I CAN understand why some political analysts called the government of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as dictatorial. Or at least the government seems to moving in this direction.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led coalition held so much promise upon coming to power about 20 months ago.
It promised that that government would be different from the past administrations. With Anwar helming the unity government, the stage was set for far-reaching and unprecedented reforms.
Twenty months in power might not be sufficient period to analyse whether the government is moving in the direction of democracy or not. But certainly, this length of period is sufficient to indicate the political direction the government is taking.
Forming a coalition government, staying in power or distancing itself from controversial issues cannot be considered as achievements as described by one political analyst.
Achievements or “deliverables” must be measured in terms of the social, economic and political betterment of the lives of the ordinary Malaysians.
Are the lives of the B40 category of Malaysians any better than the previous administrations? Soaring prices of basic necessities, the removal of fuel subsidies and galloping inflation, to name a few hardships, have left the poor in an unfortunate situation.
Ethnic, religious divide still exist
The defence of the government on the basis of these “deliverables” is pathetic to say the least. If at all there are tangible deliverables, these must be measured in terms of the improvement of the lives of the ordinary Malaysians.
What has happened to the much-talked about reforms in the economic, social and administrative structures of the country?
The present government came to power on the basis of promises of reforms so that these could benefit Malaysians as a whole. Tweaking of certain structures here and there hardly constitute reforms.
Despite the propaganda of reforms, the present Madani government is no different to the earlier governments. It still reinforces the ethnic and religious divide to ensure its political survival and longevity.
A reform minded government would have sought ways and means to overcome these divisions but alas, Anwar’s Madani government is not intellectually pre-disposed to engage in politics of high order.
What is happening is not the introduction of reforms but the reverse. Slowly but surely, the politics of survival has meant the introduction of legislations to stifle dissent.
The licensing of the social media platforms is one area that the government has lost sight of the democratic vision of the country.
As though existing draconian laws are not enough, the attempt to impose restrictions on the social media has proven beyond any doubt the authoritarian or dictatorial intentions of the government.
The crude method of licensing shows the government wants to impose control on the contents of the social media platforms without understanding the role of algorithms in determining why and how certain kinds of information are disseminated to the public.
No basis to defend Madani gov’t
Anwar or the Madani government lacks the credentials to steer the country along a progressive path. In fact, the present government displays the worst features of the past governments. Sad to say, the situation is not improving in the country.
There is no attempt to give Malaysians a new lease of political life. There is no attempt to curb the excesses of race and religion so as to channel the energies of the nation in a dynamic and progressive manner.
The government seems to be preoccupied with exercising control over the media as though such control would guarantee its longevity.
There are endless talks of eradication of corruption yet the leadership has gone on record of condoning the perpetration of corruption of those in power.
How can the government address the Herculean foreign debt if there is no political will to address the root causes of corruption?
The mere existence of the present regime in power on the basis of certain givens cannot be described as achievements or deliverables.
Even if the government or regime is not dictatorial, it is certainly seen to be moving in the direction. Can the appeasers of the political regime give reasons why the government is not moving in this insane direction?
Isn’t it better to identify the dictatorial features of the Madani government now before it is too late?
Isn’t it the responsibility of political analysts and media personnel to identify and lay bare the draconian features of the government now than later?
Isn’t it a duty of freedom loving Malaysians to expose and lay bare the hypocrisy of the Madani government? What is the necessity of coming to the defence of the Madani government when there exists no basis for such a defence? – Aug 2, 2024
Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image credit: Anwar Ibrahim/Facebook
