My Country is NOT Deteriorating. My response to "Deteriorating Democracy in Malaysia" by Azeem Ibrahim.

Introduction

[1]    In my description of my blog above, I have stated that I care and believe in my country and her future. Thus, when I read Azeem Ibrahim’s piece which was published in Huffingtonpost.com (link here), I was a little taken aback by the certainty of the language and the resoluteness that Malaysia’s democracy is deteriorating.

[2]    Nevertheless, my surprise faded somewhat at the end when the author declared his formal and official support of Anwar Ibrahim specifically and Pakatan Rakyat generally. I understand. In the game of politics, it’s normal to raise the allegations of mala-administration against the Barisan Nasional, particularly when you are a PR supporter. But even if he wasn’t, he does raise genuine and legitimate concerns plaguing the country – though his article does fall a little short in the substantiation department as it plays mainly on sentiment.

[3]    Essentially, I disagree with article on 4 reasons. Perhaps he can come back with a response. That would be nice.

[4]    This article is a bit long – go straight to the part that interests you if you want.

a.       Eroding Racial Harmony: The Bipolarity of Pakatan Rakyat

b.      World Press Freedom Index: What is doesn’t consider

c.       The Allah Issue: BN Schizophrenia, PR Inaction

d.      The Popular Vote: Oh Enough Already

[5]    The focus of this article will be on addressing some of Azeem’s views.

Eroding Racial Harmony: The Bipolarity of Pakatan Rakyat

[6]    Firstly, the mantra of eroding racial harmony is one often trumpeted by Pakatan Rakyat. However, I find it difficult to reconcile certain statements made by PR leaders themselves and the reality on the ground. There are, at times, contradictions.

[7]    Pakatan Rakyat leaders attribute their successes at the recent General Elections to a "Malaysian Malaysia" where voters voted not according to racial lines but based on issues that affected them. They lauded this as a sign of Malaysians wanting change. They also used this similar characterization for their Black 505 rallies and the TURUN rally on 31.12.2013 - all this less than 10 months ago.

[8]    Furthermore, on the ground, despite attempts by certain parties to fan racial and religious sentiments, Malaysians have united. Attacks on churches and mosques have not been met with riots or violence, but instead level heads have prevailed. Muslims are providing security to Churches, and Christians are walking hand in hand with Muslims, Buddhist and Hindus at weekend events as a sign of unity. No deaths have occurred with minor injuries reported.

[9]    Admittedly, the current Teresa Kok – Muslim NGO fiasco has been unsettling. So too has today’s paint + duck attack on Malaysiakini’s office. The good news is that the duck is still alivehttp://www.malaysiakini.com/news/255321.

[10]But what I’ll say is that this is NOT reflective of Malaysians generally. Pockets of extremism may exist, but that’s everywhere. Some blogs have gone as far as to say that this is an orchestrated attack by Teresa’s people. I wont dignify the sources here, and I don’t quite believe it. This is one of those moments where we have to leave politics out of it and ensure that everyone is safe.

[11]And Yes, the PM should come out and publically state his disapproval for the attacks. His newly announced national reconciliationagenda will only be more credible if it is backed by action. The PM has called for unity and cohesion!

[12]Quick side note: Why is PR so against the agenda or trying to claim it was their idea? Practice what you preach – meet PM in the middle. This will be an interesting issues to observe and see how it develops.

[13]Anyway, Not only has the right to assemble peacefully been upheld, racial and religious relations appear stronger than ever. I want to believe this, and I do.

[14]The problem appears to be the politicians who play on the issues for political expediency - clearly, the bipolar Pakatan Rakyat shoulders blame here.

World Press Freedom Index: Malayia Below Myanmar? Doesn’t Seem Right

[15]The author thereafter alluded to Malaysia's rank in The World Press Freedom Index. This index is by no means an indicator of press freedom in Malaysia. Objectively put, their methods are dubious and lack the transparency they so wish to adjudge. To say Malaysia is worse than Myanmar in terms of press freedom is not only a gross exaggeration but an unfair characterization to the realities of the nation.

