Time for Najib to answer, especially to the non-Malays

By Wong Choon Mei, Suara Keadilan

Civil society and community leaders continued to condemn Prime Minister Najib Razak, who just completed a month in office as the country’s sixth prime  minister.

The scandal-hit Najib is facing gunfire from all directions, not least from allegations of corruption that have dogged his 33-year career, including a more recent high-profile murder-and-commission scandal that has hit the international headlines.

But the harsh words that poured in was for a political plot he hatched in February that toppled the multi-racial Pakatan Rakyat  in northwestern Perak state, which has a large Chinese population.

Najib’s coup d’etat against the coalition led by arch rival Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim plunged Perak into a political and constitutional crisis, culminating in Thursday’s widely-condemned assembly sitting in Ipoh town.

Malaysians nationwide saw with their own eyes the brute police force that was used by his Umno-BN coalition to quell rival lawmakers.

“If this event had taken place 10 years ago, people might never have known what really transpired inside the assembly. This is really going to strain the legitimacy of the state government. Fair-minded people will find it very difficult to accept the way in which they took over,” Ibrahim Suffian, director of opinion pollster Merdeka Centre told a foreign newspaper.

Time to face the music

Najib has tried to escape responsibility for what has transpired but civil society leaders say it is time for him to face the music and answer to the nation, especially to the non-Malays, and not just in Perak but throughout Malaysia.

“Najib must be held responsible for this pandemonium. He created this situation in bringing about the change of government that resulted in the bedlam that we witnessed in the state assembly,” said P Ramakrishnan, president of social reform and human rights movement Aliran.

Community leaders point out that of the 28 seats held by Umno-BN in Perak, only one belongs to Chinese partner MCA. This already tells of the high non-Malay rejection for his coalition, they said.

And after the violence and lawlessness shown by Umno-BN towards their multi-racial rivals at Thursday’s sitting, it is doubtful its non-Malay components MCA, Gerakan and MIC will ever be able to reclaim the respect of their communities – again not just in Perak but throughout the country.

“On what basis can the MCA represent the Chinese in Ipoh now? In the past three months, did they speak up for the Chinese in Perak. Did they advise or caution Najib that this is not what their community wants?,” a community leader told Suara Keadilan.

“Not only did they keep quiet to save their own jobs, but they actually supported Najib in the takeover. As far as we are concerned, they are traitors to our community, just like the Jelapang assemblywoman Hee Yit Foong.”

Beware. Take action or risk losing your right to clean, fair and free general election.

After losing two consecutive by-elections in Permatang Pauh in August, 2008, and Kuala Terengganu in January, 2009, the coup d’etat was launched three months ago to help Najib save face and to gain legitimacy as incoming president of the Malay-based Umno.

But it has been five decades since independence from British rule – long enough for corruption that comes with absolute power to set in and destroy the trust the party used to enjoy without question in the past.

In fact, Umno is now just like MCA. As the MCA is no longer the voice of its community, the once-mighty Umno no longer represents the Malays as it used to. The Malay vote is now split between Umno, PAS and Anwar’s PKR.

And this is why Najib has gone all out to bash down the non-Malays in Perak – to convince the Malays that he and Umno can still deliver for them. Better than PAS and PKR can.

But will his community be as unquestioning and trustful as before? Or have they, like the Chinese and the Indians, learnt their bitter lesson and be more discerning about who they choose as leaders from now on.

The answer can only come at free, fair and clean election – which is why state-wide polls in Perak will be the last thing Najib will agree to. A devastating loss is inevitable.

But by this same rationale, Malaysians must now know that their chances for free, fair and clean election have diminished and substantially.

How Najib has abused the federal apparatus – the police, the Election Commission, the anti-graft body, state offices and even the courts – in the past one month has been clear for all to see.

It is only logical to fear that at the next general election – and if it comes that is – the last thing that Malaysian can expect from him are clean, fair and free election. “Malaysia is now like Fiji and Zimbabwe, ” said PKR leader Tian Chua.

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Suara Keadilan has appended below comments from various leaders and members of civil society.

Ibrahim Suffian, director of Merdeka Centre
If this event had taken place 10 years ago, people might never have known what really transpired inside the assembly. This is really going to strain the legitimacy of the state government. Fair-minded people will find it very difficult to accept the way in which they took over.

Neil Khor, political analyst
It is seen as Umno-BN demonstrating that it has naked power. Umno-BN may now have control of the assembly and the administration, but they have to win back the hearts of the people.

