“REFORMASI!” – the battle cry made popular by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim after he was sacked from the cabinet in 1998 and used by many to demand changes since the ensuing political upheaval – now appears to be meaningless, at least for some activists.

They said the phrase used to mean a lot for young people fighting for justice and transparency against the old regime led by then Umno president and prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

However, more than two decades later and – after spending more than 10 years behind bars – activists said Anwar, who is now the prime minister, is no longer a reformist.

They said the institutional and political reforms he promised have yet to take place, despite the unity government having been in power for almost five months.

Eliminating Death and Abuse in Custody Together (Edict) executive director Khalid Ismath said the performance of certain Pakatan Harapan (PH) ministers is disappointing.

He singled out Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who he claimed were worse than their Perikatan Nasional (PN) predecessors.

“Where are the institutional reforms? Before they were in power, they talked about reforms almost every day but now they are all quiet.

“This is worse than PN. For example, Fahmi has openly commented that action will be taken against cyber troopers’ social media accounts just because they criticise the government.

“Is this how a reform government should behave? Can’t anyone criticise the government? This is a fearmongering tactic used by dictators.

“Meanwhile, the home minister said that the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 is still needed.

“When he was the opposition, why was he against Sosma? Many are still mistreated, sedition still exists, and an outdated communication act is still law.

“Tell me, where are the reforms and when are they taking place?” he asked.

Khalid, who was detained in 2019under the Sedition Act during PH’s short-lived administration, said the current government is still suppressing dissent.

“I don’t see the reform, I only see oppression,” the former Parti Sosialis Malaysia youth chief said.

Saifuddin, who is also PH secretary-general, had said the country needs Sosma for national security, and rejected any reviews of the law.

Prior to this, PH had long been vocal against the legislation and had urged previous governments to abolish it.

Worse than Umno

Former PKR member and long-time reformist Abdul Razak Ismail hit out at the federal government and the PKR-led Selangor administration.

“Look at how the Selangor government is handling environmental matters and state projects. There is no open tender for the construction of the new stadium. It is all direct negotiation.

“How is the Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve issue being handled? All we see is deforestation. What kind of reform are we talking about?

They would yell ‘reformasi’ at every event but in reality there is no reform.

“This is worse than Umno. The Selangor government is nothing but Umno 3.0 (government). They are the same,” the Otai Reformis leader said.

Otai Reformis is a civil society group composed of veteran PKR members and long-time Anwar supporters.

Razak was ejected from PKR in January for breaking party rules. He has now established the Green Party.

Razak has also filed a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on the 27 quarries in Bukit Lagong, northwest of Kuala Lumpur.

Last year, Malaysiakini reported that among the developers involved in the establishment of the quarries were three agencies linked to the Selangor government: Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated and Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd – chaired by Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari – and Koperasi Jabatan Perhutanan Negeri Selangor Bhd.

Razak said he had sent a letter to Anwar alleging malpractice by the Selangor government but has yet to receive any feedback.

“There was no reply. Does he care anymore about reform? From what I see, reform is dead,” he said.

Reformasi not dead just yet

Meanwhile, Aliran president Anil Netto is willing to give Anwar a chance to prove himself.

Noting that several reforms have taken place, Anil said more needs to be done.

“I think Anwar is picking the low hanging fruits before handling more serious issues.

“We just had certain mandatory death penalty provisions removed, the cabinet agreed to form an independent children’s commission and most importantly Anwar declared that Malaysia is a country for all to counter the narrative brought by the right wing.

“The Madani concept, if the government can live up to it, would be good for all. Internationally our image has improved. We are no longer ashamed to call ourselves Malaysians.

“Yet there is still a lot to be done. Getting rid of all repressive laws is vital, but changes can’t happen overnight.

“We should learn from 2018, where drastic changes could backfire. There need to be explanations on the ground to avoid misconceptions,” he added. – April 12, 2023.