[16]For starters, Malaysia is more transparent. With 66% internet penetration, information travels fast. Covering up information just doesn't (or if it does, cannot) happen. Malaysia's blogging scene is a scarily informative place and its vibrancy is available for all to see.

[17]Secondly, the index does not take into account online media freedoms.

[18]I’m told that online news portals such as The Malaysian Insider and Malaysiakini have a daily readership of more than The Star and NST (mainstream newspapers) combined.  Further, it is no secret that these news portals are pro-Pakatan Rakyat and take the opportunity to criticize Barisan Nasional (occasionally fairly) on a daily basis. Not only have these online media portals thrived, the last 3-5 years has seen the proliferation of many media portals (most of which tends to be pro-PR) such as The Ant Daily, Free Malaysia Today news, The Malay Mail Online and The Nut Graph.

[19]Third, the index did not consider the move by the Malaysian Government to abolish the need for yearly newspaper licenses when it repealed provisions of the Printing Presses and Publications Act in 2012. Surely this has to count for something. Ok, The Heat’s print newspaper was temporarily suspended, but it has been lifted after the Ministry conducted its investigations. A line has to be drawn somewhere. I wonder where or whether Azeem would be willing to draw some line. Or is it absolute freedom of expression in the market place of ideas to him? I think this would be dangerous.

[20]The index didn't also consider the existence of Pakatan Rakyat-owned print newspapers such as Harakah, Suara Keadilan and Rocket, which are freely distributed and sold all over Malaysia, especially in states where PR is the ruling government.

[21]If at all, media freedom in Malaysia is thriving. Cyberspace is the next political battleground, and the days of Internet censorship are long gone.

[22]Mind you, on top of all the online media portals, Malaysia has more than 20 print newspapers covering more than 3 languages and are owned by various stakeholders, aligned to both BN and PR.

[23]All said and done, can Malaysia's press freedom really be that bad?

The Allah Issue: BN Schizophrenia, PR Inaction

[24]The Allah issue is a unique issue that even I am grappling with. Yes, the BN is somewhat schizophrenic in that it disallows non-Muslims from west Malaysia to use the word but not non-Muslims from east Malaysia.

[25]Nevertheless, I can understand why the government is doing this. In balancing the rights of the people, context and geographical based sentiment is important, and the outpouring of emotions of Malay-Muslims in west Malaysia raises a legitimate concern.

[26]Admittedly, the Christians and non-Muslims have a legitimate right to practice their religion, what more so as minorities, but when there is a clash of rights at play, the elected government has the prerogative to ensure peace. And this funny you-can-but-you-can't policy may just be the best resolution at this point in time.

[27]In any event, despite fervent opposition to BN's position on the issue, PR have not taken any steps to change the laws in their states (mind you, the religious laws are state-controlled and this includes the usage of the word Allah).

[28]PR's inaction is another example of their selective hearing.

The Popular Vote: Oh Enough Already

[29]Finally, yes, PR won the popular vote. But Malaysia's election system is electoral based. If we went with the popular vote system, it'll lead to unequal representation. PR's popularity in Penang, for instance, is so great that majority votes for BN in more areas will count for nothing. How's that fair? It isn't.

[30]The drawing of constituencies needs to be improved, no doubt. But this popular vote thing has to stop.

[31]And let's not talk about Anwar's "Kajang-move" as being the great savior of our democracy. The manner in which the Kajang by-election was triggered was by no means democratic, and highly insulting to voters.

Conclusion

[32]In conclusion, while the author's article is laudable in that it highlights issues that Malaysia is grappling with, the fact is that we aren't that badly off.

[33]There is a greater realisation of rights and political maturity in society, and these realisations will only increase. But to be united, we cannot start at zero. We have to continue from where we are by recognizing the many good things, and working to move away from the bipolar.