ON May 9, 2018 a fresh breeze ushered in a momentous transition to a new government. Giving birth to the promise of a new narrative. Of restoring the rule of law, of institutional reforms, of trimmed expenditures to avert a possible collapse of the country’s economy.
Have these been realised? Now that we approach the one-year mark of the new government, should we rejoice or lament? Let’s reflect.
The commissioners of the Election Commission (EC) have all been replaced with those of unquestionable integrity and non-aligned to any party. A clear prospect that there will no longer be hidden hands behind matters such as delineation of constituencies and the like to favour a political party. Significantly, the EC will now be answerable to Parliament. So accountability and transparency fundamental to a functioning democracy have been realised – as promised by the government.
The prime minister’s office is to be limited to two terms and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is to be placed under the purview of Parliament.
Critically, the attorney-general will no longer be empowered to initiate prosecutions. He is the government’s lawyer. The inaptness of this dual role came home to roost when the previous AG, the lawyer for the government, exonerated the then prime minister – the head of the government, with respect to the 1MDB scandal.
There will also no longer be any political appointees to government-linked companies. In any event they will not head any of these agencies. And they will be staffed by qualified and eminent professionals. Mara for example is now headed by an Oxford University PhD nuclear physicist and a trained actuary, Dr Hasnita Hashim. A far cry from the past when political appointees committed the institutions to highly questionable overpriced business ventures. Also no more of political appointees nurturing extravagant spending tastes including the purchase of luxury cars.
Then there was the “resignation” of two top judicial officers, who were promptly replaced by properly appointed judges with commendable track records.
Not to forget, the trial of the former prime minister. Many more high officials are in the queue to be tried. Truly unprecedented in the history of our nation. And a fulfilment of the PH promise to staunch corruption.
Accountability, transparency and the public interest – these are the key words marking the transformation of the new governance ethos of our country.
The professional delivery of services is gaining primacy even as there are murmurs that the old order seeks to subvert progress through their loyalists in the civil service, riding on (mis)steps, harnessing racial and religious rhetoric with an abundant lacing of royalty disquiet. The latter really a storm in a tea pot – considering that ours is a constitutional not an absolute monarchy firmly embedded in the supremacy of the Federal Constitution.
Then there is the commitment to solving the woes of the underprivileged described as the B40; the promise of repealing and/or amending repressive laws, vigorously pursuing social programmes (affordable housing), making available facilitated financing for first-time house buyers, EPF for housewives, financial support for the needy, attention to environmental and other social issues and most importantly, opening up of the media and freedom of speech.
There are of course problems along this pathway to reform. Hindered by an obdurate Dewan Negara (its refusal to approve the Fake News law); and the need to secure a two-thirds majority in Dewan Rakyat – which the government does not have.
One discernible hurt to the body politic has been the fractured unity of the country. Exacerbated by the increased racial and religious rhetoric of the opposition. And disillusionment by many over the seeming lack of adequate and robust response by the government.
For which reason the citizenry is mounting pressure on the government to reset the compass and navigate the voyage in a new direction to check the growing divisiveness. Else the trajectory pursued the past year could well turn out to be dangerously counterproductive.
And not all has been delivered, as seen by a reversal of some measures – as the coterie of rather inexperienced though bright ministers make their debut for the first time as ministers, deputy ministers and political secretaries. The delivery gap also blamed on a lack of money – the national finances depleted by the recklessness of past spending and ransacking of public coffers.
All this makes starkly visible the predictable birth pangs of a government endeavouring to usher in a new national order to dismantle the ills of the past – perpetrated for decades.
Perhaps adapting the lyrics from Man De La Manca and the infinite optimism of its Don Quixote character – having dreamt the impossible dream and beaten the unbeatable foe, it must “fight with (the) last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable star”!
Gurdial believes that the only thing that is permanent is change. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
