Power for the sake of power

The key here is liberalism. If we opt for liberalism are all Malaysians prepared to pay the price for that? Currently we scream and say we want change (and the way to see change is a change of government, we argue). But no change of government is going to bring about changes unless we are prepared to adopt a change of culture. And this change of culture has to be to migrate from conservatism to liberalism.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Compare what you are talking about in Malaysia to what we are talking about here in the UK. I think you know what you are talking about in Malaysia so I need not waste your time and mine by writing 25 pages about the matter. Maybe I will instead write 600 pages and submit it to my friend, Dr Kassim Noor Mohamed in the University of Derby, and see whether I can get a doctorate for my thesis.

Malaysians are arguing about matters such as whether His Majesty the Agong’s speech was his own speech or the Prime Minister’s speech and whether the 89 opposition Members of Parliament should take their oaths since they do not recognise the recent general election and whatnot.

Actually we now need to focus on governing and explore how both the ruling party and the opposition can work together to make sure that Malaysia moves forward over the next five years until the 14th general election when Malaysians, again, go to the polls to choose their government for another term.

I know it has always been the political culture to sabotage the other side to make sure they fail. The ruling party will do this to the opposition while the opposition will do this to the ruling party. It is what politics is all about. However, the losers here are going to be the rakyat and five years of damage will take longer than five years to repair later.

Both sides, invariably, want power. After all, politics is about power. The question is: what do they want to do with this power? And do we, the rakyat, understand what is the reason we want one side or the other to get into power? We do not fight for power for the sake of power. There is a purpose for wanting power. So, read (below) what Nick Clegg said on Saturday about ‘the purpose of power’ in the extract of his speech in Manchester.

I just want to focus on the salient points of his speech.

“Who better to help lead the party on this journey than you? It’s the people in this room, and your predecessors, who first taught the Liberal Democrats what it means to govern.”

In short, the people, not the politicians, are the boss.

“And you know, like I know, that our party can only fulfil our purpose by exercising power wherever we can. Not power for power’s sake, but power to make a difference.”

There is a purpose for power. Malaysian politicians seek power for power’s sake. Power is meant, as Nick Clegg said, ‘to make a difference’ -- in short, to bring changes to the country.

“The best way to challenge the establishment, is to get on the inside – to govern. I am proud of the things we achieved in opposition – of course I am. But the truth is this: The Liberal Democrats can do more good in a single day in local and national Government than in an eternity in opposition.”

This is what Anwar Ibrahim told us 31 years ago in 1982 when he abandoned the cause, became a turncoat, and joined Umno -- the same party that he had condemned and opposed for so long.

Of course, we gave Anwar the benefit of the doubt but the PAS leaders insisted that Anwar will never be able to change Umno from the inside but instead Umno will change Anwar. And PAS was proven correct, as we were soon to find out when Anwar demonstrated that he wanted power for power’s sake and not so that he could change Umno from the inside.

Hence Anwar proved the adage that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Hence, also, I am very suspicious of people who seek power and will no longer give them the benefit of the doubt. It is no longer ‘innocent until proven guilty’ like 30 years ago but ‘guilty until proven innocent’.

That would be the only way to treat politicians who lust for power and will do anything possible to gain power even at a cost to the nation. Too many countries the world over are currently being torn apart by the struggle for power at great cost and loss to life, limb, and property even as you read this.

“On every big question facing Britain – decentralising power, fixing the economy, the environment, Europe, reforming public services, civil liberties, crime and rehabilitation – liberalism offers the right solution.”

This, I feel, is the most important part of Nick Clegg’s message and you can replace the word ‘Britain’ with ‘Malaysia’ (and 'Europe' with 'ASEAN') and that statement would be applicable to Malaysia as well.

Decentralising power. Fixing the economy. Fixing the environment. Reforming public services. Civil liberties. Combating crime. These are also what Malaysia needs. And, as Nick Clegg said, liberalism offers the right solution.

This is the same thing I have been writing about for some time and for more than once that I am beginning to sound like a stuck record.

Nick Clegg further said, “And we are doing what only liberals will ever do: Using power in the centre to disperse power away from the centre.”

We must note one very important point regarding Malaysia’s ‘system’. Power is centralised and states have very little power. Hence the federal government and the Prime Minister are like god. They decide the fate of the states and have power over life and death.

This was not how it was supposed to be, especially for Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore. Why do you think there was a fallout with Singapore and why Sabah and Sarawak are harping on the 20/18-Point Agreements? Too much power has been centralised and there is not enough autonomy at state level.

For example see what they did 40 years ago back in 1973. Natural resources are supposed to be state matters. However, the federal government wanted to ‘grab’ the most lucrative state resource (oil and gas) so in 1974 the federal government passed the Petroleum Development Act (1974) in Parliament and nationalised oil and gas.

Then, two years later, in 1976, the federal government signed supplementary agreements with the states to ‘legalise’ the 5% ‘royalty’ that was given to the states. The question is: did the federal government ‘give’ the states 5% of the oil and gas wealth or ‘take’ 95% of it?

Prior to 1974 it would have been ‘take’ but after 1974 it was ‘give’. And for those too stupid to understand the difference, trust me when I say that there is a difference between ‘give 5%’ and ‘take 95%’.

