Mature democracies shun politicians with criminal charges

 

YOURSAY | 'Good governance is a key essence of mature democracy.'

Why N Sembilan election highlights Malaysia's political immaturity

LimeMoose1462: "Mature democracy" does not mean one coalition at the federal level and one in state.

Mature democracy means politicians facing criminal offences, or even suspected of criminal offences, are shunned by parties and people.

In a mature democracy, a party does not go to the electorate with the promise of freeing someone who just stole billions.

We are far from being a mature democracy. It will take many decades for that to happen.

GP2025: Correct, we are not yet a mature democracy and the main reason for it is that we don’t understand democratic governance as demanded by the Constitution and ensure compliance with the Constitution.

It is correct that it is normal for parties to have different partners at the federal and regional levels - except for one very important distinction.

In mature democracies, they make no deals that would deprive the people of their constitutional rights.

They do this not by law but by democratic convention. If a deal is made, there’s always an option to pull out. And that’s the reason why their alliances can break up mid-term.

In other words, they never sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would deprive the people of their constitutional right to change their government.

Our leaders, without understanding of democratic governance, signed an MOU for the explicit purpose of keeping Anwar for a full term in exchange for all these undemocratic and unethical benefits.

Tied down by an MOU, this government could be unaccountable to the people because there was no way the people could have sought a change of government.

The MOU thus constrained the partners at the federal level, but it was never made clear when the MOU was signed that their partners could go solo at the state level.

At least the people didn’t know, as it is not the convention here. If it was made clear, since it’s not our tradition, people won’t feel played out and taken advantage of by a technicality.

In a changing political environment and for people who don’t have a tradition of democratic governance, it is necessary to make it clear to the people that the decisions of their elected representatives are democratic and above board to avoid being seen as underhanded.

The only way to do this is by following the Constitution strictly - not via MOU or decree or deals.

Milshah: Political maturity, to me, means voting for the party that can deliver stability, good governance, and real development.

That is why I supported Johor Umno going solo, but I do not support Negeri Sembilan Umno working with PAS.

The reason is straightforward. Johor Umno understood the political reality. Many Malays remain uncomfortable with DAP, while many non-Malays are equally uncomfortable with PAS.

The logical approach was for BN to stand on its own strength.

But Johor's success was never just about avoiding alliances. It was built on leadership.

Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi is widely seen as a hands-on leader who regularly goes to the ground to understand people's problems.

Even before the election, anyone following TikTok could see his engagement with the rakyat. More importantly, he has a clear vision to transform Johor into a developed state by 2030.

That is the "BN formula" I expected to see replicated in Negeri Sembilan: strong leadership, a credible local leader, and confidence in BN's own brand.

Instead, the formula changed completely. Rather than presenting a charismatic Umno leader as the face of BN, the campaign centred on an Umno-PAS combination.

The Umno leadership wants to make it easy and use a shortcut via an alliance with PAS.

Historically, during former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s 22 years at the helm, BN won election after election, many with two-thirds majorities, largely on BN's own strength.

Relying on an Umno-PAS formula sends a different message. It suggests BN needs PAS to win. Isn't that a risky position?

PAS has its own ideology and way of governing, while BN has traditionally taken a different approach. If they cannot even agree on key policies, how sustainable would such a partnership be once in government?

A stronger strategy would be for BN to rebuild confidence in its own leadership, policies, and grassroots strength, not depend on another party to carry it across the finish line.

There is no short-cut to winning the people's trust. Learn to be strong on your own.

Of this, I am disappointed with the current Umno leadership.

VoteOfOne: In Malaysia, just leave anything to its own device literally; the outcome is always the same - nothing lasts.

We have a unity government now, not what the people voted for.

Here we are with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, leaving his federal partners to their own devices.

In fact, he leaves everything to the wind and hopes that organically all will fall into place.

As if being the non-intrusive prime minister in governance would set examples for unscrupulous partners who changed their spots. Did they change? Of course, there's change.

Those partners no longer need to whisper in coffee shops or send poison pen letters. They don't even need a hotel to make their move. They just do it in full headlines.

So, all this is to unite the Malays. All power to you. Just don't be cursed by Mahathir's “Melayu mudah lupa” (Malays easily forget).

Don't forget that it wasn't the non-Malays that disunited the Malays.

Don't forget that it was absolute power that corrupts, leading to our national infamy of 1MDB.

PurpleCat9452: Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto would be more convincing if it clearly explained why a new term would deliver better economic outcomes than those reflected in recent official indicators.

Statistics Department data shows Negeri Sembilan’s gross domestic product growth has lagged the national average for three consecutive years.

Therefore, rather than relying mainly on approved investment figures and low unemployment rates, the manifesto should demonstrate how much investment has actually been realised, how many quality local jobs have been created, and whether household incomes have improved.

These are the outcomes that matter most to voters.

As for “political maturity”, they remain rhetoric unless accompanied by measurable improvements in economic performance and people’s quality of life.

Democracy: Having political parties is like allowing/legalising gangsterism.

Political parties are like gangs where the elected do not have a free say on what is good for the rakyat they represent. Only the gang/party leaders have a say.

Worse is when these gangs form coalitions of gangs; things get complicated, and most voters get betrayed.

That is democracy. Real democracy should ban political parties.

Each MP should have a free say in Parliament, and they vote according to the issue at hand, not according to gang decision. With this, only good policies are passed and implemented.

Fair Play: We are all Malaysians. It is indeed very sad and tragic.

After more than 60 years as a sovereign nation, race-based and religion-based politics are still the mantras of the politicians in the country. At least in Peninsular Malaysia.

The future is indeed bleak, very bleak. A divided nation has only one trajectory.

Meanwhile, our neighbour down south is moving ahead at an accelerating speed. - Mkini