(Malaysiakini)Only an optimist would believe that their vote would sweep Umno from
power in GE-13. Why bother with a sham election and waste resources
going through the motions of an election, where the outcome has already
been decided in advance? The headlines will proudly boast: “BN wins.
Najib scores a landslide victory, in a massive 103 percent turnout”.
Prime
Minister Najib Abdul Razak wants GE-13 before electoral reforms. In a
functioning democracy, the rakyat has a choice. The fundamental
difference is that we are denied that choice.
We
distrust our electoral processes despite Najib's assurance about the
parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reforms. Will Umno/BN
leave office gracefully?
At
the 61st Umno general assembly Najib declared: “Even if our bodies are
crushed and our lives lost, brothers and sisters, whatever happens, we
must defend Putrajaya”.
At the World
Youth day meet in Putrajaya, Najib screamed, “Will you defend Putrajaya
with me?” before breaking into a disturbing tirade: “Defend Putrajaya!
Defend Putrajaya! Defend Putrajaya!”
By 2011, the People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) would consist of 2.6 million members. Will they be issued postal votes too?
Some people believe that certain western democracies are far superior, with honest and principled people in government.
Not
true! Politicians in foreign establishments can be just as devious and
as corrupt as the Malaysian ones. Their government appears to be working
only because their rakyat makes sure the politicians serve them and not
the other way around. They are not afraid of criticising their MPs.
Politicians who do not adhere to the minimum parliamentary standards,
are booted out.
In these countries,
elected representatives are monitored, pursued and made accountable for
their actions. Politicians are important in that they enact laws in
parliament, on our behalf. But politicians need to be regulated. They
are the tools with which the state can meddle in our lives.
MPs are to be controlledMPs are to be controlled, not controlling. It is by us being watchful, and not sycophantic, that keeps MPs in check.
Malaysians
have seen a constant barrage of electoral fraud. Last week, former
soldiers alleged that they were ordered by their superiors to manipulate
votes. But the denunciation by the Chief of the Armed Forces, General
Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, who labelled these ex-soldiers as traitors, is
itself an act of treachery.
Illegal
workers being granted citizenship and voting rights have been unearthed.
MyKads of dubious authenticity are distributed to foreigners. Political
expediency seems more important than sovereignty. It appears that the
NRD is a major threat to national security.
Scores
of centenarians, or people who have long since died, have been
resurrected, to cast their votes. These accompany the usual complaints
of vote-buying, intimidation and promises of aid in exchange for votes.
Gerrymandering,
or the division of geographical areas into constituencies which will
unfairly benefit only one party, is overlooked by the EC. Pro-opposition
areas may have one MP representing over 100,000 voters in the one
constituency whereas in BN strongholds, constituencies consist of around
5,000 people.
Just before Bersih's 9 July march, Wan Ahmad Wan Omar (
left),
the EC's deputy chairman, complained that NGOs were obsessed with the
comparison of election practices between Malaysia and other countries.
He
said, “Elections observers must be domestic observers. Foreign
observers, they don't know our election laws, they don't understand.
It's a different value system.”
Yet
he failed to act after Ambiga Sreenevasan and other local election
activists were banned from monitoring the Sarawak state elections.
Wan
Ahmad claimed that our election laws were “fair and impartial” and was
stung by the “negative” comments of foreign observers.
He said, “They are foreigners, who are they? Why do we need foreigners, Germans commenting on our election system?”
He
is right. The culture of “You help me, I help you” is “Umno-esque” and
peculiar to Malaysia. Malaysia is 'superior' and has nothing to learn
from others. Wan Ahmad's arrogance smacks of “Ketuanan Melayu” and
extols the virtues of the warped BTN indoctrination.
So what exactly is the EC's role when it continually coughs up excuse after lame excuse of why it cannot ensure clean elections?
EC but a toothless dragonThe
EC is but a toothless dragon whose only job seems to be the defence of
BN. It turns a blind eye when Umno/BN uses government resources, the
national media and other instruments of the state, for its own
propaganda.
The poor appear to be
supportive of Umno and in past elections, people living in decrepit
hovels have posters of Umno, Najib or Taib Mahmud (for Sarawak) adorning
their homes.
In Sarawak, the
villagers idolise Taib, like teenagers would their pop-idol, when Taib
makes his grand entrance, by helicopter, at longhouses. Usually, his
Mercedes is on standby in case Taib fancies the trek home by car.
The
contrast between the villagers' pitiful surroundings with basic
infrastructure, and Taib's opulence, makes it hard to imagine how they
have benefitted from Taib's long rule. What do they hope to gain by
supporting him for another term?
It
is the same story in peninsular Malaysia. The rural people and the poor
appear to support Umno/BN. Perhaps they are comfortable with the devil
you know than the one you don't. Perhaps the opposition has yet to gain
the confidence of the rural folk.
Have
the destitute given up hope of change; they are prepared to accept the
few tokens of appreciation like sacks of rice, Milo and sugar, in
exchange for votes? Does “stability” triumph over “change”?
Bersih
cannot do it alone because Umno/BN dominates Malaysian politics. Any
attempt by the opposition to “oppose” in Parliament means they are not
allowed to table their motions or at worst, they risk being suspended.
With
enormous cash reserves, and the ability to utilise government
resources, unlike the opposition, Umno/BN can command political
patronage amongst businesses. In an election, favours are called in and
Umno/BN do act like they are above the law.
Too arrogant to acknowledge the voters'Najib
& co' are too arrogant to acknowledge the voters: What is the
rakyat saying? What do they want? Can they cast their vote and be sure
that the policies and the person they voted for, will be reflected in
the final outcome?
Fraud, manipulation, phantom votes and money politics are useful instruments which have helped to prop up Umno, for 54 years.
Umno
has been rattled by Bersih and the popular uprising in Egypt has given
Malaysians hope. The rakyat is finally getting to have a real taste of
democracy but the challenges are enormous as we try and adapt to being
“free” and “fair”.
The trick to
improving Malaysian politics is not to allow the political parties and
their leaders any let-up but to be constantly critical of their
performance. Let's have less praise and more scrutiny.
GE-13
should not be held until electoral reforms are under way. Don't be
fooled by Najib's latest spin on democracy and his smokescreen about the
PSC and electoral reform.
MARIAM
MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist
and an armchair eco-warrior. In 'real-speak', this translates into that
she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum
chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.