THE Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) wishes all Malaysians a dynamic Year of Rabbit according to the Chinese calendar, where democracy may take another leap forward to reach a stable and mature multiparty competition.

The Year of Tiger had presented Malaysians with challenges and trials, but the public’s will to instate an anti-party hopping law was realised on October 5, 2022, allowing a party-based coalition government to be formed on November 24 from the hung parliament produced by the general election.

We were heartened, in its last week, by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s vision of nation-rebuilding: Malaysia Madani, with its six values of sustainability, prosperity, innovation, respect, trust and compassion.

However, many fear Malaysia Madani would become just another empty slogan, like former prime ministers’ visions and slogans, from “Bersih, Cekap, Amanah”; “Vision 2020”; “Islam Hadhari”; “1Malaysia”; “Malaysia Baru”; “Malaysia Prihatin”; and “Keluarga Malaysia”.

How can Malaysia Madani prevent, among others:

1. Parties from buying votes in the name of charity because the Election Offences Act 1954 is never consistently enforced?

2. Voters from treating elected representatives as human ATMs because they have no power to impact change in parliament/state legislature?

3. Parties from changing coalitions and bringing down governments over ministerial or government-linked company jobs?

4. The Attorney-General’s Chambers from dropping charges on corrupt politicians and state officers?

5. Opposition MPs from playing up ethno-religious sentiments because they are not incentivised and supported to develop policy expertise?

6. Opposition-led state governments from being denied equal access to federal funds?

7. Federal and state lawmakers on the opposition bench from being denied equal access to constituency development funds?

8. Businesses from controlling political parties that depend on private funding to operate because they are not supported by public subsidies?

9. Voters from becoming jaded regarding elections because they can’t know election dates in advance yet have to travel home to vote?

Bersih is not at all pessimistic about Malaysia Madani. We see its full potential to transform Malaysia if two conditions are met based on three of the six values it preaches – first, respect and trust between political parties must be established, and second, innovation must prevail over business-as-usual resistance in institutional reforms.

We look forward to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim initiating a cross-party, cross-sector, and cross-state national conversation with a concrete agenda to operationalise his Malaysia Madani ideals in political culture and institutional reforms.

Bersih is ever ready to assist him and other leaders – in parliament and in cabinet – in such an initiative.

Bersih wishes Malaysia a rabbit leap to true political stability and accountability, with which Malaysia can build business confidence and catch up in post-Covid-19 recovery to achieve the three other values in Malaysia Madani: sustainability, prosperity, and compassion. – January 23, 2023.

* Bersih is an electoral watchdog.

* 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.