THE elite’s control over economic policies in the country is behind the increasing number of people leaving Malaysia, said a lawmaker today.

Klang MP Charles Santiago said the wealthy had a “very unfair” relationship with the government, in that they had more access to the administration compared with less well-off Malaysians.

“The rich have access to the government, while the middle class, not so much. We are in a very difficult situation,” he said at the Malaysia Freedom Summit, discussing the state of freedom in the nation, held in Petaling Jaya.

Santiago said many Malaysians struggled to earn a living for their families.

“I had a widow come to my office. She said she had lost her husband and had no savings. She had to stop sending her four children to school because she could not afford to pay the bus fees.

“Who is to help them? The answer we get is the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M).

“However, BR1M is unable to solve such problems. What we need is structural change,” said Santiago, adding that trade unions, associations and communities must work together to ensure that the people were able to retain and exercise their power to tackle issues in the country.

The summit, held annually, is the third organised by the Institute for Leadership and Development Studies.

Islamic Renaissance Front programme director Ehsan Shahwahid said to be able to hold a summit discussing the state of freedom in the country was a form of freedom itself, and that this would have been difficult to do three decades ago.

“Back then, you needed a permit to talk to more than four or five people. Otherwise, it was considered an illegal assembly.

“There has been significant progress since 30 years ago.”

However, he said, Malaysia seemed to be going backwards in terms of “cultural freedom”, especially when it came to matters related to religion.

“There was more freedom then in books, writings, artworks, movies. There was a sense of openness when it came to culture, but as we head towards becoming a more modern state, there are more restrictions when it comes to matters relating to culture and religion.”

He said a lack of education on the power relation between religion and politics, as well as the increasing centralisation in the country, contributed to the decline in the level of freedom when it came to cultural and religious matters. – November 18, 2017.