AG UNDER HIS THUMB, CJ UNDER HIS THUMB, MACC & IGP ALSO UNDER HIS THUMB – WHAT WIND OF CHANGE IS NAJIB BLOWING?

The government cannot make it to table in the Parliament the bill to control political financing before GE14, meaning we still won’t have any law to control political financing come the next general elections.

The government set up the national consultative committee on political financing two years ago in a bid to explore solutions to control political funding and promote operational transparency of politics.

Back then it was planned that the new law would go into effect before the next general elections.

Time flies, two years have since lapsed, but the draft is yet to be finalized, and the committee is still working on it.

Sure enough it wouldn’t be easy to draw up a new law to control political funding, which will take a good deal of in-depth studies and discussions. However, if our government has a powerful political will to make this a reality, I believe after “working so hard” for it for the past two years, the government should not have much problem getting the bill tabled in the Parliament.

As such, while we applaud the government’s decision to push ahead a new law to control political funding, we do hope it will demonstrate an even bigger political will to hasten the pace of reform.

As a matter of fact, legislation on political funding aside, the government also needs to show more political will in effectuating other reforms.

“Change” appears to be the political byword in recent years. Barack Obama’s “Change” slogan won him overwhelming support from the American voting public to become the first ever African American president.

Such a wind of “change” is also gaining steam here in Malaysia, as opposition parties chant the “change” slogan to win over the voters while the ruling coalition is making promises of change to help consolidate its hold to power.

It is indeed commendable for the government to want to change, but unfortunately the so-called “change” doesn’t go far unsupported by a powerful political will. In the worst case scenario, many of the initiatives could die a premature death or get reversed at the slightest setback.

The now defunct New Economic Model is hardly remembered today while economic reforms are struggling to go forward.

The progress of legal reforms is equally disheartening. The extension of the contracts of Federal Court Chief Justice Md Raus Sharif and Court of Appeal president Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin has sparked controversies and is said to have undermined the judicial independence of this country.

We cannot deny that indeed the government has expressed its intention of implementing changes on a number of issues to bring hope to the society. Nevertheless, in the absence of a powerful political will to bring them into fruition, such promises are easily perceived as superficial showmanship that won’t go right into the core of the problem, let alone bringing complete and sustained reforms.

“Change”, is a difficult process. We all know that making changes to the existing status quo is bound to bring on some restlessness and backlash, and often such a tremendous pressure can only be overcome with an immense dose of political will and determination. Merely chanting a loud slogan unaugmented by any real effort will not deliver the “change”.

It is great to have voiced up the intention for “change”, but please, show me a little more political will and resolution!

– Mysinchew