The dustbin of history

The stench from the dustbin of history of the British Empire will be unbearable if there is validity concerning King Edward IV’s (1442-1483) illegitimate birth and, thus the illegitimacy of the successive reigns of his heirs all the way to present day Elizabeth II. Wouldn’t that make all the laws his successors endorsed and passed since 1483 null and void?

Greed for territorial expansion, bloodlust, for invasion and occupation, race and religion thrust the Persian, Roman, Caliphate, and Mongols’ empire into the dustbin of history. The neo-awakened know that if history does not repeat itself, at least it rhymes badly.

The American empire with its relatively short history is said to be on the decline based on the doomsday predictions aired by the American media. Lyndon B. Johnson described America as an ongoing experiment in the laboratory of politics, law and government where an uglier Frankenstein appears every four years.

The British Empire faded away into the sunset gently and gracefully leaving behind its baggage of language, laws, systems of government apparatus, cricket and golf. The anglophiles in our midst keep the lights on 24/7/365 in the spirit of auld lang syne.

The European empire treads upon shaky ground due to uneasy Nato alliances. Turkey occupies the hotspot with Erdogan’s caliphate revival policies. Israel is caught in the crossfire defending its borders. Afghanistan is boiling over. Isis is getting stronger caused by the European and American empires poking their noses into other peoples’ business. At this rate and pace, the dustbin of Middle East history will reach maximum capacity.

Daring democracy will not find its way into the dustbin of history when the voice of the electorate becomes louder, stronger and firmer than the government’s.  A different set of laws to translate the will of the general population into effective people-centric policies and programmes is pragmatic. The government should accept such a non-hazardous democracy where the majority shout the loudest unafraid of repercussions.

India’s daredevil democracy today is tensile, long-suffering and resilient after starting as a socialist state after Independence. India’s Supreme Court is constitutionally designed to initiate lawsuits without having to wait for a plaintiff to bring suit against a grievance. Race and religion get a hard hit on its head with a firm Executive. Evolving democracy makes history.

Indonesia is a classic example where ruling politicians, communists and the army harmoniously manage the affairs of state. Race and religion do not erupt. How did they come this far? Is there a mystery, or a mastery, for three forces to agree to govern as a team? Indonesia relegated the Dutch into the dustbin of history by totally rejecting their European system of government, and the kerajaan. A master-stroke.

The American historian Will Durant remarked that “no one man, however brilliant or well-informed, can come in one lifetime to such fullness of understanding as to safely judge and dismiss the customs or institutions of his society, for these are the wisdom of generations after centuries of experiment in the laboratory of history.” But, what if the laboratory of history only perfected one failed experiment after another?

Which brings us to our beloved Malaysia. Where are we headed as a nation with one dominant ruling party still making frosty waves? Will our democracy undergo meaningful metamorphosis? Do we have a glorious halcyon past that we yearn for its return? The future, however, looks promising with the attendant challenges of change.

The discerning rakyat must spare no effort to start planning to parachute in meaningful change that will lessen, loosen, not weaken, government power and authority sufficient to widen and broaden the rakyat’s fundamental rights for a host of relative freedoms that have not seen the light of day. Isn’t it primitive having to fight for inalienable rights?

The Meet the Constituents Monthly Act 2022 will receive thunderous applause and approval when MPs engage in mandatory monthly dialogue sessions with their constituents to study their grievances in order to implement policies to alleviate their quality of life. MPs should make time with their fat bulging perks.

Malaysians need not worry about the dustbin of history if the rakyat rise up to assuage government that we have come of age, and that we can take charge in a daring democracy with a constitutionally guided and guarded Monarch to torpedo the old wicked wasteful ways to prevent political earthquakes.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.