That is just one example and there are many more. The bottom line is the Prime Minister rules the country like a Monarch and has more power than even the Agong -- as what the First Agong, His Majesty Tuanku Abdul Rahman, said: in Malaysia the Prime Minister can sack the Agong and not the other way around.

And here in Malaysia Today we have readers who moan, groan, whine and bitch about the Agong not doing anything regarding the political situation in Malaysia. As what Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim said today, Malaysians are absolutely ignorant about history but they talk as if they are so learned. The Prime Minister has more power than the Agong mah!

Anyway, we the rakyat should not get distracted by the power struggle between two groups of politicians. Who eventually gets to rule Malaysia is one issue, although a very important issue. An even more important issue is what do they want to do with this power?

I know. I too have heard what they are saying. And they are saying that they want to change the government so that corruption and racism can be eradicated or reduced. That, of course, is good but not really good enough.

Okay, let’s say we change the government and we solve some of the corruption and racism problems plaguing Malaysia. Is that the end of our problems? Certainly not! That is only the tip of the iceberg. That does not solve the country’s real problems. That is only the beginning and will, in fact, open up more problems.

Let me go back to what Nick Clegg said: “On every big question facing Britain – decentralising power, fixing the economy, the environment, Europe, reforming public services, civil liberties, crime and rehabilitation – liberalism offers the right solution.”

The key here is liberalism. If we opt for liberalism are all Malaysians prepared to pay the price for that? Currently we scream and say we want change (and the way to see change is a change of government, we argue). But no change of government is going to bring about changes unless we are prepared to adopt a change of culture. And this change of culture has to be to migrate from conservatism to liberalism.

And this is what Malaysians will not agree to. The Malays, Chinese and Indians will have to stop arguing about mother-tongue education and language. The Muslims, Christians and Hindus will have to stop arguing about religion and places of worship. The only way to bring about national integration is to ‘ban’ race, language and religion.

And not even the ruling party is prepared to do that, let alone the opposition. So there goes liberalism and national integration. It will be back to race, language and religion and a divided Malaysia. And without a culture of liberalism there is not going to be any change in Malaysia even if we do change the government.

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The Purpose of Power

If that isn’t the ask you were expecting, answer me this: Who better to help lead the party on this journey than you?

It’s the people in this room, and your predecessors, who first taught the Liberal Democrats what it means to govern.

Liberal Democrat councillors who drove the Tories out of shires and counties in the 1990s.

Liberal Democrats councillors who took Labour’s urban citadels the decade after.

Liberal Democrat councillors who continue to deliver for people up and down Britain.

And you know, like I know, that our party can only fulfil our purpose by exercising power wherever we can. Not power for power’s sake, but power to make a difference.

That’s what you do every single day.

All of you understand that the best way to take on vested interests, the best way to challenge the establishment, is to get on the inside – to govern. And it’s exactly the same in Westminster.

I am proud of the things we achieved in opposition – of course I am. But the truth is this: The Liberal Democrats can do more good in a single day in local and national Government than in an eternity in opposition.

1. In Coalition Government, Liberal Democrats are now leading Britain through the most profound economic crisis in living memory.

2. Taking the difficult decisions on the deficit, but making sure we spread the burden in a way that is fair. 

3. Laying the foundations for a new, rebalanced economy, built on sound public finances and fuelled not just by the City of London, but every part of the UK.

4. Transforming the tax system, so that we begin the process of shifting the burden away from earned income towards unearned wealth.

5. Making social mobility the official and overriding aim of all Government social policy.

6. Insisting that growth can and must be green – driving forward major reform of the electricity market, the green deal, the Green Investment Bank.

7.  Standing against those forces that would have Britain pull up the drawbridge and turn away from the rest of the world.

8. Providing a liberal defence of hard-won civil liberties.

9. Preventing profit making in schools; making sure the reformed planning system will protect rather than threaten our environment; vetoing ideas that would undermine workers’ rights.

10. And we are doing what only liberals will ever do: Using power in the centre to disperse power away from the centre.

Working hard to get central government to cut the purse strings...

Driving an unprecedented transfer power back to councils and communities.

City deals. Community Budgets. The Single Pot proposed by the Heseltine Review.

Removing the ringfence around £7bn worth of central government funds.

Creating new powers for you to keep your business rates, and borrow against them to invest in infrastructure.

The General Power of Competence. Neighbourhood planning.

Introducing rights for local groups to take over struggling services.

Helping councils deliver desperately needed social homes.

I am not going to try and gloss over the pressure on your budgets.

Local government spending is 25% of all government spending...

And councils are having to contribute to deficit reduction.

You’re all being asked to do more with less.

But local government is facing those challenges armed with greater freedom, greater flexibility, much more power over the money you spend...

And that has only been possible with Liberal Democrats governing at the centre.

On every big question facing Britain – decentralising power, fixing the economy, the environment, Europe, reforming public services, civil liberties, crime and rehabilitation – liberalism offers the right solution.

And for that reason, the Liberal Democrats must always stand ready to govern, locally and nationally.

Yes for the good of our party, but much more importantly, for the good of our country.

A Speech by the Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg at the Liberal Democrat Local Government Conference, Manchester Saturday 22 June 2013 (READ THE FULL SPEECH HERE).