Democracy should not be taken for granted

The events of February 2020 were no doubt a paradigm shift for Malaysian politicians. No longer were elections the only way for regime change, a different way was shown possible and can be accepted without great public outcry.

What was once a calendar-bound opportunity had become an always-available puzzle that enticed motivated parties. The new anti-hopping law thankfully added much-needed friction, in addition to the blocks of actual seats won by political coalitions.

It may not have stopped political scheming and manoeuvring but it has allowed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition government to survive this long despite no single coalition owning a clear majority from the last general election.

As May 2025 ticks by, this administration enters its 17th month in good shape. Hopefully, this means that the government will last longer than the tenures of the past three governments to actually be able to carry out policy and return normalcy to our democracy.

Democracy needs to work for the people

No doubt, the constant machinations are off-putting. Even the government is not immune to political overtures that even their staunchest supporters find confusing. With no majority, we are constantly reminded that compromises are necessary.

However, each subsequent compromise makes voters wonder why they even bothered to support their candidates and their manifestos when concession after concession is given to the government’s opponents.

At a glance, it is all obviously political. By closing the gap between the government and the opposition, the choice to support the prime minister should be easier since values become closely aligned.

But how does that pan out in reality?

Last year’s state elections showed that the Pakatan Harapan-BN coalition had not made significant gains among Malay voters, at the cost of upsetting its core support base.

Pakatan Harapan and BN leaders after the conclusion of the 2023 state elections

On the other hand, bread-and-butter concerns are growing, even among upper-middle-income groups, which inevitably is a matter of government accountability.

Forward-looking blueprints, positive indicators, and ever-higher investment figures are great news to share but it does not do anything to address the fact that people feel poorer when they spend at the shops.

The outcome is that Harapan and BN supporters feel cheated and upset over how things are progressing.

Sticking “Madani” on every ad and social media post is not enough to explain where the country is headed, yet at the same time, the opposition continues trucking along picking at the government’s every mistake.

It becomes convenient for the opposition to pin every fault that happens under the Malaysian sky, including their own, onto the government that’s perpetually on the defensive.

With both major coalitions discrediting the other as incompetent at governing at the federal and state levels, there is a deepening perception of their respective dysfunctions from the public.

Politics has been known as “dirty” but it risks becoming disgusting and turning people away from engaging with it if it seems to serve no purpose other than grabbing and keeping power.

We cannot afford for people to lose interest in the democratic process through our elections, parliamentary system, and public representation and leaving them to vested interests.

It is crucial that this administration - and others that will follow it - show that an effective government can be delivered through our democracy despite its flaws.

Surviving, not thriving

Covering the basics - food, shelter, health, jobs - is non-negotiable but there also needs to be a spirit of inclusivity and mission which persuades people to believe in what the government is trying to do.

Maybe the mission is there and achievements have been made but if the people do not realise them or, worse still, do not want to recognise them, it is worthwhile investigating why.

Democracy must constantly prove that it is better than the next possible alternative or it will lose its attraction to less-inclusive forms of government, or even worse: authoritarianism.

A society with a large portion that feels hungry, unsafe, and ignored will be vulnerable to seeking alternatives that claim to have the solutions.

Unfortunately for the government of the day, they do not have the option of throwing their hands up in exasperation when people keep complaining about them.

Governing is difficult at the best of times and managing public expectations is not as easy as a scripted Q&A on a TV broadcast.

Silencing and taking harsher measures against its most vocal opponents may seem convenient in the short term but all members of this coalition government would know better than anyone how useful that is for winning people over. - Mkini

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LUTFI HAKIM ARIFF is co-founder and podcaster at Waroeng Baru, a not-for-profit collective to promote democratic participation and resilience. He is also the co-author of the book ‘Parliament, Unexpected’ and an unrepentant believer in the power of local independent media. Lutfi tweets at @ltf_ha.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.