With new dawn, time for honest politics

A call to action for the new Pakatan Harapan government is necessitated by the impact from the previous administration which can be felt in all aspects of our society today, and actions for immediate reversals are called for.

Arguably the biggest concern is the erosion of the constitutional framework which protects and facilitates the functioning of democracy in the nation. To all Malaysians, from those in government in positions of power to the rakyat in the kampung, the responsibility to protect the constitutional democracy is of the utmost importance.

By weakening the institutions put in place to ensure constitutional compliance, the previous leaders struck at the heart of the framework which allows democracy to function and that cannot be allowed or condoned, regardless of party, creed, race or other affiliation. Making this a rallying point for the new administration will serve not only the interests of the nation, but also align the interests of ruling and opposition political parties, intellectuals, moderates, and all citizens - who may well forgive excesses of a particular administration but not a compromise of the state itself.

Foreign countries, global multinationals, and institutional investors alike had stalled direct and financial investment, taking instead a wait-and-see approach for the dust to settle on the political front. This, taken in conjunction with the effects of the GST, catalysed a negative sentiment both internally and amongst our international trading partners.

Now, aggressive corrective action and a corresponding shift in confidence is needed. We must equip large and small enterprise in the country with a ready and growing marketplace for their goods and services, in order to maintain a healthy economy.

Taking a proper account of the economic impact of our elevated debt levels, it will be seen that its effects accrue across all segments of the economy, from government to private enterprise, to retail consumption and tourism. The most transparent benchmark for confidence in Malaysia is the ringgit.

The fact that the currency had broken 20-year lows against the US dollar is the clearest indication of a loss of faith both domestically and internationally, not just in the Malaysian economy but also in its political stability and institutional credibility. To put it simply, those with a stake in Malaysia had spoken with their feet and headed for the exit. Reducing debt and stabilising the currency are therefore immediate policy objective that the new government must achieve.

In the aftermath of GE14 it is now taken as a given that power must inevitably change hands, which was an inconceivable notion just weeks back. It is the responsibility of each and every political party, and especially its leaders, to leave the nation in better shape than when they inherited it. The extensive scale of the financial crisis, arguably unprecedented in our history, presents a logistical challenge.

Mapping out the mechanism for dismantling, fixing, and reconstructing the institutions in question, including the highest offices of administration, is a herculean task. Not only does it need our best intellectual capital and dedicated hard work, but also demands the luxury of time, a resource that no ruling coalition will ever be able to claim to have with certainty.

The better part of last administration saw an escalation of accusation, disclosure, and denial that created a complex web of deception and confusion, which must now be unravelled strand by strand. Those who deceived and despoiled under the delusion that in time the storm would blow over have now got to face the music. No one has a crystal ball and no one can tell where the trajectory of this hurricane lie, yet as Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has stated, no one who contributed to this chaos will be spared.

In order to look forward to a better tomorrow, the new Harapan government owes the public a reconciliation of past accounts, and a new narrative. These are the obligations arising from winning a fresh mandate and are not mutually exclusive, but are in fact inextricably intertwined. Meaning which: one can be accomplished in conjunction with the other. Only if there is a robust and credible clearing up of open questions, can there be made the space to talk about a new future.

No more one-way dialogue

The international press smelled blood after the 1MDB scandal broke, and they went in for the kill. Whether or not their intentions were pure, they nevertheless had the ammunition they needed and their target in sight. Now we have the opportunity to reverse the narrative and to rescue the brand of the country from the field of the hunt. It hurt every nationalistic Malaysian to see their country ridiculed and their highest office openly questioned. It compromised our ability to act as an equal upon the world's stage, and it allowed others to take full advantage of our weakness.

A stronger and more independent local press means a more direct control of the narrative, which helps achieve this essential control once and for all, instead of falling into a repetitive pattern and a mutual feeling of suspicion and mistrust. We have learned from the reporting on 1MDB that it is impossible to maintain the tension of an ever-increasing gap between one side and the other, such as had developed between local and foreign reporting. It is essential that Malaysia presents itself to the world in the best possible light, as the benefits are numerous and favourable not just to government, but to commerce and private citizens alike.

GE14 has also taught us that the days are long gone when propaganda can be projected upon the public in a one-way dialogue. It can be argued, indeed, that this was never the case, but the means for the social consciousness to express itself was stunted through control of the dialectic. In truth, Malaysian society has always been a far cry from despotic rule, and we uphold with pride our best traditions of inclusiveness, cooperation and understanding for one another.

Today, the dialogue with the public is not just two-way, but unconstrained and even enhanced by technology. Ideally there should be some regulation of this traffic so that it meets the norms of society, and eventually it will definitely be so. Some opinions expressed in social media are wild and unconstrained, but equally many in society find this platform the only avenue for honest expression of their opinions. The government needs to be proactive towards the digital social dialogue as well as reactive. To ignore the public discourse is to do so at its own peril.

Reflecting upon the cover-ups of the past, it should be clear to all that executive actions that overreach its legitimate scope and intrude upon the rights of independent empowered overseers, is a source of much frustration and anger. Decisive action that demonstrates a new transparency, accountability and respect for the sanctity of independent bodies is needed. Indeed, the most resonating endorsement of a revised strategic vision will be its validation in social media.

Under BN, the lobby WiFi password at the KL Hilton was "honestpublic"; arguably because "honestpolitics" was not possible. If the resources of the new government can be brought to bear to change this dialogue in the public perception and social media, down to the expression of the rakyat’s mindset, then the new Harapan government and its officers and administrators will be doing a great and necessary service to the enduring democracy and pride of Malaysia.

---

RAIS HUSSIN is a supreme council member of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM). He also heads the Policy and Strategy Bureau of PPBM. -Mkini