P Ramakrishnan, president of Aliran
Law and order has completely broken down in the Perak state assembly and in this state of lawlessness Umno has taken charge of the Perak. This is no honourable take over of the august body. It is a shameful way of acquiring power through brute force.

Najib must be held responsible for this pandemonium. He had created this situation in bringing about the change of government that has resulted in the bedlam that we had witnessed in the state assembly.

Ramon Navaratnam, chairman of Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute
It is time for Prime Minister Najib to break his silence on this matter. It has shamed the nation and he must now uphold democracy or be seen to support the lawlessness that happened this morning. This is a good opportunity for him to show the nation what 1Malaysia is about.

Gavin Khoo
It appears both the police and the state secretariat officers are colluding with the politicians to complete the power grab in the state. Again the people of Perak are the biggest losers. The political battle to control the state assembly is done without much consideration of the people’s interest.

The Perak democratic crisis has shown that it is a failed state. A caring and responsible coalition would have anticipated that a rule without the majority support of the people cannot be carried out smoothly.

It is a distaste to know that parties and stakeholders claiming the higher moral ground are oblivious to what has happened in the state and have ignored the repercussion, negative impact and psychological scarce faced by the people in Perak.

Whatever publicity or rebranding initiative done by the PM’s team of experts will not be able to erase this negative impact of the power grab.

Ragunath Kesavan, president Bar Council
The Malaysian Bar condemns the unwarranted police action in connection with the sitting of the Dewan Undangan Negeri Perak in Ipoh today.

It is obvious that the conflicts that are currently being played out arise from the lack of clarity and certainty about which political coalition commands the majority in the Dewan Undangan Negeri Perak.

Issues as to whether certain assemblymen should be permitted to attend the sitting, who the Speaker should be, the seating arrangements within the Dewan itself, all these and more are mere side-issues. Even when all is said and done, and the court decisions have been made, they may not reflect the will of the people.

As such, the only solution must be to go back to the people.

Tunku Abdul Aziz, past founding president of Transparency International
The Perak fiasco is not about to run out of steam. We must accept that the situation will get worse before it gets better. I saw the images from the State Assembly “sitting” on national television at lunch time today, 7 May 2009, with a sense of unbounded revulsion. The scene of warring politicians shouting invective was not a joy to behold.

To use a medical analogy, the Perak affair will be a running sore. Only the Sultan of Perak can provide an effective cure. To ignore what is obviously an untenable constitutional position is an act of grave irresponsibility, and while the Prime Minister thinks it is a great idea for him to give the impression that he is above it all, I should like to remind him that he is not blameless, far from it.

It was his active act of muddying the Perak political waters that brought about this current crisis in the first place.

Hadi Awang, PAS president
PAS will not respect a government that does not show its respect to the law and the country’s constitution. This time, not only Pakatan Rakyat leaders and supporters were arrested but also several parliamentarians elected by Perak people too.

Lim Kit Siang, DAP adviser
It is unlikely that Najib will be able to live down the political baggage of having orchestrated the three-month constitutional and political crisis and stalemate.

For the sake of an unethical, undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional power grab, Najib has brought important institutions of the country into greater disrepute, whether the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the judiciary and seriously impaired the vital doctrine of separation of powers.

Perakians, Malaysians and the world today witnessed another unethical, undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional power grab – the office and powers of the speaker when the Perak state assembly has not officially met.

Wan Azizah, president PKR
It is very obvious now that the slogan is nothing more than a gimmick, and Najib treats the people with contempt.

What Zambry and Hee have done this morning is nothing less than an insidious conspiracy orchestrated by Najib to undermine democracy in Perak. The use of the courts and the police to meddle in the affairs of the legislature is a blatant breach of the doctrine of separation of powers recognised by every democratic government.

The people of Perak will, no doubt, hold Najib responsible for this dark episode in the history of the state.

Tan Yee Kew, Selangor PKR information chief
PKR Selangor strongly condemns the aggressive police action and unprofessional behaviour in carrying their duties at the Perak state assembly.

Police are not supposed to be have like hired gangsters of the Barisan Nasional. They are supposed to be non-partisan and not help the BN grab power.

Tian Chua, PKR strategic affairs director
Malaysia is now like Fiji and Zimbabwe. This is a great shame to the nation’s record as a democratic nation. We cannot criticise strongly enough the use of brute police force against our assemblymen.