I cannot believe that I did not realize this for more than a week.
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Category: Politics & government
What a waste of time. That was how some Barisan Nasional members of Parliament felt about being forced to vote in the Parliament recently.[1][2]
This clearly demonstrates their disrespect for democratic process and how they view their jobs.
The sentiment originates from the fact that BN control more than half of the seats in the Parliament. By that virtue alone, BN maintain the majority power in the Parliament. There is however a little footnote to such statement: only those present during the actual voting session can vote. As a direct result, more than 82 BN MPs must be present to ensure that they win the contest by a simple majority, assuming all 82 Pakatan Rakyat MP are present and all MPs vote according to their party line.
The event of May 28 in the Dewan Rakyat proves the importance of attendance in the Parliament. It is a lesson that majority power cannot be taken from granted.
Initially, the Speaker swung to BN way after a voice vote was taken but when PR MPs contested his decision, he agreed to bloc voting instead. This action saw BN MPs suddenly scrambling to assemble their MPs far and wide, many whom were absence. Even the Prime Minister came running into the House to vote on the matter.[3]
The question is, why are these individuals not in the Parliament in the first place? For Ministers and their deputies, it is comprehensible but for other MPs, their absence should be frown upon.
Perhaps, they think that attending parliamentary sessions is a waste of time? And it was the first ever bloc vote in the history of the Malaysian Parliament no less and they say it is a waste of time![4]
One of the very few advantages of one-party system is that such arrangement avoids arguments and debate that may delay a body from arriving to a decision, for better or for worse. Perhaps, these BN MPs were too comfortable with the autocratic system that they had lived in earlier that they have yet to wake up to the new more democratic reality.
I for one support the PR MPs’ action. It forces all MPs to take their attendance in the Parliament seriously. If attending a session is too much of a hassle, then you are not fit to be an MP.
[1] — That isn’t the point actually. We wasted half and hour of precious debate time for the vote despite the Opposition knowing full well that the party with the majority is the government. [Real winners and losers. Nur Jazlan Mohamed. The Malaysian Insider. May 28 2008]
[2] — After Wan Junaidi announced the voting result, Cabinet ministers and government supporters thumped their tables as a sign of ”victory” while shouts of “what a waste of time” were heard. [Bill approved by block voting for first time. The Malaysian Insider. May 29 2008]
[3] — Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz dashed out to the lobby and quickly signalled members to come in.
This prompted ministers, Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen, Datuk Liow Tiong Lai, Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam and other backbenchers in the lounge to abandon their cuppas.
Some of the ministers were also summoned from the Dewan Negara, which is currently also in session.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi walked briskly from his tower block office while Najib went in just before him.
As the seconds to the vote count ran down, the backbenchers began to relax as they saw Abdullah and Najib walking to their places. [Dewan Rakyat: High drama as opposition calls a vote by division. New Straits Times. May 29 2008]
[4] — KUALA LUMPUR: Block voting was carried out in the Dewan Rakyat for the first time to allow part of the Supplementary Supply Bill 2007 to be passed after several Opposition members noted the lack of quorum in the House. [Dewan Rakyat: First ever block voting. The Star. May 28 2008]
We advocate no doubt Hayekian free enterprise but we don’t think Adam Smith’s invisible hand will be that responsive to the changing times. Hence, whenever necessary, to paraphrase John Kenneth Galbraith, we temper free market with an appropriate dose of state intervention to rectify the social inequities attendant on the interplay of pure market forces. [Full text of Anwar’s speech at CLSA forum in Singapore. Published by The Malaysian Insider. May 20 2008]
Only Anwar Ibrahim could advocate two violently opposing ideas in one go at the highest level. The former Deputy Prime Minister made it as if Keynes had slept with Hayek!
No, no, no. Not Salma Hayek. It is the great Friedrich Hayek.
Khoo Kay Peng wrote at his blog:
If Dr Mahathir is serious about his current move then why aren’t his family members following him out? [Mukhriz Taking a Hedge. Straight Talk. May 20 2008]
While his entry in general is reasonable, the last paragraph, reproduced here, sounds absolutely odd.
Does the former PM need his family members to follow his footstep in order to be serious? Am I missing something here?
