MAY 10 — Reformasi.
The true meaning of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) battle cry will come to the fore as the perennial brides-in-waiting get their first shot at federal power, in the days and months to come.
While the abolition of GST and controlling official corruption were the twin planks that swept them into Putrajaya, the success of their mission will be judged more by their commitment to and implementation of true institutional reform than by merely fulfilling their manifesto promises.
A system of constitutional democracy with its attendant checks and balances that has been systematically weakened to allow for authoritarian rule must be restored to full health.
Reform of an electoral system that is heavily in favour of the incumbent. The Election Commission must be made independent of the control of the government of the day and answerable only to Parliament.
Malapportionment of voters and gerrymandering of constituencies must be rolled back and the value of one vote must be made equal irrespective of geography.
Reform of the laws regulating freedom of expression. Repressive regulations such as the fake news Act, the printing presses and publications Act and the universities and university colleges Act must be rescinded immediately.
As a columnist having to practise self-censorship in a progressively worsening environment for press freedom over the last few years, we should never again have to fear criminalisation of mere self-expression.
Reform of the powers of executive authority. The National Security Council act must be abolished. The Armed Forces and the police must operate under the direction of Parliament, not the prime minister.
Emergency powers of the executive must be restricted to the rarest of rare cases and the ability to classify information under the Official Secrets Act must not be arbitrary
Reform of the bureaucracy. Civil servants need to be freed from being forced to treat the ruling political coalition and the government of the day as the same.
They need to focus on impartial, accountable governance, not running GLCs or BTN programmes. They need to be given the means to stand up to their political masters as and when required.
Appointments to be made on the basis of merit, but equally non-performance and corruption to be dealt with severely.
Reform of the judiciary. The power of appointment of judges must be with an independent commission and not with the executive, in order for them to be free of any outside pressure, perceived or real.
The Attorney General’s chambers must be made accountable to and operate under the ambit of Parliament, and not the prime minister.
Equally, the discretionary ability of the AGC to prosecute any case or not must be taken away and a standardised system of prosecution put into place. Judicial review must be made a more powerful tool in the system of checks of balances.
Reform of affirmative action. Possibly the hardest to execute, given the nature of the new leadership, nevertheless if there is hope for the future, it has to be with providing our children with equal opportunities to succeed.
Help from the government must be on the basis of needs and abilities, not race or religion.
Reform of the education system. Allowing teachers to educate and not brainwash, to allow students to question and not just regurgitate rote information and to allow access to higher education only the basis of means and merit will be key to a much-needed overhaul. The role of English needs to be emphasised, not discouraged.
Reform of the economy. It is imperative to remove the distortions caused to the real economy by the ever-increasing presence of government in business.
The private sector must be allowed to thrive without having to compete with GLCs that don’t allow for a level playing field. Tax reform and a real debate on GST and the best way to raise government revenues is important to do in the interests of not just the economy, but social justice
This is by no means Utopian or even exhaustive, just a quick list of what Harapan really meant to people struggling to lead meaningful lives in an increasingly oppressive atmosphere.
Malaysia is happy today, but impatient for a better tomorrow. If PH is to be successful, it will need to act and fast. Hidup Rakyat.
*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
