There will be a big parliamentary by-election today in Hulu Selangor. By-elections have always been big in Malaysia but the fact that Pakatan Rakyat is fielding a giant makes this edition important by its own right. Zaid Ibrahim is not an obscure name.
Important or not, I do not feel the excitement of by-elections anymore. Part of the reason is that I am away in Australia. Another part is caused by election fatigue. Yet another part is because I have grown skeptical of Pakatan Rakyat due to policy issues.
The biggest of all issue is likely related to the goods and services tax debate. Effort to nationalize highways is another issue I deeply disagree with Pakatan Rakyat. Never mind issue of subsidy of various kinds. Some individuals who I thought would defend liberal economic policies within Pakatan Rakyat turn out to be cafeteria liberals. In short, I am no longer impressed with Pakatan Rakyat’s politics.
That in no way means that I am all set to lend my support to Barisan Nasional. I simply do not trust Barisan Nasional although I am willing to give thumbs up for several initiatives that fit my economic worldview. Their racial policy is a huge turn off for me, even if the current Prime Minister is pushing for liberalization of the economy.
Liberalization, of course, does not necessarily mean economic liberal. It could mean superlatively liberal. What else do I make when the federal government is pushing for liberalization of the economy while appearing to support minimum wage or creation of more government enterprises?
I was ready to largely ignore the election until Barisan Nasional raised the issue of alcohol and how Zaid Ibrahim drinks. I frown at the personal attack because I always expect people to debate on issues. Barisan Nasional failed on that front.
Moreover, the issue of alcohol comes close to the idea of choice, or anti-choice to be more accurate.
While I do appreciate that the norm in Malaysia is for Muslims to refrain from drinking as well as the fact that Muslims do have strong opinion on the matter and thus, Muslims voters who make up the majority in Hulu Selangor may vote based on personal lifestyle, for Barisan Nasional to raise the issue and use it as its election campaign material simply assaults my principle. The fake photographs of Zaid Ibrahim drinking distributed by those close to Barisan Nasional just adds up to the mounting anger I feel with respect to the way Barisan Nasional is campaigning.
That is not the only assault on freedom that is happening as far as the by-election is concerned. A former producer at NTV7 resigned because the Prime Minister’s Department, really, to make it all the more outrageous, the Prime Minister’s wife, demanded that the channel practice censorship to the benefit of Barisan Nasional.
Barisan Nasional has made freedom as an issue for me.
For that, I am stating that, for whatever it is worth and I know that it is not much, I am endorsing Zaid Ibrahim.
