the rakyat turn to for clarity, certainty, consistency and conformity?
“Dictatorships are one-way streets. Democracy boasts two-way traffic,” discovered Albert Moravia. Most assuredly, Malaysians are very traffic conscious.
Malaysia’s D-U-I-T crisis began violently on May 13, 1969. The crisis began collecting more baggage and garbage between 1981 and 2003. PMV tried valiantly to steer the boat but was unceremoniously jettisoned like Jonah.
Malaysia’s D-U-I-T fear is mitigated by reports claiming a record US$74 billion in Foreign Direct Investments by the Department of Statistics and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority. Smacks of propaganda for capitalism.
This is not to disparage capitalism. This is purely an investigative study in why the D-U-I-T scare is unmanageable because of the usual culprits – race, religion and weak leaders dedicated to disobeying the rule of law.
Democracy is supposed to advance and promote liberty, equality and justice in an orderly society where order and freedom have to be balanced. Social harmony is the emphasis and the antithesis.
The 18th century English philosopher Jon Locke theorized that the ‘right to rule came from the consent of the governed’ as an essential ingredient of democracy. Mind you, merely a theory.
If Locke is right, as is Rousseau who underscored the ‘general will of the majority rule of the citizens,’ is it fair for Malaysians to choose whether they want an improved democracy or any other form of government? Many options and experiments are waiting and available.
PMX must take time to restore Malaysian values that are adamantly dictated by an imported version of manipulative democracy. How did the Golden Chersonese – later Malaya – fare before the Majapahit, Portuguese, Dutch and English political theories struck roots here?
Recent events herald a requiem for democracy seeing that financial aid to disenfranchised Palestinians is prioritised over urgent spending on flood mitigation measures and projects in many parts of the country.
Posturing PMX seems oblivious to the fact that the PLO does not have any power nor authority anymore. Only Hamas does. Trump 47 plans to relocate Palestinians so that Hamas is permanently wiped out.
The decision to send aid and assistance to Palestinians Gazans: was it with the approval of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Parliament being cognisant of the fact that Trump 47’s tariffs could affect the Malaysian economy?
PMX’s frenetic, flagrant frolics and forays in foreign affairs is no longer a national riddle, a mystery, nor an enigma. He has become predictable as GE-16, and has succeeded in placing, positioning and planting Malaysian D-U-I-T in terra firma.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune.
