Contrary to world trend, M'sia is becoming increasingly regimented

The world has moved light years ahead since the end of World War II. The nations that were eager and receptive to the notion of liberating its civil society have all migrated to ‘First World’ status.

Then came the fast-forwarding advent of the World Wide Web at the close of the last millennium. It gave the laggard nations of third world ranking a break-free avenue to make a quantum leap. Many nations with right-thinking leadership saw the prudence in facilitating the advance of civil societies. They quickly recognized the meaning and benefits of true democracy and heightened civil liberties.

But some leaders chose to regulate the networked society and to dispense their own prescriptions for their citizenry. The bottom line was simply all about retaining their power bases. Period.

Mega projects and mega oppressive laws

Malaysia wanted to parade to the world that it is set in becoming a ‘First World’ status by 2020. To justify this trumpet call, we pumped oil and rakyat money into modernizing the physical realm of the nation. And so came mega structures and “world’s biggest, tallest, this and that”.

And the Multi Media Super Corridor too was carved out at immense cost and losses.

But one thing that seems to go largely unnoticed is the retrogressive, limiting and curtailing laws of the country. That brings to mind two laws that defy the very notion of true democracy and civil liberties. These are the infamous Internal Security Act unleashed against its own citizens; and the other is the Printing and Publishing Act that virtually bottles the very machinery that has liberated the world since the time of the Penny Press.

Not to be outdone, the government is breathing down the citizens’ neck every now and then with this law and that law. Not just laws, but also interpretations to the stifling laws. It is all about ‘this way of doing is wrong, and that way of doing is also wrong’. And so we get all kinds of directives, enforcements, raids, and what have you – all gunning down the very notion of humanity’s struggles and success in giving meaning to life and living.

One then begins to wonder whether all these restrictions, caveats, threats and punishment designed in such haste and dished out at full throttle is because Malaysian citizens are incapable of taking responsibility; incapable of thinking and acting with accountability; not ready to exercise true democracy; and not qualified to experience civil liberties?

Stop the nonsense, accept the new world

The on-going and unsettled battle with the Election Commission is a classic example of how political leaders in Malaysia think their followers (citizens) must think.

Truthfully, if you look at reality in the eye one cannot dismiss the glaring fact that Malaysians are being denied that exclusive right and duty to act independent of stifling laws. Now the question is, in the wake of the cyber society that is turning the tables on archaic leadership and repressive socio-political environments, how long more would the government of Malaysia expect to keep its reins on its citizens?

And even if it manages to do so, will it survive the eventual price of human strive to break free and enjoy the planet and its offering of a life time?

Technology is already liberating humanity all across the globe. Our life styles in their own rights are self-liberating are they not? Look at the way we shop. Look at at the way we travel. Look at man's quest for knowledge, the sciences, the arts. Then why have repressive, regimeted laws and controls that inhibit citizens?

A nation of people will only go the distance commensurate with the space allowed to exercise responsibility. But to do so there must be the socio-political infrastructure built on the fundamentals of true democracy and civil liberties – that which is consistent with the forward moving nations in the world.

We cannot deal with tomorrow's world with yesterday's political mindsets.

The government of Malaysia must face reality. Just as the Renaissance swept the world , the 'networked society' will sweep across Malaysia, like any in other nation – be it Egypt or Libya. A nation of leaders who are quick to embrace this truth will ride the waves of political success; those that try to rig the momentum will be blown up eventually by their own blinkered, mutated and self-glorifying agendas for power and control.

The benchmark to see whether Malaysian politicians are learning fast is when the ISA and Printing Presses laws are repealed, along with a whole lot of other laws that yoke the civil society. And along with that a stop to all the nonsensical socio-poliical and socio-religious raids and raves that is becoming the constant of Malaysia lately.

- J. D. Lovrenciear is a reader of Malaysia Chronicle