We need a benevolent dictatorship

We need Pakatan Rakyat to be more dictatorial. But it should be a benevolent dictatorship, not a malevolent dictatorship like Barisan Nasional. While freedom and fundamental rights should be respected, anything that harms the coalition should not be tolerated. You breach the agreed terms of the coalition in any way and you die.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

There are things I like about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad…well…some things, at least. And there are things I like about Umno…again…some things. No doubt, the things I don’t like certainly outweigh the things I like by far. But that does not mean we should close our eyes to the positive things just because there are more things we don’t like compared to the things that we like.

I always said there are times when we need a dictator to lead us. But then, what kind of dictator are we talking about? There are malevolent dictators and there are benevolent dictators. Malevolent is bad. Benevolent is good. So, while dictators are normally seen in a negative light, we can’t just discount all dictators as bad. We have good dictators and we have bad dictators.

I would take a benevolent dictator any time over someone who stands by and does nothing. More damage and injustice is done when someone takes no action. When there is racism and racial skirmishes resulting in the deaths of many innocent women and children, doing nothing is worse than clamping down with a heavy hand.

For example, when there is a natural disaster or catastrophe and looters start roaming the streets to loot abandoned homes and to rape women or kill men who resist, then a curfew needs to be imposed with a warning that looters who break the curfew will be shot on sight, especially if they are carrying weapons or property that they looted from homes and shops.

May 13, 1969, is a classic example. Because the authorities were too late in responding, many lives were lost before law and order was restored. It took days before the ‘shoot on sight all curfew breakers’ order was issued. By then, many Malaysians had lost their lives. If the government had acted immediately, the death toll would have been much less.

Democracy is fine. But there are times when democracy needs to be suspended and martial law needs to be imposed. And under martial law there is no such thing as arrest and trial. It is shoot first and ask questions later. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time you die.

Dr Mahathir and Umno do not tolerate dissent. Anyone who speaks out against the party is brought down. Even if they stand up in Parliament to make a statement contrary to the party stand they are suspended or even sacked from the party. And Parliament is where they should be allowed to speak freely. But, with Barisan Nasional, free speech is not allowed. You speak freely and you die.

Pakatan Rakyat, however, is the reverse. It allows too much free speech. This is good at times because then Pakatan Rakyat is demonstrating that it is committed to democracy and freedom of speech. But there should be limits. The rakyat should be allowed free speech with no limits unless it borders on racism and religious intolerance. Even in democratic societies like the US and the UK they do not tolerate racism and religious intolerance although they allow naked women on page three of The Sun. But party leaders must speak on a common platform and uphold the party stand. They just can’t go against what has been agreed.

For example, it is the right of every Malaysian to contest any by-election or general election if he or she qualifies to do so. Anyone can contest an election unless you are disqualified from doing so for whatever reason -- like you are and un-discharged bankrupt or you can’t afford the deposit or you do not have a proposer and seconder who are registered voters in the constituency you wish to contest.

But, if you are a party member, in particular one of its leaders, then you can’t contest the election as an independent candidate if your party is already contesting that seat. Doing so would mean you are contesting against your own party. If you still wish to contest the seat as an independent candidate then you must first resign from the party. And if you refuse to resign then you must get thrown out immediately. No need for a show cause letter or commission of inquiry or whatnot. Bang! You are history.

And this is where Pakatan Rakyat should be more like Barisan Nasional. In previous general elections there were quite a number of three- or four-corner fights. Invariably, Barisan Nasional won the seat because of the split votes and some ‘independent’ candidates not only lost but some even lost their deposits as well. And of course the opposition suffered because of this.

But no action was taken against the renegade candidates. They were not sacked from their party. There were even occasions when the party defended these ‘independent’ candidates by saying that there was some ‘confusion’. There was no confusion. The party closed its eyes and acted as if no crime had been committed.

You may say that this is what democracy is all about so anyone is free to contest the election. This is not about democracy and fundamental rights. This is about going against your own party. More important, it is about going against the spirit of the coalition. And the culprit should have been hanged good and proper.

Then we have leaders who make statements contrary to the agreed policy of the coalition. The problem is there is no real coalition as such. So, while the statement may be opposed to what the coalition has agreed, what coalition are we talking about? The coalition does not exist. It is merely an understanding or an electoral pact. And that is not legally binding. And if the statement does not run contra to the individual party policy, although it may go against the so-called coalition policy, the party is unable to take action against the errant leader.

So we need a registered coalition that is legally binding. And all the party members of the coalition need to agree on a common policy. And the coalition’s policy must override the individual party’s policy. And any party member who breaches the agreed coalition policy should be kicked out.

PKR, DAP and PAS have already agreed that all policies must be based on unanimous agreement. This is, in fact, already in writing. So the agreement has been signed and it was signed just before the Kuala Terengganu by-election. Now that the ROS and EC have announced that you do not need seven political parties to register as a coalition, Pakatan Rakyat should immediately take steps to get the coalition registered as a legal entity.

Come the next by-election or general election, PKR, DAP and PAS should no longer contest as individual parties. We no longer want to see any PKR, DAP or PAS flags and banners during the election. We only want to see a common Pakatan Rakyat flag and banner. Never mind who the candidate is and from which party the candidate comes. He or she is a Pakatan Rakyat candidate, period.

We have been asking for this for ten years now since way back in 1999. But we were told this is not possible because you need seven parties to register a coalition and Pakatan Rakyat, and Barisan Alternatif before that, does not have seven parties. Now you do not need seven parties, according to the ROS and EC. So let’s get cracking without further delay.

And we need Pakatan Rakyat to be more dictatorial. But it should be a benevolent dictatorship, not a malevolent dictatorship like Barisan Nasional. While freedom and fundamental rights should be respected, anything that harms the coalition should not be tolerated. You breach the agreed terms of the coalition in any way and you die.

And the registered Pakatan Rakyat must come out with its own Election Manifesto. We want to see one Manifesto and not three separate Manifestos, and for sure not four Manifestos -- one for Pakatan Rakyat and one each for PKR, DAP and PAS. We don’t care what PKR, DAP and PAS want. Only what Pakatan Rakyat wants counts. And this will be how the coalition should conduct itself. And any party leader that goes against this dies.

Sure, you have certain rights and liberties. And you are free to do what you like. But if you wish to be independent then leave the party and become an independent. You can’t be both -- an independent and yet a party leader at the same time.

This does not mean you are not free to talk or to express your opinions. But there are platforms for that. You do all this at branch meetings, division meetings and general assemblies. You can disagree by all means at these various platforms, which are there for you to express yourself. Then a vote is taken. And once the majority has decided you have to follow the majority decision. And if you don’t like what the majority has decided then you leave. You can’t stay on and bitch and grumble. If you are not with the majority then get out.

And at the coalition level you do the same thing. There are various platforms for you to argue and debate. You state your case within the right platform. If what you say makes sense then the majority will agree with you. But if what you are saying is crap and the majority rejects your idea in favour of the opposite, then go with the majority or leave if you just can’t agree to what has been decided.

Yes, it is time Pakatan Rakyat not only registers as a legal entity but also crack the whip. We need discipline in the opposition. Sit down and agree on the policies. Bang tables if need be. But once a consensus has been reached and the three opposition parties have agreed on an unanimous decision, let no party leader try to torpedo all this by going off tangent. Rule ruthlessly, with a dictator’s hand, but a benevolent dictator at that.