The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Dismantling the tyranny of democracy Posted: 11 Jul 2011 05:14 PM PDT JULY 12 — A government elected by the people, for the people — that is the bedrock principle of any fully-functioning democracy. As we recover from the aftermath of the events on July 9, 2011, I find myself having to explain this very crucial principle to some of the people who are most important to me — my children. I feel compelled to do so simply because there is so much misinformation out there that the young will inevitably be misled and confused. Like, for example, my son said to me a day after the Bersih 2.0 rally: "Pa, can we wear yellow again?" Admittedly, I should have explained to him earlier what was going on and why the government of the day has outlawed people wearing yellow T-shirts, which carry the word Bersih 2.0. Then there is the bunkum that permeated the media in the days after the rally. Led by many government-friendly news organisations — who time and again try to paint the idea that the Bersih 2.0 movement is on the wrong side of the law, as well as one-sided opinions on blogs — I needed to undo the misinformation that is circling around my kids' heads. As a responsible Malaysian citizen and a parent to Malaysian kids, explaining the truth and going back to the basic principles of democracy are a must. There are many reasons why what happened last Saturday was wrong. From the show of unnecessary force by the police to the insincerity of the government and its officials in making bad-faith offers to Bersih 2.0, to how one-sided and deep-slanted the spin against the movement was after the event. These are the things that need to be explained to young minds. But I believe that all this misinformation pales in comparison to the one argument government officials always cite: That if the rakyat are not happy with this sitting government, go to the polls and change the government. While in itself that statement seems logical and correct democratically speaking, the plain truth is that in Malaysia this advice is pointless and ineffectual. Why? The democratic principle of "a government elected by the people, for the people," necessitates and demands that a sitting government listens to its people. In other thriving and fully functioning democracies around the world, this is expressed through the polls when their citizens make their voices heard and has the power to kick out an incumbent government, just like what happened in Britain recently. In short, governments come and go as a result of the people's wishes through elections. But such mechanisms only work if there are free and fair election processes and practices. For us in Malaysia, how can the people change the government of the day through the polls when the current electoral processes and procedures are unfair, one-sided and not effective in the first place? Thus, I find this argument that our sitting government often preaches is oxymoronic because as long as there are ineffective electoral systems and corrupt practices within the electoral process, there can't be a level playing field for people wanting to change the government. Such advice therefore only belies what the government tries to preach, and the irony of it all is that this sitting government is never going to change as long as there is this one-sided playing field and the powers-that-be are in full control. This is why I believe government officials always resort to the argument that "people should change the government of the day by means of the polls," as the powers-that-be always know that this will never happen as long as they are in control of the electoral institutions and the policies that govern these institutions. And the proof is in the pudding, as for 54 years we've ever only known a federal government that has been led by Barisan Nasional. Malaysia can never be a true and fully functioning democracy when there is no level playing field, nor a chance to change its elected officials and the government of the day through a fair electoral process. It's akin to saying: "Heads the government wins, tails we, the rakyat, lose." This, at least for me, is why the struggle of Bersih 2.0 is important — to bring about clean and fair electoral reform to the country for ALL its people. To me, it's not about opposition parties being in control or trying to ram through their own political agenda. Nor is it about the incumbent government trying to vilify Bersih 2.0 as an illegal trouble-making, rebel-rousing group of people. It's simply about demanding for clean, fair and free elections in the country. That said, I'm mindful that the struggle of Bersih 2.0 will continue and pundits will continue to weigh in as to whether it can make an impact in areas of the country where it really matters — deep in the Malay heartland — and not in the suburban and urban areas. But what of us? What can we do now in the present? One place I think we can certainly begin making an impact in — to borrow the words of management guru Stephen R. Covey — is to expound, educate, defend and persuade the people who are in our "circle of influence" about the need for electoral reform in order to break the rule of those who are corrupt and tyrannical in their ways. This is certainly what I'm going to do, beginning with my household, my children, and the people who are in my influence, including many young people, business leaders and the general public, that I as a journalist have a chance to interact with. Bersih 2.0 represents the aspirations of the rakyat for a clean and fair electoral process so that Malaysia can go back to the roots and fundamentals of democracy — a government elected by the people, for the people. And don't forget, it's only when we have a government elected by the people, for the people, will we be able to put upright people in Parliament and derive a just government to rule over the rakyat. So join me in the fight for a better Malaysia and influence as many people around us with the correct democratic thinking and get them to vote in the next polls according to what they believe is right. After all, this is your right as a democratic citizen of Malaysia. