Who’s Behind All This Mess?
Politics aside, the loopholes within the system and the ambiguity and deficiency of the country's Constitution have allowed the politicians to create trouble and confusion, triggering constitutional and confidence crisis while aggravating the plight of the people.
By LIM SUE GOAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily
The Perak state assembly emergency sitting called by Speaker V Sivakumar was held under a tree, while BN's menteri besar applied to the court to get his suspension ruling revoked.
The battle between the two opposing camps has caused the state secretariat building to shut down by a day, and the same has become a laughing stock among locals and foreigners alike.
The question: Do our politicians feel the slightest hint of embarrassment at all?
Although BN has failed to deny Sivakumar's legitimacy as the state assembly speaker, the ruling coalition is not going to let the state assembly dissolve on its own come May.
They will resort to whatever legal and other means to reinstate their rights to attend the state assembly meetings.
This drama is not anticipated to end soon, not over the next few months, and perhaps not even before the next general elections.
The high jinks in Perak involves power play, and exposes the flaws of our federal and state constitutions as well as administrative system.
| "Only an impeccable system can be the eternal guardian angel of the nation's well-being." |
Does a Malay ruler have the power to appoint menteri besar based on his own judgement? Is the Speaker so powerful that he can suspend an assemblyman without having to summon a state assembly meeting? Can the court challenge the Speaker's decision? If the court has the capacity to quesstion the Speaker's decision, obviously the neutrality of the judicial system is being jolted.
Under the doctrine of "separation of powers," the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the state must not be mutually intervening but must instead counteract one another lest the power of one of the branches expand unrestricted, infringing upon the civil rights of the people.
However, the expansion of the executive power has gravely distorted the functionality of the legislature and judiciary; even the neutrality of MACC and chief prosecutor's office has now come under query.
On the other hand, Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, and prior to the general elections last March, the Malay rulers normally would not become a subject of contention where politics is concerned. But with bipartisan politics now taking shape, the royalty is poised to play a pivotal role under the country's existing political framework.
Politics aside, the loopholes within the system and the ambiguity and deficiency of the country's Constitution have allowed the politicians to create trouble and confusion, triggering constitutional and confidence crisis while aggravating the plight of the people.
In view of this, it is imperative that the country's system and constitution be amended in a bid to strengthen the shaky foundation of the "separation of powers."
The Parliament must be empowered to summon the inspector-general of police and MACC commissioner, while the court must be duly protected to allow it to perform its duty justly and selflessly.
While leaders can come and go, only an impeccable system can be the eternal guardian angel of the nation's well-being.
