INSTEAD OF CRITICIZING THE RULERS & FLIP-FLOP POLITICS, BAN SOSMA INSTEAD: FED-UP WITH HURDLES PUT IN BY QUARTERS WITHIN MAHATHIR’S GOVT, DAP MAKES IT CLEAR MALAYSIA WILL NEVER BECOME A REPUBLIC – AND IT’S PAKATAN VOTERS WILL PUNISH FOR SLOW PACE OF REFORMS

A Pakatan Harapan lawmaker foresees that the government will be “punished” for its slow pace in amending draconian laws and its continual use of such acts.

In particular, Perak executive councillor Abdul Aziz Bari (above) cautioned that this sentiment would manifest in the upcoming Tanjung Piai by-election.

The DAP politician was asked during a forum about the police’s recent use of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) to arrest those suspected of being supporters of now-defunct terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

“We all know that Harapan, in its manifesto, promised to abolish draconian laws but I have to admit that the process of abolishing them may not be happening as how people expect.

“In principle, Harapan is committed to abolishing laws like this (Sosma).

“But with what is happening now, this will ignite debate and analysis over whether laws like this should remain or not,” he said during the “Federalism” forum at the National History Convention in Bangi this evening.

Two DAP assemblypersons, Malacca exco G Saminathan and Seremban Jaya assemblyperson P Gunasekaran, were among the 12 detained under Sosma last week. The law is controversial in that it allows detention without trial for up to 28 days.

Harapan pledged to abolish draconian provisions of the law in its manifesto and the Home Ministry is presently studying ways to amend it.

Abdul Aziz predicted that the delay in implementing reforms will cost Harapan in Tanjung Piai.

“I feel that the rakyat will punish Harapan and tell it what they think about this delay (in law reform) in the upcoming by-election.

“[…] and we have to be ready to accept the answer,” he said.

Harapan is slated to face stiff opposition in the Nov 16 by-election.

The late MP Mohd Farid Mohd Rafik won the seat by a sliver in a three-cornered fight in GE14, but opposition parties Umno and PAS have since joined forces and will now challenge Harapan for the racially diverse seat.

– M’kini

Malaysia will never be a republic, assures Aziz Bari

Constitutional expert and DAP politician Abdul Aziz Bari has assured that Malaysia will remain a constitutional monarchy even if there was public pressure to turn it into a republic.

Not only was the position of Malay rulers guaranteed by the Federal Constitution, but they have also long been a part of society and entrenched systems were hard to change, the Perak executive councillor said.

During a “Federalism” forum at the National History Convention in Bangi today, an audience member had asked the panel if the country would risk losing its Malay rulers if a referendum voted to make Malaysia a republic.

The audience member also wondered if existing laws could protect the rulers against such a move against them.

In response, Abdul Aziz (above) believed that referenda were incapable of triggering drastic system changes as they were a mere barometer of public sentiment.

He gave examples of the UK and Australia where the British monarch had remained the head of state despite proving unpopular with the public for a time in the past.

“A referendum does not determine anything, it only shows what a group of people think or support at a point in time […]

“I don’t think it is a big deal because it is very hard to change the system especially when the system has historical justifications for it.

“The UK is the best example, they don’t even have a written constitution and yet they have not been able to replace the monarchy with a republic,” he explained.

The Tebing Tinggi assemblyperson, who is a former law lecturer at IIUM, thus believed that Malaysia would remain a constitutional monarchy no matter what.

“I do not worry that Malaysia will turn into a republic […] as the kings are a part of us.

“[…] I am confident that the system of government will not change,” he said.

DAP has been the target of allegations, often from Umno and PAS politicians, that it wants to abolish the monarchy and make Malaysia a republic with a non-Malay head of state.

The Harapan component party has repeatedly denied such claims, accusing its critics of spreading falsehoods to fearmonger the Malays.

Earlier during his presentation, Aziz had noted that the role of the Malay rulers in government continued to be a negotiated practice despite there being written provisions about it in the constitution.

Friction, like the 1992 constitutional crisis which resulted in the removal of legal immunity fo royalty, was thus inevitable.

“There have been adjustments and reforms over the past 60 years and this has led us to the monarchy we have today.

“I think this (change) is something unavoidable but I don’t think Malaysia will ever become a republic […],” he said, assuring that Pakatan Harapan will honour the constitutional monarchy system of government.

– M’kini