Mat Tyson and the promise of Reformasi

Dr Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser

We don’t hear very much about Reformasi these days. We hear even less about the content of the Reformasi that PKR champions. My ears still ring with the brave and defiant cries by PKR youth leaders in years past who had demonstrated that the struggle for Reformasi goes beyond the personality of Anwar Ibrahim. We were trying to build the brave new world in which Malaysians would be empowered in the struggle against UMNO/BN rule through the decades.

Today, the concept of Reformasi seems to have changed. Anwar has not only reneged on his pre-GE13 statement to retire from politics if his quest to be PM failed, he is now deemed indispensable as the Menteri Besar of Selangor, a stepping stone to being Prime Minister. Hence, the sideshow in the Kajang by-election continues…

What is complete anathema to the promise of Reformasi is Anwar’s stated intention to rope in Umno veteran and his one-time ally (in Umno), Tan Sri Muhammad Taib to the Selangor government once the Kajang by-election is over! Anwar, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) candidate, said that besides relying on the economic management skills of Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the state needs the expertise of Muhammad on rural programmes!

Deconstructing “ABU”

“ABU” or “Anything But UMNO” was bandied about during the GE13 campaign as a catch-all for anti-UMNO sentiments and anti-UMNO votes. One assumed that this slogan was a rallying call for all Malaysians who have had enough of UMNO rule – their corruption, autocracy, cronyism, lack of transparency, basically, bad governance…

Muhammad Taib was, of course, UMNO Menteri Besar of Selangor from 1986 to 1997. Now, is DSAI saying that the rural programmes implemented by the former MB were praiseworthy and worth modelling? DSAI should point out which aspects of the rural programmes under Muhammad Taib’s administration were particularly good and beneficial to the rural people of Selangor. Democrats and reformers would be most interested to know.

If DSAI believes that Muhammad Taib’s administration was an exception to UMNO rule, maybe the “ABU” slogan may have to be adapted and he would need to periodise UMNO’s autocratic record and identify the good from the baddies in UMNO? Remember, Muhammad Taib was also Umno vice-president (2000-2003) and Umno information chief (2008-2009). By taking out the class interests in UMNO, DSAI has clouded the content of Reformasi and devalued the “ABU” slogan.

Mat Tyson: Tale of the Taib

Mat Tyson of all people a reformer? Let us examine his vital statistics, or as they say in boxing matches, look at the “Tale of the Tape”:

Whilst serving as the Mentri Besar of Selangor, he eloped with the sultan’s daughter to Thailand where they reportedly got married but subsequently divorced. In April 1997, he was forced to resign from the MB post because he was apprehended in Australia for having “eloped” with a substantial amount of cash. He was charged in Australia over currency irregularities amounting to RM3.8 million.

In 1992, his administration de-gazetted the Bukit Sungai Putih Permanent Forest Reserve, which had been gazetted by the colonial government in 1932. A big swathe of this forest was then awarded to a consortium, which sub-divided the land for housing development, thus evading the need for an EIA study. There were also cases involving the eviction of plantation communities in other parts of rural Selangor for so-called “development”.

Shorn of his UMNO connections, Muhammad Taib joined PAS before the 13th general election (GE13). Good for him. Nevertheless, I have suggested that there should be an SOP for all “born again” democrats from the BN – they should give us a testimony of how they finally saw the light and decided to leave the BN.

Headhunting for Reformers

Now, if I were to headhunt for reformers to solve the problems of the rural people, personalities who spring to mind would be Dr Syed Husin Ali and Dr Lim Teck Ghee who have researched and written progressive theses on how to improve the lives of the rural people. After all, Dr Syed Husin Ali is right there at the centre of the PKR leadership. I’m sure his ideas for improving the quality of life for the rural people of Selangor will be far and away more radical and meaningful than what Mat Tyson has to offer. That is, if DSAI is truly interested in empowering the rural people through land reform and not corporatizing the rural economy, which is what neo-cons would rather do.

In other words, during the Kajang hustings, DSAI should tell us the contents of his Reformasi programme in general, and how Mat Tyson could be of service to this Reformasi programme in rural Selangor in particular.