The greatest paradox of modern political governance/democracy is that those who come to power through democratic procedures but once in power try to stay on through non-democratic means.
This paradox or irony is nowhere more prevalent than in Malaysia with its well-established parliamentary system and periodic elections for those who seek political office.
A fundamental principle of any democratic society in resolving political crisis is through the function of democratic peoples' assemblies where debate and ultimate decision-making takes place.
However, in the case of Malaysia and what happened not just in Kedah recently, but in the states of Selangor and some years ago in Perak, state assemblies were by-passed to bring about a quick fix to the political problem of appointing a menteri besar.
Despite the checks and balances available in the federal constitution, a more decisive and more democratic role in the appointment of menteri besar should have been sought through the operation and function of democratic assemblies in these states.
For Perak and Kedah, the problem was with the Umno leadership - which wanted to find a quick way to resolve the issue by subverting the properly constituted democratic procedures, rules and regulations.
In a more specific sense, Umno sought to diffuse the political crises in the removal of the Menteri Besar by not taking the matter for a decision in the state assemblies, but by seeking a back-door approach.
In the case of Kedah, if the matter had been brought to the state assembly to ascertain the support or non-support for former MB Mukhriz Mahathir, the outcome would have been different, although we are not sure.
Larger struggle
While there were divisions within Kedah Umno, PKR moved away from Pakatan Harapan to support Mukhriz as part of the larger struggle to wage war against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
However, the two DAP state representatives and one Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) representative, took a neutral position to force the issue to be debated in the state assembly rather than to be dictated by the narrow considerations of the Umno leadership.
The taking of this neutral position should not be interpreted as siding Najib or being pro-Mukhriz, but rather out of respect for democracy and the adherence to properly constituted procedures.
It is only after the debate in the assembly that institutions could take their stand in the removal or the appointment of a new Menteri Besar.
Sad to say, Umno failed or refused to see the larger picture of democratic governance and how such a subversion would become one its biggest nightmares in the subversion of democracy in Malaysia.
While PAS' opportunism is well-known in Malaysian politics and there is nothing much to be expected from this political outfit for the furtherance of democratic advancement, PKR - an ally of both DAP and Amanah - could have assisted in the democratic process of forcing the removal of the Menteri Besar to be debated in the Kedah state assembly.
The underlying principle of both DAP and Amanah representatives, was to ensure that the removal of elected representatives in whatever governmental position should be done in accordance with democratic principles and decisions.
It should not be done through the back-door undemocratic approach as often being done by those in the top leadership of Umno.
Anyway, the removal of the former MB and the appointment of a new one is not going to signal the end of the "political excitement" in Kedah.
Chances are, if a new political alignment could be worked out in the next few weeks or months, then Umno is going to face a serious political crisis - not just in Kedah, but in the entire nation.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad might be slower at his age, but surely he is not going to keep quiet in his relentless pursuit of Najib’s removal from his political office.
P RAMASAMY is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang and the state assemblyperson for Perai. -Mkini
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