Commentary by Mustafa K Anuar 

NONAGENARIAN Dr Mahathir Mohamad has accused Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government of being a dictatorship after he and the organisers of the “Proklamasi Orang Melayu” were recently denied the opportunity to gather, following last-minute cancellations of venues they had booked. 

In other words, the ex-Langkawi MP slammed the government for what he termed an act against freedom of speech and assembly to the detriment of the Malays, adding that the “oppression” was worse than British colonialism. 

The former prime minister was expected to give a speech at the gathering, which was meant to be a platform to express the purported unhappiness of “the Malay community” towards the present government. 

He asserted that Malays have a bleak future, given that not only have they lost control of the economy but also national politics to “others”. 

This is despite the country being governed by Malay prime ministers – including Dr Mahathir himself – and Malay-majority federal cabinets since independence. Incidentally, such an accusation implies the ruling Malay leaders concerned had committed an acute dereliction of duty. 

The ex-prime minister’s statement is incendiary, dividing a society already polarised along racial and religious lines. 

This explains the sigh of relief heaved among politics-fatigued Malaysians when they were told of the venue cancellations. 

Be that as it may, the accusation of dictatorship is serious enough to merit the attention of Anwar, who himself fell victim to a harsh authoritarian rule as symbolised by the black eye he suffered when in police custody. 

Additionally, we also witnessed how balaclava-clad special operations force personnel stormed into Anwar’s house on September 20, 1998 to arrest him. 

To be sure, Dr Mahathir has had 22 years and 22 months of prime ministership under his belt, so that his long experience would be able to give him – as well as Anwar – an idea of what a dictatorship or authoritarianism looks like. It is the kind of regime Anwar should avoid. 

For starters, Anwar should appreciate that the judiciary must be fiercely independent, and not be subservient to the executive. 

Only a dictator would, for instance, dismiss judges if their rulings were not in line with his or her liking. A compromised judiciary is obviously not in the interest of justice. 

Newspapers and journalists should not find themselves being told to toe the line, or threatened with closure, if they try to practise investigative and ethical journalism. 

Furthermore, editors should not get phone calls from Putrajaya insisting on censorship or supporting the government’s point of view. Such interference is a breach of media freedom. 

It is in this context that the mechanism of checks and balances is disabled or compromised, while transparency and accountability become a hollow slogan. 

You don’t round up a large number of people – opposition leaders, activists and religious leaders – and detain them without trial just because they criticised, demonstrated, and protested against your government. 

This clampdown is, of course, a serious violation of freedom of expression and assembly, as well as human rights. It is undemocratic and unjust, especially in a diverse society such as ours. 

You can imagine the immense misery brought about by such a political crackdown: families facing financial difficulties because their breadwinners were detained; children left without parental affection; sustained emotional and psychological scars; and the irreversible loss of precious time. 

State apparatus such as the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Inland Revenue Board should not be abused by the executive to metaphorically bludgeon their political enemies or critics. 

The politicisation of these agencies under a dictatorship could, in turn, give rise to a long-term decline in professionalism with adverse effects on society. 

Dictatorship or authoritarianism must not be given a lease of life if the wellbeing of ordinary Malaysians is to be prioritised. – March 22, 2023.