“Anwar is a better choice compared to the previous PM because of his reform agenda and background. But with that baggage, if he fails to deliver, he will be the worst prime minister. Because the previous prime minister did not promise much in terms of reform and all that.”
- Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy
Human rights group Suaram is on point when it reminds this government and this particular prime minister that reforms that were promised are long overdue in this country.
Also on point is the fact that this unity government has former activists and outspoken political operatives in positions of influence who for obvious reasons have gone silent in their clarion calls for reform.
Instead of focusing on the hyperbole that Sevan Doraisamy, unfortunately, chose to engage in and make excuses for this government, Pakatan Harapan supporters should be supportive of any rejoinders for reform instead of shooting the messenger.
Anwar Ibrahim shrewdly chose the Icerd (International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination) debacle as a means to short-circuit Suaram’s rejoinder to the government, deliberately missing the point that the systemic reforms Suaram talked about were old talking points for Harapan political operatives.
Furthermore, nobody wants this government to rush into anything. What reform-minded individuals want is for the government to demonstrate that there is the political will to carry out these reforms and the necessary engagement with stakeholders by the state.
Take the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) for instance. I could dig up quotes by political operatives who claimed that Sosma was perhaps one of the evillest devices used by the Umno/BN/PN regime.
Now of course under this Madani government, it is here to stay as articulated by Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
What Saifuddin did was not only tell folks that the Reformasi agenda means bupkis but also enabled the right-wing forces in this country, who approve of such laws because they understand that such laws do not apply to them.
What the home minister did was pit the reform-minded forces in this country against his ministry, hoping that a spooked Harapan base would go along with anything he said in the service of not causing any problems for the unity government.
In other words, people who were originally opposed to such laws would remain silent in the absence of reform because they did not want to spook PN.
Now think about this for a moment. What this demonstrates to the average PAS or Bersatu voter who may or may not change his or her vote, is that whenever these so-called reformers and their supporters talk about a government tool or policy that they claim, is “evil”, it is a complete lie especially if they choose to retain that tool or policy. And if they could lie about something like this, what else could they lie about?
Religious extremists absolutely love these repressive tools. Why? Because these tools fit into their interpretation of religious dogma.
Indeed, they tell their supporters that these tools are needed to sanction deviants and other people who disagree with their dogma and vision for the country. Do you get the big picture now?
Political stability
And let us talk about the economy and corruption. Why do the state security apparatus, political operatives and well-placed plutocrats think that these tools that restrict human rights are necessary for the political stability of the country?
Well, the answer is simple. The fewer rights a citizen has or more importantly the more the state can sanction certain behaviour it deems as causing instability, the greater the opportunity for elements of the state, be it in the state security apparatus, the political class and their plutocrat enablers, to facilitate all manner of malfeasances.
What I have argued, and so have many other legal and security professionals, and academics across the ideological divide – some of whom were detained under these laws, and political operatives who were also detained – is that there are enough legal provisions to maintain safety and security, provided a professional and impartial state security apparatus does its job without resorting to such immoral, undemocratic measures.
And yes these measures, although convenient, have more often than not been abused for the benefit of the political elites of this country or have been used on the disenfranchised of this country who do not have access to the legal system that privilege provides.
And what disenfranchised people and their families do, when they believe the government does not care about them, they retreat further into apathy or coalesce around destructive anti-democratic forces in the belief that their futures can only be secured by conformity to extreme dogmas.
Harapan supporters should not be towing the government line by vilifying activists and organisations like Suaram and asking stupid questions like what did these people say and do under Umno/BN or PN.
Because public records would demonstrate that they dissented against the government of the day which showed little interest in reform and that they were supported by the very same political operatives who now disavow the reforms they promised.
Human rights are not a lesser priority. Indeed they are the DNA of a functional democracy. Furthermore, claiming that the economy is the main issue is making a false argument.
The government can and should do both. What do you think the function of government is? You can manage the economy while seeing to the democratic railings that sustain an economy.
Keep in mind that most politicians by definition are charlatans and they are funded by our tax ringgit to sustain their professional lives and benefit from access to power and influence.
What Anwar should be doing if there was political will, instead of asking for more time, is clearly articulating through his proxies what exactly are the reforms his government has chosen to prioritise and why.
He should have a coordinated response and action committee on reforms that his coalition promised and he should be making the necessary backroom deals and horse-trading, to ensure that his vision of the country is pursued despite having to work with compromised allies.
In other words, if making deals with political degenerates means that the necessary promised reforms are pushed through, then this is far better than having nothing to show for the compromises you have made.
Rational people understand that economic stability and human rights are not mutually exclusive. - Mkini
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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