IPOH Friday 6th February 2009: Malaysians from all walks of life were shocked and outraged at the brutal rape and murder of Perak Darul Ridzuan, the land of grace. The perpetrators, Barisan Nasional (BN) who lost control of the state of Perak at the last General Elections claimed that they had the power to take over the government of Perak with the declaration of independence of 3 state assembly persons. Hee, Jamaluddin and Osman announced that they were no longer aligned to the elected ruling party, Pakatan Rakyat (PR). This meant that the state assembly was then made up of 28 PR representatives, 28 BN representatives and 3 independents. BN swooped down in the middle of the night to announce that they now suddenly had the majority and had the right to take over Perak. Amid protest by the victims (PR) and aided by the royal house of Perak, BN forced its will on Perak and subdued her using brute force provided by the Police. BN then proceeded to systematically rape the offices of elected Menteri Besar Nizar and his EXCO members and install its own Menteri Besar Zambry in place. Protests by Perakians and other rakyats were subdued by arrests, tear gas and water cannons as BN then proceeded to murder democracy in Perak. The nation has expressed shock and outrage but nothing can be done about the rape and murder of democracy in Perak.
Fact : The government of Malaysia is by way of a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.
From the Perak incident, have we been swayed into being outraged about the wrong issues? Everyone seems to be focusing on the rights and wrongs (morally and/or otherwise) about crossovers.
Crossovers are common occurrences in all government types all over the world. If an ordinary citizen or a state assemblyman or a member of parliament feels that they are disillusioned with the party they belong to and can no longer pledge allegiance to the party, then the thing to do is switch party or crossover, or become an independent. What other options are there?
It is understandable that the rakyat are outraged about the crossovers of Hee, Jamalludin and Osman more so the suspicious circumstances under which these crossovers were maneuvered.
The greater outrage however, should be at the naked usurpation of power by the Barisan Nasional condoned by the Sultan of Perak.
Democracy means rule by the people, of the people and for the people and therefore the parties must go back to the people to decide which party they want as their ruling government and as Malaysia is also a constitutional monarchy, the monarch has to be informed of these developments first, but by convention, the Monarch should be non-partisan and above politics and ultimately it must be the people who decide.
In the case of Perak, Nizar had acted correctly and responsibly. Nizar went to the Sultan and informed him for the developments in the state government and asked for dissolution of the state assembly to pave the way for a snap election. Here then happened the twist in the story and the rest will become history.
Nizar did the right and responsible thing as the leader of the elected ruling government which finds itself suddenly no longer commanding the majority. A snap election would have ensured that at all times; the government of the day would have been a government by the people, of the people and for the people of Perak.
Unfortunately this has not taken place and perhaps the real sense of outrage of all Perakians in particular and Malaysians in general should be because the democratic process was hijacked in favour of a naked and blatant usurpation of power.
Perak now is no longer practicing a democratic system of governance as the state government under Zambry is not one elected by the people of Perak.
Those who say that what is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander by claiming that Anwar started the whole thing when he threatened to procure the crossovers of 30 MPs from the ruling coalition to topple the BN government and therefore that Pakatan Rakyat should now not complain that the tables have been turned on them instead, are missing the point or deliberately diverting the attention of the rakyat from the real issues - the naked usurpation of power in Perak.
The fact is that Anwar’s threat remains only a threat and is only political posturing from any leader of an opposition party. It is certainly not a justification of what has happened in Perak.
Had Anwar succeeded in bringing about the crossover of 30 MPs so that BN no longer controlled the majority, what would then be expected would be for Prime Minister Badawi as a responsible leader of the government of the day to seek an audience with the Agung with a view to the dissolution of parliament and the calling of fresh elections (exactly what Nizar had attempted to do in Perak) thus ensuring again that the Federal Government of the day would be a government by the people, of the people and for the people.
Would it have been alright for the PR government to go to parliament house and kick out the Prime Minister and his cabinet from their offices and remove all their personal effects and to treat them in the humiliating and embarrassing way which Nizar and the Perak EXCO have been subjected to?
