Only good governance can rescue economy
Stability surely is the only objective worth striving for, and the sultan of Perak, as head of state, could make a contribution towards restoring stability and igniting the engine for the wheels of governance to turn again.
Zainal Aznam Yusof, The New Straits Times
THE main beneficiaries of the political impasse in Perak, it now appears, are lawyers and the legal profession. Court cases are multiplying. The costs of the litigation involved must be sizable, and lawyers must be laughing all the way to the bank.
Perak has become a testing ground for governance and Malaysian federalism. Malaysians now must adjust to the new political landscape after the general election of March 8, 2008, and be intimate with the underbelly of democracy. It is not a pretty sight.
The constitutions, federal and state, are being tested.
In an earlier article, I mentioned that one of the strategies of the Pakatan Rakyat will be to test the limits of the constitutions. Although initially controlling five states and more than half of the economy, the threat of a backlash from the Federal Government under the control of Barisan Nasional was to be expected.
But since 1969, following the constitutional changes after the tumultuous events of May 13 that year, and for far too long, we have been complacent on the stability, clarity and durability of the Constitution of the Federation of Malaysia, the constitutions of the individual states and the institutions built on them.
The several cases in the past that tested the constitutions were of insufficient intensity to unglue the federation and undermine the basic foundation of the state.
The basic foundational feature was of a state that was under the lengthy governance of a coalition government with a two-thirds majority, which in turn lulled the leaders and their supporters into a deep coma and fossilised unsavoury practices.
Prosperity spawned greed, pampering spawned dependence, and both fertilised bribery and corruption. With the tectonic shift in the 12th general election of last March, we entered a new phase — a groping phase; meandering, drifting and searching for a new template of governance.
The entrails of the Perak crisis are spilling out. The interlocking cross-currents of issues are now a spaghetti bowl of legality contests, stalemating governance. The leading figures of governance, including the sultan, menteri besar, speaker, legal adviser, a judical commissioner, executive councillors and the state secretary have all been dragged into the morass.
Such a state will grind to a halt. Parties that wish to undermine governments, putting a spoke in the wheels of governance and creating instability, will see what lessons they can learn from the Perak case and will be tempted to use these tactics in the other states. This must be checked.
What can be done? The rule of law, despite its costs and slowness, must prevail in Perak and elsewhere.
The numerous cases now before the courts must be dealt with as speedily as possible. The legal logjam will worsen when appeals, counter appeals and postponements rachet up.
We are also seeing now a rise in lawlessness. The new political landscape is scarred with political parties and individuals with a taste for violent demonstrations, hoping that this can sway the decisions of the court.
Our institutions, with the changing circumstances, must now reconsider their traditional style of exercising powers and responsibilities. Transparency is now all the rage. A continuing lack of transparency at all levels will only enrage the electorate. The pros and cons of excessive reticence, in the light of political instability, and the imminent threat of further instability, should be reviewed.
Malaysia's monarchy, a key institution, through judicious, careful intervention and with the right timing, could inject a much-needed dose of stability. Now is the right time.
The sultan of Perak, with his discretionary powers, explicit or implicit, could consider making a timely intervention in the state to pull it back from the brink. A decisive majority would be desirable for any government, as it would inject some stability. If an election is necessary to achieve such an end for Perak, then that is the way to go.
Stability surely is the only objective worth striving for, and the sultan of Perak, as head of state, could make a contribution towards restoring stability and igniting the engine for the wheels of governance to turn again.
Perak could check the drift in governance and arrest the fanatical pursuit of power at all costs. The solid support from the other sultans, individually or collectively through the Conference of Rulers, would add even more gravitas.
A recession is upon us. Getting out of it will require effort, perseverance and luck. All this will be needed if the recession turns out to be deep and prolonged. Energies are now being dissipated and attention has been diverted by the power struggles between the political parties.
The chances of some success for the stimulus and structural packages would be undermined by the current fragmentation and collapse of good governance. The disbursement of financial resources and projects to stimulate the economy will be weighed down by political considerations.
In the present political climate, can these palliatives really work when more than half of the economy is under the control of the opposition, with the tussles between BN and Pakatan growing in intensity? Surely not.
The writer is a member of the Economic Council and a distinguished fellow of ISIS Malaysia
