Reputing Democracy
It is disheartening. It is upsetting. It is discouraging.
The recent development in Malaysian political landscape is giving off bad vibes to me. The event on Sunday 24/3 was unnecessary, alas it happened.
Be mindful what they did is not for Rakyat — it serves their own agenda, good or bad. What Rakyat wants is simple but hard to achieve. Politicking is hard but easy to achieve.
I know democracy is messy. When it happened in another country you kind of embrace it for that what democracy entails. It’s messy and sometimes it gives way to become dirty. Once applauded as the shining beacon of democracy in Malaysia when the former government won the election, we are now reduced to life-imitates-art version of Games of Throne and House of Card.
It’s hard to guess who’s at blame — because mainly the narratives out there were multiple and conflicting and alleging and consequently confusing. I told myself to care less, but plethora of information keep feeding me, thanks to social media.
How could the act of 0.0004% of political elites affect 30 millions of Rakyat Malaysia? Due to this event, what my Pol Sci Prof preached me a decade ago made its appearance in my head, “Democracy is not the best system, but it is the most legitimate”.
If you go down to the Uncle who sells bread by the corner, or that Abang who diligently repair sshoes for his customer, or that Auntie who patiently wait for the bus to come — do they feel their interest served or protected during this tumultuous time? I bet the answer is hardly a yes. But as democracy dictates, whatever those politicians manoeuvre, scheme and plan, it will trickle. It will affect us.
Malaysia was born anew. We had never transitioned into another political power. Once we do, it’s like a deaf person gaining a sense of hearing for the first time. At first it was exciting, then we realise that there are just too many noises. But you can bet what most people care are the 3R’s: Race, Religion and Rice. The deep distrust between Rakyat and those in power is exacerbated by the disinformation prevailing in social media. Perception is one thing and the way the authorities responded are also one thing. In democracy, mandate is not given by a whole nation. When it is a narrow win, as in 2018, the mandate isn’t something given. It should be earned beyond the ballot box.
Amidst the memes and social media trolls, the politics in Malaysia is quite lacking in nuances, politically speaking. There is no debate of big vs. small government (spoiler alert: it is always Big Government. Even the template for answering public exams’ questions are always from the vantage point of self, family, society and government). There is no debate on the structure of economy, it’s always Keynesian. Not that these are bad things, to me it’s a good thing — which will bring me to the next point.
Civil service has taken the helm when political machination seems to lose a few screws. Caretaker government, by the civil service, managed the government during two months of cabinet vacuum in 2019. Currently, during the debacle of the political instability, again the civil service steps up and keeps the government running. This makes me think — do we need Ministers?
Of course the answer is “Yes, we do” — since we still need political will to push for changes around here. But since the direction of the country has always been on track, set on the umbrella principles on how we should move as a country, supported by the agencies who hold the institutional memory. I am quite proud how Malaysians handle the ploy of the political masters.