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Posted: 11 Jul 2011 05:04 PM PDT 12 JULAI — Ada satu perkara yang kurang difahami oleh kebanyakan orang dalam hak untuk berhimpun. Mereka tidak dapat membezakan antara perhimpunan aman dengan perhimpunan haram. Istilah "haram" hanyalah satu pengklasan himpunan yang dilabelkan sebagai tidak mendapat permit polis, manakala perhimpunan aman adalah satu istilah yang diperuntukkan oleh perlembagaan persekutuan sebagai satu hak. Walaupun tidak mendapat izin ia tetap satu hak yang perlu dihormati oleh semua pihak tidak terkecuali pihak polis. Segala tindakan yang menghalang hak ini adalah satu pencabulan kepada hak asasi manusia secara berperlembagaan dalam konteks Malaysia mahupun dalam piawian antarabangsa. Oleh itu istilah "perhimpunan haram" lebih merupakan satu pengklasan ciptaan polis bagi menenangkan mimpi ngeri pemerintah yang berada di ambang senja pemerintahan. Memang jelas apa yang berlaku pada 9 Julai adalah manifestasi kepada kebebalan polis yang menjadi alat dan perkakas buruk regim BN bagi mempertahankan kuasanya yang semakin pudar. Rakyat Malaysia seharusnya berkabung semalam kerana polis telah menjadi "alat membunuh" kepada hak berhimpun secara aman di bawah kerelaan pemerintah yang sedang nazak! Polis seolah-olah memperbodohkan dirinya di hadapan orang ramai kononnya berhujah dengan akta polis. Ya, Akta Polis memang ada tetapi semangat akta itu ialah memastikan perhimpunan berlaku secara aman bukan menghalang hak perhimpunan secara aman. Ketua Polis seharusnya meletakkan jawatan kerana gagal memahami ruh perlembagaan dan kerananya juga Perdana Menteri yang gagal mengawal semangat ini turut wajib meletakkan jawatan dalam kadar segera! Jika tidak, seluruh rakyat dimalukan dan dihina lantas PM tidak menjunjung perlembagaan persekutuan malah memperkakaskan polis menjadi alat pembunuh hak berhimpun. Memburukkan lagi keadaan, adanya perintah RO (restriction order) yang jelas membataskan pergerakan hak rakyat secara bebas. Sekali lagi polis menunjukkan kebebalannya dengan berhujjah bahawa 91 orang yang diberikan RO itu berpotensi mencetuskan ketenteraman awam kerana menggalakkan orang ramai menyertai "perhimpunan haram". Apa yang membingungkan ialah apakah pihak polis bertindak demikian kerana ketenteraman awam ataukah kerana memelihara ketenteraman Umno/BN yang terancam. Menentang Umno/BN bukan mengganggu ketenteraman awam ia urusan politik yang harus ditangani secara politik jua bukan menggunakan kekerasan polis. Sebab itu polis tidak kurang lebih daripada pencacai yang menjilat-jilat tuannya Umno/BN dan bukan bertindak sebagai pelindung ketenteraman awam. 9 Julai telah menunjukkan wajah polis yang sebenarnya, mereka umpama anjing-anjing yang terjelir lidahnya, jika tidak diberi makan mereka menjelir dan apabila diberi makan mereka menjelir juga. Keganasan mereka umpama robot-robot yang diprogramkan untuk bertindak sehendak hati mereka. Cuma bezanya polis-polis Malaysia ini manusia, dalam cerita-cerita Hollywod mereka adalah robot! Senarai keganasan polis semakin meningkat dan tidak menunjukkan trend menurun. Bayangkanlah apa akan jadi jika keganasan ini tidak diberhentikan, ramailah lagi akan menjadi mangsa. Apakah polis-polis ini lupa mereka juga manusia seperti mangsanya? Ketua Polis harus membuat satu pencarian roh (soul searching), di manakah salah silapnya sehingga persepsi rakyat kepada polis begitu buruk sekali? Pakaian seragam biru lebih melambangkan sikap tidak professional, ganas dan rasuah walaupun bukan semua yang bersikap demikian. Polis harus mempelajari apa yang berlaku dalam kebangkitan rakyat di Mesir, Syria dan Negara Timur Tengah yang lain, rakyat bangkit kerana kezaliman pemerintah yang memperkakaskan instituisi kepolisian untuk terus kekal berkuasa. Seorang pejuang rakyat di Mesir memberitahu saya, "kalau dulu polis mengejar kami tetapi kerana kebangkitan rakyat terhadap keganasan polis selama ini, kami pula mengejar polis!" Ada juga yang menceritakan polis lari lintang pukang sambil buka uniform kerana takut dicari oleh rakyat yang tertindas selama ini dengan keganasan polis. Alangkah baiknya Ketua Polis bertafakur sejenak dan mencari-cari satu ketenangan atau berdoa di hadapan Kaabah supaya jadilah dia orang yang benar-benar menjaga ketenteraman awam yang bergantung kepadanya dan jauhi dirinya dari menjadi penjilat-penjilat regim yang hanya pandai menggunakan polis untuk kepentingan politik sempit mereka. Polis juga harus sedar bahawa selalunya polis juga dikambing-hitamkan dalam beberapa keadaan apabila kerajaan nazak terdesak dan sebaliknya tidak mungkin berlaku. Untuk selamatkan maruah polis dari menjadi mangsa dikambing-hitamkan , wajarlah polis bersikap professional, bermaruah dan menghormati hak asasi manusia ketika melakukan penahanan. Hari itu adalah hari hitam untuk kebebasan dan hak berhimpun di negara kita yang tercinta. Hari itu rakyat menangis bukan kerana bahaya gas pemedih mata, mereka menangis kerana sedih pihak polis bertindak ganas dan tidak memelihara maruah rakyat yang ingin berhimpun secara aman. Hari itu hari duka, hari itu hari rakyat akan terus bangkit menuntut hak berhimpun dihormati dan lebih dari itu hari itu akan menjadi sejarah kepada satu tuntutan memohon pilihanraya yang adil dan bertanggungjawab. Pastinya hari itu hari kebangkitan rakyat! * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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