Commentary by Mustafa K. Anuar

IT was that time again when many Malaysians found themselves watching the spectacle of lawmakers submitting their respective statutory declarations (SDs) to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after Muhyiddin Yassin was recently pressured to step down as prime minister.

The slim majority of Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) made the pact untenable particularly when partner Umno eventually made good its threat to pull out of the government.

As in the case of last year when Dr Mahathir Mohamad abruptly vacated his position as prime minister of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, the SDs were meant to determine who among the MPs would qualify to be the ninth prime minister.

It was also a selection process that would help ascertain the kind of leadership that is expected to steer the country into a certain direction, which would, in turn, impact the lives of the ordinary people.

The lawmakers’ audience with the Agong recently was witnessed afar by ordinary Malaysians who are in the midst of grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic as well as a battered economy that has left many to lose lives, incomes, jobs and businesses.

Indeed, pandemic-weary Malaysians were left to watch their so-called representatives indulge in horse-trading and political realignments as if the former and their welfare did not matter at all.

To be sure, this chain of events occurred long after the Malaysian electorate had made their political preferences known at the ballot box on May 9, 2018. The majority of the voters had voted the PH pact into power.

As we all know, the problem started when the government of their choice was unfortunately toppled midway in February last year by a group of political parties that were cobbled together to form a PN government following the so-called “Sheraton move”.

In other words, the votes cast by the people were cynically pushed aside by the narrow interests of certain politicians. Their votes had been devalued while their hopes and aspirations dashed.

Not only that. Many MPs now do not represent the people as they have defected from the parties for which voters had cast their ballots.

Which is why some people, tired of the extreme politicking and political shenanigans, resignedly asked, why should we vote anymore?

There is a sense among some people of being alienated from the democratic process of electing a government as a result of such political interruption.

And this sense of estrangement was made worse by the prolonged period of parliamentary suspension that cut off a legitimate avenue from people to express their grievances and concerns through their elected representatives.

Put it another way, the crucial elements of transparency and accountability in a democracy had been taken away with the suspension of the Parliament.

Opposition MPs who tried to enter Parliament were even barred from entering the building by the riot-quelling Federal Reserve Unit of the police force.

This explains why some people took to social media to vent their frustrations over what was regarded as incompetence and neglect on the part of the government or certain ministers.

Some made critical comments while others were creative enough to post satire and parodies on certain media platforms, which incurred the wrath of certain ruling politicians.

Arresting a few who made criticisms of certain leaders would only alienate citizens whose concerns were mainly the welfare of the people and the future of the country. Citizens, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, gender and political affiliations, have the right to claim ownership to this country.

Nor did it help to increase a sense of citizenship when people who staged a peaceful street protest, which adhered to the standard operating procedure of the movement-control order, were subjected to intimidation and harassment by the authorities.

If there is anything that political developments in the last one year or so suggest, it is reaffirming the contention that politics cannot be left entirely to politicians and thus, ordinary Malaysians have every right to be politically conscious and active.

Participatory democracy demands that, for instance, the electorate actively engage with their political representatives, civil society groups push for substantive reforms and more people express publicly their critical views about politics and governance.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to go into formal politics to be politically engaged.

A menagerie of politicians scrambling for positions and fortunes may make for an exciting spectacle, but it does not necessarily enhance democracy and contribute to the greater good of society. – August 20, 2021.