After a relatively disastrous election result in its history, UMNO is in crisis. As its members try to rejuvenate the old lady, strong voices from inside of the party calling for the resignation of various party leaders could be heard. In their eagerness to follow through their loud calls, dissatisfied party members are demanding for a more democratic process to be implemented within the party. Regardless whether the calls are based on sincere belief in democracy, the restoration of democracy in UMNO will strengthen the party.
Many have derived many conclusions from the result of the recent general election. The Malaysian blogosphere has been hailed as the instrument which brought UMNO down to earth. A perceived weak Prime Minister has been thrown into the kitchen sink of conclusions along with the mysterious Fourth Floor team. One grand conclusion involves the transformation of a race-conscious Malaysian society into an issue-based one. There are several other factors which are believed to have caused BN’s less than stellar performance but pundits say this and pundits say that and the sink is overflowing. Now, allow me to add another plate into the sink of punditry.
Voters voted the way they did because they were tired of UMNO and BN leaders in general. If I must find a word to describe why it was so, then arrogance is the word and this arrogance evolved from the confidence built in the 2004 general election. After receiving an overwhelmingly strong mandate in 2004, confidence of the Abdullah administration and its supporters was at an all time high.
In an undemocratic environment which approvals from the top matter more than that of the grassroots, the strong showing of UMNO in 2004 created an atmosphere of invincibility. After all, if undemocratic process prevails in a democratic system, it paints the picture that an undemocratic system is able to produce outcomes endorsed by democratic processes. Somehow, it created an assumption that if the Prime Minister approved a person, so would the grassroots.
As UMNO politicians’ perception of invincibility ballooned, their statements and actions became far removed from concerns of voters. Some of the statements and actions made in response to issues of public concern were so outrageous that the only thing that made it all the more outrageous was how they could say it with a very straight face while real problems raised by voters were dismissed nonchalantly. These politicians had become unaccountable to whom they were supposed to serve.
The situation was ratified on March 8, the day which top-down and organic approaches clashed. Only after it was too late did many incumbents realize that they were not invincible after all and that the Prime Minister could not save them from the guillotine.
The outcome of March 8 would not possible had happened if a more organic approach was taken by UMNO. With democratic processes in place, the more savvy and capable leaders more presentable to the Malaysian voters would face the general election. As the convention goes in democracy, or at least in meritocracy, the cream would rise up to the top.
Furthermore, those closer to the grassroots would know better the sentiment on the ground than those at the top. That itself is the reason why organic politics is better than top-down approach. Undemocratic practices in UMNO however pushed the cream down at the bottom while elevating the unfaltering crust to the top. The Prime Minister was way too detached from the earth, sitting on his throne in the desolated but lavishly decorated Putrajaya. He could not see the graffiti drawn around the Central Market or listened to the talks at various kopitiams across the country.
The weakness of top-down approach was compounded by the fact that Malaysian politics is party-centric and party-centric politics is a fertile ground for generalization. When ministers associated with UMNO repeated outrageous statements over and over again, it reflected badly on his party and it gave the Pakatan Rakyat more ammunition against UMNO. As we saw on March 8, the generalization worked: good representatives like Shahrizat Abdul Jalil were voted out along with those with penchant for insulting statements such as, if I may name a name, Zainuddin Maidin.
Restoration of democracy in UMNO will allow better leaders to rise up to replace the old guards. The change of guards will improve the party image and with infusion of more capable blood, old image will wear out to be replaced with more admirable generalization. The President of UMNO recently wanted the members of UMNO to prove to all Malaysians on how that the party is not arrogant during the 62nd anniversary celebration of the party a number of days earlier. If he made that call in earnest, he should begin with the reintroduction of organic politics in the party.
Finally, as much as I dislike communal politics, I do not believe that race-based politics has met its maker. After all, the question of race could still be heard easily in public domain. A majority of the Malays is still concerned about Malay privileges. Even during the election, the Pakatan Rakyat’s success has much to do with issues surrounding the Indian community. In Perak and Selangor, the issue of race riddled appointment to high public offices. All in all, I believe it may take another election or two to truly prove that our society has truly transcended communal politics.
Until then, race-based politics will continue to be the hallmark of Malaysia. And if UMNO begins to respect organic wishes, it has an opportunity to tread the path which the Phoenix had treaded.