This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on March 8, 2021 - March 14, 2021

It is reassuring that the prime minister, in his usual demeanour of quiet confidence, has declared that he understands democracy. The people’s choice, he says, will ultimately determine which political grouping will rule this country.

It is crucial that the rakyat no longer labours over the motive of the Emergency or its effects, since it will end on Aug 1, only five months away. This period of five months is best spent on preparing the country for the general election.

There are voices clamouring for parliament to be recalled and that is understandable. As His Majesty the King has rightly pointed out, the period under Emergency is no bar for parliament to sit and deliberate on important matters. In fact, the proclamation itself needs to be laid before parliament, as required by the Federal Constitution.

There are, of course, political groupings that are keen to use the parliament sitting as an opportunity to launch a vote of no confidence against the prime minister. Regardless of the actual support the Opposition can muster, it is difficult to see such a motion of no confidence against the prime minister succeeding. The speaker will probably not allow it, based on the fact that the standing orders currently in use do not allow a private motion to leapfrog government business tabled for the day.

Even if the vote is carried out, the King would then appoint a new prime minister whom he thinks has the support of the majority. Again, no one knows for sure who has majority support in the context of the present crop of members of parliament (MPs) who are prone to jumping from one side to the other.

What will happen then is another round of political jostling and uncertainty where opposing groups will start accusing each other of buying support and using government institutions to pressure political opponents to defect. The shouting match will repeat itself in the august house.

It would be a better use of our time now to have a consultation among major parties on an agreed plan for the next general election. A consensus on the date of General Election 15 (GE15), for example, and the campaign process (since we are still in the midst of Covid-19) is a prelude to political stability.

The prime minister has already said that we will hold the election as soon as Covid-19 is under control. The better approach is to accept to have his tenure as prime minister undisturbed.

Stop exerting pressure, whether in parliament or outside, on him to step down. The focus should be to have a fair election so that we can allow the people to truly express themselves as to who should govern the country. I urge the prime minister to facilitate the move to seek consensus, where issues concerning GE15 are discussed with maturity and good faith.

Some cynics will say that even the general election will not produce the desired result, where there is a clear winner. Maybe it will be difficult for major parties to appear, like in the old days, and that a coalition of sorts will still be required. They argue that the election will be a waste of money and time. Naturally, democracy can be messy and expensive to maintain.

However, there is no alternative for us but to continue in the best way possible under the present system. While Covid-19 still very much threatens the public health, it is not unusual for democracies to conduct a general election in the midst of the pandemic. Many countries, such as South Korea, Italy, Singapore and the US, held general elections even though Covid-19 was still raging.

Today, we already have vaccines, and the threat of Covid-19 has subsided. There is no reason not to have a general election as soon as the competing groups can agree on the date. Let all parties be willing to submit their future to the people and when that happens, we will have political stability.

In fact, the forthcoming general election will bring major surprises and the result will reverberate far across the land. Only through a general election can we discern the true feelings of the voters over the many things that have taken place since 2018. It will be interesting to see what they will say of some Pakatan Harapan leaders who were given the mandate to “overhaul” the administration of the country.

What will the Chinese voters say about the performance of some DAP leaders and will other non-Malay parties do better this time around? Equally interesting is the feeling of many on the Sheraton Move — will voters tolerate MPs jumping from one party to another, or will they teach them a lesson they will never forget?

Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) too have an opportunity to explain their failings and what they will do better this time around. It is inconceivable that the largest party will succumb so meekly to opponents who were part of them not so long ago.

The decision of the courts to prevent the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission from forfeiting Umno monies obtained during the last election from 1Malaysia Development Bhd will come in handy for Umno/BN this time around.

A general election will also come at the right time for PAS voters. For so long, they were told that when their leaders assumed power at federal level, they would implement syariah law and overhaul the “secular” constitution. They now want to know what happened to that promise; not just in relation to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (RUU 355) but also the future of Islamic laws in the country.

Also of particular interest to Kelantan voters this time around is the paucity of development projects that can benefit the rakyat. They want to know how it is that the state, which has four federal ministers and four deputy ministers, has not had much done for it to get out of poverty.

They are all envious of Sarawak, which has only 18 MPs in the federal parliament yet will receive billions of ringgit in revenue from Petronas and have the political will to set up state-owned Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros), not to mention deciding for itself when to reopen its schools. PAS too has 18 parliamentarians and a slew of ministers and what does it get? Just some Wang Ehsan courtesy of the Prime Minister’s Office?

This election will also help determine the fate of many established names in our political arena. Some of them have already passed their shelf life but they still do not willingly accept that verdict. Will new leaders who will make a difference to the country emerge?

Only a general election can answer all these questions. It may not be conclusive but the trend and path will be set. The rakyat should not believe that things will not change and that politics will always be about influence selling and barter trading.

It need not be like that. The next general election can breathe new life into this country.

Zaid Ibrahim is a lawyer, politician and former law minister

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