“Politics is not an end, but a means. It is not a product, but a process. It is the art of government. Like other values, it has its counterfeits.
So much emphasis has been placed upon the false that the significance of the truth has been obscured and politics has come to convey the meaning of crafty and cunning selfishness, instead of candid and sincere service.”
– Calvin Coolidge, 30th United States president from 1923 to 1929
Is criticism of the government and its ministers prohibited? Can’t they be asked to explain why their words don’t match the deeds? Is it a crime for citizens to ask why the promised reforms have not been fulfilled?
What can Joe Public do when there are shortcomings in government policies and flaws in the delivery? Don’t we have a right to ask when promises are not delivered?
Can we express our views and opinions on governance and the administration?
Why is a state apparatus - the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) being used to prevent such issues to the public?
On Monday, a rights group alleged that the government is, “secretly” or otherwise, requesting TikTok to remove posts and delete accounts.
According to TikTok’s bi-annual “Government Removal Requests Report” released on June 7, the Malaysian government requested 2,202 content takedowns. Most of the requests - 1,862 of the total –were made from July to December 2023.
In April, Professor James Chin of the University of Tasmania posted a worrying note on his Facebook page. Reproducing a response from X, he noted: “Madani Govt is working hard to crack down on people like me...”
As a rejoinder, he posted a note from X which read: “In the interest of transparency, we are writing to inform you that X has received a request from MCMC regarding your X accounts that claims the following violates (the) law of Malaysia.”
(It was a link to a video clip widely circulated in Sabah and Sarawak.)
Unkept election promises
Can’t we ask about the dozens of pre-election promises which have not been kept?
The mother of all promises was (then) opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s repeated promise to lower the price of petrol a day after he assumed power.
“If we succeed this time, our promise to the people, if we succeed, we will fully fulfil it to the people.
“We win today, oil prices fall tomorrow,” he said at a press conference after the end of the PKR National Congress in July 2022.
He may have forgotten what he promised but the citizens are continually reminded by a video clip that has been making its rounds on social media.
What happened to the money paid for the six littoral combat ships (LCS) that were flouted as examples of wasteful spending in the lead-up to the election?
Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli then revealed a slew of facts and figures - taking to task then-defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein on the irregularities in the procurement of the LCS.
This was after the Public Accounts Committee announced that not a single ship had been completed although RM6 billion had been spent by Putrajaya on the project given to Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) via direct negotiation.
Then came a modicum of truth. BNS was forced to use part of the funds meant for the LCS’ procurement to pay off the bad debts of another old project.
Are we to believe that all these were campaign rhetoric because the government made a bailout after being elected to office?
Where did the money go?
Anwar explained that the government had already spent RM6 billion on the LCS project and had no choice but to take over the construction to ensure its full completion.
However, the project cost had increased from RM9 billion to RM11.2 billion but the Royal Malaysian Navy was getting only five LCS instead of six.
So, have the books been closed? What happened to the money that was disbursed? Where did it go?
Why can’t the directors of the company be indicted for breach of fiduciary duties?
These and several other questions will continue to be asked because of the undertakings that were made.
Should we be satisfied with standard answers like “we will look into it” or “the system needs improvement”?
Is it wrong to demand answers on issues of public interest? No. it is also certainly improper for state-sponsored censors to use their clout indiscriminately. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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