Thursday 28 Mar 2024
By
main news image

This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on February 21, 2023 - February 27, 2023

In my nearly 40 years as a journalist, if I can recall correctly, there has been no better speech at the opening of parliament made by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong than the one last week, which emphasised the need for the nation to maintain political stability and unity and that much of this obligation lay in the hands of the elected parliamentarians, who need to be more responsible.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, declaring open the second session of the 15th parliament, reminded politicians that during his reign — which will end in January next year — he has seen four prime ministers with four different cabinets, a political imbroglio that could have been avoided had the elected representatives let the result of the 14th general election (GE) run its natural course.

In short, respect the winners and the people’s mandate, and no more “Sheraton Moves” the sort which saw elected parliamentarians jumping parties mid-stream, causing the collapse of an elected government, which subsequently resulted in political and economic instability that benefited no one, least of all the rakyat.

As a constitutional monarch, Al-Sultan Abdullah rightly said: “I have no intention of interfering with national politics, let alone manoeuvring through the political landscape. If the episodes leading to the resignation of the seventh prime minister did not happen, I believe that the political crisis that lasted until the 15th general election could have been avoided.

“More importantly, the political crisis that plagued the country for nearly four years would have been avoided if elected representatives and politicians had set aside their differences and united for the people and country we love.”

But politicians being politicians, will the majority of them heed the King’s advice? Or will political expediency, and not the interest of the rakyat, remain their priority? The anti-hopping law, a consequence of the Sheraton Move and now in place, will likely prevent another collapse of an elected government, but as we can see, political manoeuvring has not entirely ceased. In Malaysia, bad political habits die hard and the political tempo is unlikely to die down as there are six state elections to be held within the next six months or so.

For the rakyat, the King’s message should be clear enough for the politicians to understand. The rakyat see the King’s message as a decree for unity and political stability that should be respected and not ignored. Let the current unity government — comprising parties that have chosen to participate as coalition partners and govern the country — finish its full term. Let them try to manage the country and its economy as best as possible.

The opposition, on the other hand, should concentrate on becoming a responsible and effective opposition, and show the rakyat that their members of parliament are up to the task of governing the nation too. Then five years on, at the next general election, let the rakyat be the judge again.

The country is facing a lot of challenges. We are still caught in a middle-income trap, and getting stuck for a longer period means nothing much will change in terms of living standards and basic income, and the nation’s productivity level will likely remain stagnant too.

We need an effective long-term plan. There are already many proposals on which direction or plan to opt for but some need to be further fine-tuned and debated in parliament. For these plans to be productively and speedily delivered, political stability must come first and foremost. With stability and less racial scaremongering on both sides of the political divide, maybe there will be a political will to execute these plans, and the government will not be distracted by the need to be popular and procrastinate on things that must be done. 

Corruption is endemic and systemic throughout the economic chain. It is tough to admit that Malaysia is in this situation but it needs to be tackled. Many things need to be done to strengthen the education system too to face the challenges posed by a world that is moving fast towards the digital economy and that increasingly places importance on environmental, social and governance issues.

Here we are still caught in too much of unproductive polemics, often laced with racial undertones. Today we are still arguing if English is crucial in taking us to the next level of economic development. It is still difficult for some to accept the fact that if we want to be ahead in the race of the digital and knowledge-based economy, mastering English is a must. It is that simple, yet we are struggling to implement it.

In the meantime, racial and religious tensions remain high and if extreme and untrue comments on social media are not restrained, the situation can morph into an explosive one that will be difficult to manage in the long term. The widening income gap is another priority issue that the government needs to solve. All these problems need to be corrected but again it requires strong political will and some unpopular decisions to be taken.

In helping to solve these problems, parliamentarians being community leaders can very much do their part by acting as statesmen and not be seen by the rakyat as demagogues who divide the nation. Is this too much to ask for?

In his speech, the King told the parliamentarians not to “have the presumption that people are indebted to our service and therefore expect to be lauded. Instead, safeguard the good name and the honour of this august House and serve wholeheartedly as representatives who always have our people and the future of the country close to your hearts”.

He reminded them — and not for the first time — to acknowledge that the plurality and diversity that exist have been the main strength of the country over the past 66 years, since independence.

“At the age of 66, we as a nation should be mature enough to accept these unique differences as the main pillar in the formation of a Malaysian nation, with mutual respect and affection for one another and be tolerant and live in unity. Set aside narrow political agendas and come together in the name of unity.” 

A few days into the current parliamentary session, many parliamentarians are still behaving in the old way. The shouting matches, accusations and counter-accusations, below-the-belt cynicism and throwing of political challenges that should be left outside parliament continue to be heard.

As for the new government, the rakyat eagerly awaits the Feb 24 re-tabling of the 2023 Budget, which was not approved earlier because parliament had to make way for GE15 last November.

While the feeding of news that Malaysia can achieve high-income-nation status as early as 2026 has a positive vibe, the majority of the rakyat want to see immediate and tangible results too. High on the list are those that could have a stronger impact on their longer-term socioeconomic well-being, income and job opportunities — certainly more benefits than what initiatives like the Menu Rahmah can offer.


Azam Aris is an editor emeritus at The Edge

Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.

P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's AppStore and Androids' Google Play.

      Print
      Text Size
      Share