The idea of less government

The force which shapes men’s lives and builds societies is not the destructive power of protests and revolutions but the productive power of rational ideas, says Medecci Lineil.

COMMENT

Medecci Lineil

Malaysians are increasingly stirred with dissatisfactions. Myriads of people on every state from Perlis to Sabah are shouting and writing or rioting their discontent with the structures of their societies and government.

And they are dissatisfied with poverty which increases in step with increasingly expensive anti-poverty programmes, endlessly heavier burden of individual and family spending as a result of unmindful bureaucrats and uncontrolled government spending, moral policing and so forth.

Youths are especially dissatisfied with rising house prices, being drafted into involuntary servitude as a trainee in National Service (PLKN) and resent being told (in every newspaper and television show) how to run their business and their lives.

Nearly every Malaysian is against some governmental action and an increasing number who have come to believe that the government is causing the problems.

They are plenty of social activists and politicians who march and protest (eg demonising police force, Election Commission, Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission, RELA, etc) or dreaming about bringing part or all the governmental system crashing down.

For examples, Occupy Dataran, Malaysian Crime Watch Task Force (MyWatch), Sarawak Sabah Keluar Malaysia (SSKM), The Save Malaysia Stop Lynas, Anti Murum Dam, Radio Free Sarawak, Bersih, Gagasan Anti Penyelewengan Selangor (GAPS), Jingga 13 and etc.

Although these ‘anti-government’ groups have taken a firm and well justified stand against the injustice of government, I think only a few of them have an explicitly clear idea of what they are for.

They want to tear down the government and build a better one but most of them hold only hazy and contradictory ideas of what this better society would be like and what structure should be.

They have no valid ideas or truth about how society is better off without governmental rule.

Thus, the people will be still convinced that the traditional government system was right and necessary in spite of massive flaws. They will demand a strong leader and the people will be far worse off than they were before.

Evil men’s institution

I believe the force which shapes men’s lives and builds societies is not the destructive power of protests and revolutions but the productive power of rational ideas.

As an Austrian libertarian, if we want to be permanently free of government caused ills we must get rid of government itself.

I am not envisioning a Utopia or proposing a perfect society (whatever that is). The idea that I propose is a system which makes the violation of human liberty far more difficult and less rewarding for all who want to live as brutes or for those who want to be politicians.

In short, the idea could be summed up as separation of the economy form the government, separation of speech and press from the government, separation of religion from the government, separation of land from the government, separation of business from the government and I also think the separation of the government from almost everything!

The critical difference between libertarian and other people and movement is our view on the role of the government.

The government should be kept small in role and small in budget. Murray Rothbard said the classical liberals never developed a theory of taxation and claimed every increase in a tax and every new kind of tax was fought bitterly.

Suffice for me to regard the government as the supreme, the best organised aggressor against the individual and the market and they are considered above the general moral law. The government is everywhere whether democratic, dictatorial or monarchy.

The government is supposed to excuse all actions that would be considered immoral or criminal of committed by private individuals. For examples

Assistant Minister of Public Health Dr Jerip Susil said Shisha should be banned because the smoking substance is illegal.

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Sarawak State Director Wan Ahmad Wan Uzir Sulaiman said any company or business operator who wishes to hold cheap sale must apply for a permit or licence. Otherwise, they could be fined up to RM100,000.

Sarawak State Health Director Datu Dr Zulkifli Jantan said the health enforcement unit is conducting a regular check on outlets to clamp down on the sale of cigarettes to the under aged.

Another one is taxation. Only government obtains its income by coercion and violence i.e direct threat of confiscation or imprisonment if payment is not forthcoming.

Based on the examples above, only the government can use its (read taxpayers) money against our own people, compel a health advice or put people in jail for selling goods at highest and lowest price than government sees fit.

The libertarian meanwhile sees every other person or group receives its income by voluntary payment i.e voluntary contribution or gift (religious donation, Save Gaza fund, organ donation, fundraising dinner, etc) or voluntary purchase of goods and services on the market (Tung Yang Kota Sentosa, Chin Kee Bookstore Kota Sentosa, Siang Siang Corner, Sing Seng Lee, THE Enterprise, 100% Discount Store, Super Save, Courts Mammoth, etc)

The argument that I hear often from government defenders and social activists is market cannot provide certain goods and services as efficiently as government and completely unable to provide certain desired goods for the poor, rural and disable people.

They also argue that the government can become benign and less oppressive too – with new political party or new ‘angel’ politician in power, hopefully.

I pity them. The government never became good which is impossible – just less bad than before because they did less.

Nevertheless, those arguments still do not change the fact that on moral and economic ground, all governments are established by force and retain their power by force.

If the government is force, money manipulator and illegal institution, then the people should have no obligation to obey the government.

Democratic and prosperous society
To answer this is very difficult as I am not a learned person in political science.

Since the last general election, I observe once the majority of the governed becomes convinced that it is necessary to change the form of government, replace the old government and the old politician with a new government and new politician – as Ludwig von Mises concluded that the new regime will have the power to carry out its wishes by force on the people or even against the will of the old regime

If that is the case, can the new government maintain itself if it does not have the people who believe (those governed) are not convinced that the government is good?

No lasting economic and social improvement can be achieved if our course of affairs is continually interrupted by political struggles (sex, naked and party hopping) between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat.

So for me democracy and government – makes possible for those people who demanding free education, free tolls, lower oil prices, free shelter, minimum wage, etc which these eventually in the long run cannot prevent majorities from falling victim to erroneous ideas that result in disaster.

If you are looking for real democracy, I completely agree with eminent American economist Frank Fetter in which he argued that the market is a democracy in which every penny gives a right to vote.

In politics always the will of the majority that prevails, the minorities must always yield to it.

When the Barisan and Pakatan speak about freedom, they speak non sense. The truth of freedom is free from government coercion, living without government coercion.

I cannot eliminate the government. As I see it now, government should guarantee the protection of life, health, liberty and private property against violent attacks. Not more than that.

Now the readers can see that libertarian or classical liberalism constituted a profound threat to the political and economic interests – the ruling classes, the monarchs, the aristocrats, the government bureaucracies, the government linked companies, the intellectuals and professors, the government unions and politicians – to assume powerful role over individual and property in the name of the “people” and “democracy”

I realise many people out there are hoping that a better, freer, democratic and more humane society will emerge.

These improvements in man’s condition never ever come as a result of blind hope, pious prayers, lobbying Anwar Ibrahim or Hadi Awang to be prime minister or sending petition to United Nations but spreading the ideas of freedom and liberty like understanding the nature of the government and its existence and the powerful ideas and action of men.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2013

Medecci Lineil is a young Austrian libertarian who lives in Kuching, Sarawak. He also a registered voter for Stampin parliamentary constituency.