THE current predicament facing Malaysian politics is a clear indication that something is seriously wrong with Malaysian society.

The bourgeois political system has given birth to 222 parliamentarians who can’t find among themselves 112 backing one person to be prime minister. This crisis was triggered by a group of MPs from the ruling Pakatan Harapan breaking away to try and form a backdoor government with their opposition counterparts. Apparently, it is to block PKR president Anwar Ibrahim from succeeding Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister. So, for the first time in history (probably), a new government is to be formed, backing the same prime minister.

We can try to explore the history of the fiasco of the last five days, but that is much too confusing. What is clear is that a small group of about 222 people, supposedly elected to represent the people’s interests, through personal conviction are deciding what is best for a nation of 30 million people.

It is obvious that the driver of this change are political ambitions and escape from legal convictions on the part of some opposition politicians who are facing corruption charges. How could this happen?

The culprit: bourgeois politics

Malaysia, unfortunately, has inherited a deeply flawed political system that alienates the common man. What’s more, over 60 years of racialised governance has led to modifications in that system, which has institutionalised racial and religious discrimination through instruments of the state often used to instigate sensitivities within different groups to manipulate voting patterns. From gerrymandered constituencies to powerful religious policing, Malaysia has become a battlefield of the underclass fighting each other, and supporting an oppressive class of wealthy, powerful individuals, who, ironically, display unity.

A supposed democracy, Malaysia entertains general elections every five years, where voters get to cross ballots indicating their preference for MPs and assemblymen. However, there is minimal direct involvement by the people in the planning and execution of government plans. This leaves a ruling class with no real drive to deliver proper changes within the system to benefit the people.

An example would be when PH failed to adequately increase the minimum wage after they wrested power from Barisan Nasional in 2018. Initially mooting only a RM50 increase, PH subsequently added another RM50 to make the minimum wage RM1,100 for 2019, following protests by trade unions and civil groups. With the main criticism of BN being the unbearable cost of living during its administration, it was indeed strange for PH not to deliver on this front, but it was unsurprising, as favouring the powerful Malaysian Employers’ Federation over lowly workers would be more politically savvy.

Therefore, many people are left disillusioned, and do not want to cast their votes for anyone. You wake up bright and early, stand in a long line, carefully cross the box next to the name you prefer on the ballot paper (remembering to use a pen in case of any funny business), and go home tired but satisfied. You feel euphoria when your candidate wins, only to be heartbroken when they completely forget their promises to you, preferring instead to stand for themselves and profit from manipulating the electorate. Where is the accountability?

Backdoor machinations, though despicable, are still completely legal. There’s absolutely nothing that normal Malaysians can do to stop them, or even the formation of a Muafakat Nasional government, if it is to be. This is indicative of deep structural problems that disempower the people. No matter who is elected, the risk of pro-people agendas being subverted due to money politics or personal political ambitions remains high.

The solution: education, agitation, organisation

We should be asking for the distribution of power to the common man. There needs to be the direct inclusion of interest groups in Parliament. Orang Asli/Asal groups, single mothers, students, the disabled and environmental organisations should be given representation in the highest echelons of the legislative, instead of waiting to be called by ministry officials for limited focus-group discussions. There needs to be representation by party lists, so smaller parties that capture a certain percentage of votes are included in Parliament to give a fairer representation of the people’s sentiments on policy directions.

We should be talking about strengthening workers’ unions. With only a very small percentage of workers being unionised, they are ripe to be exploited by employers through zero-hour contracts, eroding benefits, and salaries much smaller than the living wage. The power balance between employers and employees ever since unions were busted has heavily favoured the former, resulting in disproportionate political influence and worsening labour regulations.

There needs to be the empowerment of farmers, to remove exploitative middle-men arrangements where the profits from crops are haemorrhaged away by the rentier class associated closely with established politicians. Liberasi is often criticised for championing technological solutions to structural problems, with our support for genetically modified organisms especially vulnerable to attacks. In truth, we stand together with the oppressed in dismantling the structural elements that keep them dependent on the capitalist class to survive. In agriculture, we want huge networks of farms that benefit farmers and other Malaysians, with GMOs making the process more efficient. The land belongs to the tiller.

This is a deep structural change, and it is the only way we can escape the bourgeois politics of waiting on a saviour class to emancipate us. In reality, these chains are ours to break. We need to organise. Clusters of people with the same interest need to meet, work together and move as one. We need these clusters to work with one another for the benefit of all. Workers need to turn up for student protests, students need to campaign on behalf of the Orang Asli/Asal, farmers’ groups need to speak up for women’s organisations.

This kind of bottom-up approach is how politics should work. Those who have the wherewithal to help organise others need to turn up and start working. Those who can spare funds need to spend on empowering the common man. It is through these organisations that we can truly ensure the power of the people stays in the hands of the people. No amount of criticism of elected officials is going to truly change this situation.

Of course, electoral politics will remain relevant for the foreseeable future, but we must understand this as one part of many avenues delivering material benefits to the people. Of course, state power is a formidable tool in hastening delivery, but without structural changes, the fall of a progressive government will lead to unanswerable oppression. So, we should field and vote for candidates who are committed to the cause. Standing on the outside of all this, complaining about your powerlessness without doing anything to help, or worse, looking down on those who are committed to the cause due to the size and resources of their party, will change nothing.

What pride have we in ensuring millionaires who don’t care about us continue winning and ignoring our needs? Don’t fall for the hype. Their banners, videos, posters and events may be gilded, but only with pyrite. – February 28, 2020.

* Arveent Kathirtchelvan is chief coordinator of Liberasi.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.