Therefore, Najib’s argument that the issue of crossovers to bring about a new ruling government was started by Anwar is childish, immature and unbecoming of a future Prime Minister who is also mathematically challenged. Since when does 28 vs 28 with 3 independents constitute a majority for Barisan Nasional to take over Perak?
For all the supposed wisdom, neutrality, non-partisanship, freedom of personal interest, upholding of principles of justice based on the sovereignty of the law, Sultan Azlan Shah and Raja Nazrin’s justification of the situation in Perak is just bullshit. Bullshit termed by any other name still stinks!
So Malaysians, let’s be outraged enough to restore democracy to Malaysia.
Fact : The government of Malaysia is by way of a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.
From the Perak incident, have we been swayed into being outraged about the wrong issues? Everyone seems to be focusing on the rights and wrongs (morally and/or otherwise) about crossovers.
Crossovers are common occurrences in all government types all over the world. If an ordinary citizen or a state assemblyman or a member of parliament feels that they are disillusioned with the party they belong to and can no longer pledge allegiance to the party, then the thing to do is switch party or crossover, or become an independent. What other options are there?
It is understandable that the rakyat are outraged about the crossovers of Hee, Jamalludin and Osman more so the suspicious circumstances under which these crossovers were maneuvered.
The greater outrage however, should be at the naked usurpation of power by the Barisan Nasional condoned by the Sultan of Perak.
Democracy means rule by the people, of the people and for the people and therefore the parties must go back to the people to decide which party they want as their ruling government and as Malaysia is also a constitutional monarchy, the monarch has to be informed of these developments first, but by convention, the Monarch should be non-partisan and above politics and ultimately it must be the people who decide.
In the case of Perak, Nizar had acted correctly and responsibly. Nizar went to the Sultan and informed him for the developments in the state government and asked for dissolution of the state assembly to pave the way for a snap election. Here then happened the twist in the story and the rest will become history.
Nizar did the right and responsible thing as the leader of the elected ruling government which finds itself suddenly no longer commanding the majority. A snap election would have ensured that at all times; the government of the day would have been a government by the people, of the people and for the people of Perak.
Unfortunately this has not taken place and perhaps the real sense of outrage of all Perakians in particular and Malaysians in general should be because the democratic process was hijacked in favour of a naked and blatant usurpation of power.
Perak now is no longer practicing a democratic system of governance as the state government under Zambry is not one elected by the people of Perak.
Those who say that what is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander by claiming that Anwar started the whole thing when he threatened to procure the crossovers of 30 MPs from the ruling coalition to topple the BN government and therefore that Pakatan Rakyat should now not complain that the tables have been turned on them instead, are missing the point or deliberately diverting the attention of the rakyat from the real issues - the naked usurpation of power in Perak.
The fact is that Anwar’s threat remains only a threat and is only political posturing from any leader of an opposition party. It is certainly not a justification of what has happened in Perak.
Had Anwar succeeded in bringing about the crossover of 30 MPs so that BN no longer controlled the majority, what would then be expected would be for Prime Minister Badawi as a responsible leader of the government of the day to seek an audience with the Agung with a view to the dissolution of parliament and the calling of fresh elections (exactly what Nizar had attempted to do in Perak) thus ensuring again that the Federal Government of the day would be a government by the people, of the people and for the people.
Would it have been alright for the PR government to go to parliament house and kick out the Prime Minister and his cabinet from their offices and remove all their personal effects and to treat them in the humiliating and embarrassing way which Nizar and the Perak EXCO have been subjected to?
Therefore, Najib’s argument that the issue of crossovers to bring about a new ruling government was started by Anwar is childish, immature and unbecoming of a future Prime Minister who is also mathematically challenged. Since when does 28 vs 28 with 3 independents constitute a majority for Barisan Nasional to take over Perak?
For all the supposed wisdom, neutrality, non-partisanship, freedom of personal interest, upholding of principles of justice based on the sovereignty of the law, Sultan Azlan Shah and Raja Nazrin’s justification of the situation in Perak is just bullshit. Bullshit termed by any other name still stinks!
So Malaysians, let’s be outraged enough to restore democracy to Malaysia.
