(Petaling Jaya, Monday): The
Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad said at the UMNO 56th
anniversary celebrations in Shah Alam that the Opposition parties should
“shiver in fear” of a humiliating defeat in the next general election.
I do “shiver in fear” not about the
DAP’s prospects in the next general election but the far-reaching
repercussions for Malaysians and even a tectonic shift in nation-building after
a landslide Barisan Nasional victory in the next general election expected
within 12 months.
There has been a stunning political
turnaround for Mahathir in the past eight months, with him riding the crest of a
political wave, not because he has learnt the lessons of the worst UMNO
electoral defeat in the 1999 general election and the government has become
more democratic, shown more respect for human rights and the rule of law,
more committed to fight corruption, abuses of power, misuse of public funds, or
become more accountable and transparent, but
all because of one external event
– the September 11 (911) terrorist attacks in the United States.
Thinking Malaysians have good
reason to be very worried about the effects of the turnaround of
Mahathir’s political fortunes on
the country’s future as they are
not caused by political and economic reforms or the government embracing
the principles of good governance, an open society and
socio-economic justice – but
because of the political fall-outs of 911, which had accrued to the advantage of
all incumbent governments in the world, giving authoritarian governments the
excuse to exploits the fears and concerns of the citizenry for law, order and
security to be even more
high-handed, arrogant, arbitrary
and undemocratic.
Mahathir, for instance, will be meeting
United States President Bush
in the White House as “soul mates
” as both have no qualms in expanding the
war on terrorism into a war against
democracy. Eight months ago,
Mahathir and his government was in the “dock” and
censured by the US Administration for human rights violations and the
rule of law, particularly the detention-without-trial Internal Security Act and
denial of press freedoms. But
now Mahathir thinks he has a few tricks up his sleeve which he could share with
Bush how to more effectively stifle civil liberties and fundamental freedoms
under the guise of the war against terrorism.
Such a
post-911 political sea
change can also be seen from the the claim by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department, Datuk Dr. Rais Yatim in Washington
on Saturday that the US Government
now endorses the use of Internal Security Act in Malaysia.
After meeting US Attorney-General
John Ashcroft on Saturday,
Rais said that Ashcroft has
“positively endorsed” the significance of the Internal Security Act and has
“understood the relevance, the utilization and background of Malaysia having
such a law”.
Many Malaysians feel that Rais was
demeaning the dignity of the nation in making such a statement, as if Malaysian
Ministers are supplicants for the favours and praises of the US leaders.
Furthermore, it is for Ashrcroft to
make the statement that he “positively endorses” the draconian ISA and not
for Rais to make such a claim. If
the US Administration after 911 has abandoned
its human rights position to giving its blessings to the ISA in Malaysia
after censuring it as undemocratic, draconian
and a serious violation of human rights, then let President Bush announce it
himself after his meeting with Mahathir so that Malaysians, Americans and the
people of the world can know the fundamental change of character of the American
government.
Coming back to the cocky and arrogant
statement by Mahathir over the weekend that he would give the Opposition a
“crushing defeat”, Malaysians must realize the far-reaching repercussions
for the country and the tectonic shift in nation-building should Mahathir’s
boast come true – thanks to 911.
For instance, if the Opposition and the
DAP are “crushed” in the next election , Mahathir will regard his landslide
victory as a national endorsement for more ISA arrests, more pressures on an
independent judiciary, a blank cheque for continuation for mega-projects and new
cronyism. Furthermore, it will also
be regarded as a national endorsement by a multi-racial, multi-lingual,
multi-cultural and multi-religious electorate for his “911 declaration” that
Malaysia is an Islamic state and justification to embark Malaysia on the road of
the UMNIO vision of an Islamic
State.
The Opposition parties must make a more
realistic appraisal of the post-911 political scenario and realize that the
political tide has turned in favour of Mahathir, thanks to an external event.
There is no
question of toppling Mahathir and the Barisan Nasional government in the
next general election although I believe that the goal of denying Barisan
Nasional two-thirds parliamentary majority and crushing its political hegemony
is still achievable.
In fact, it is even more important that
the Opposition parties should co-operate to deny the Barisan Nasional its
two-thirds parliamentary majority – to protect the the limited
democratic space and constrained civil society from being snuffed out
completely by a landslide Barisan Nasional victory as well as to stop
Mahathir’s “929 declaration” from taking
the first steps of implementation.
(13/5/2002)