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| It’s about listening to the people Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:25 PM PDT
By Karim Raslan, The Star The PAP failed to anticipate the extent of popular frustration in Singapore, where even a booming economy and near-full employment were not enough to satisfy the voters. OVER the past six months, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's personal charm, the shrewd allocation of government resources and a concerted media campaign have resulted in a noteworthy boost to Barisan Nasional's — as well as Umno's — popularity. However, three factors have intervened suddenly to alter the equation: One, PAS' rejection of the "Malay Unity" strategy; two, galloping inflation; and three, the wave of anti-incumbency that swept Singapore recently. The three factors will make preparations for the upcoming general election all the more complex. Furthermore, they reinforced other negative trends, most notably the growing unease of Christian and non-Malay voters as witnessed in last month's Sarawak state polls — impacting the BN's famous "Fixed Deposit". Indeed, Umno's current, hard-headed, go-it-alone stance is undermining the party's traditional strengths in "Middle Malaysia". The party of Merdeka has been able to hold power for over 50 years because of a combination of its sound macro-economic policies as well as its moderation and wisdom in managing racial and religious sensitivities. However, the joint legacies of Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Hussein Onn are fast being lost. Anyhow, Saturday's muktamar saw PAS' professionals (also dubbed the Erdogans) regaining control of the party. With the pro-Umno leader Nasharuddin Mat Isa soundly ejected from the party's deputy presidency, the PAS rank-and-file essentially rejected the idea — mooted by Umno hard-liners and encouraged by Nasharuddin — of a grand Malay alliance. The surprisingly strong showing by the professionals and Ustaz Hadi Awang's stinging criticisms of Umno revealed that PAS is determined to stick with Pakatan Rakyat. Indeed, the unending attacks on the opposition have only served to strengthen Pakatan's resolve. Separately, while Anwar Ibrahim remains a seminal and transformational opposition figure, the coalition will survive without him. In fact, it is arguable that Pakatan will do much better when his erratic and divisive presence is removed. Economics is also becoming in-creasingly unpredictable. Oil price volatility has sparked off a dramatic bout of inflation and Malaysia, as a major trading nation, is no exception. As of April 2011, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at 3.2% year-on-year but food inflation shot up faster at 4.9% in the corresponding period. Anecdotal evidence from a doa selamat at my office last week would seem to suggest that rising prices of sugar, chillies and rice are causing real pain for the man-in-the-street. Chicken rice at RM4.50 a serving is no joke when you have a family of five to feed. The rise in the electricity tariff, while unavoidable (so long as IPP contracts remain untouched and unreviewed), will certainly impact all Malaysians negatively. The third issue is the anti-incumbency sentiment sweeping the globe. Of course, this is interconnected with economic issues. In this respect, BN politicians need only look across the causeway to technocratic Singapore, where the normally astute PAP failed to anticipate the extent of popular frustration. Clearly, a booming economy and near-full employment were not enough to satisfy the voters. Ordinary Singaporeans were fed up with being lectured at by smug, overpaid and out-of-touch ministers peddling policies that rode rough-shod over their needs. One only has to join Singaporean commuters on a crowded MRT carriage to get a sense of how hard they work just to survive in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Understandably, the PAP experienced its worst electoral results ever (their popular vote plunged to only 60%). Former minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew's intemperate comments and the dramatic public backlash reveal the extent to which Singaporeans are tired of being told what to do. Singapore — much like Bahrain, Egypt and Tunisia — has witnessed a revolution in terms of information as social media has flattened and democratised the flow of news and analysis. The polls have also seen a shift in how Singaporeans view the PAP. In the past the party was feared. The current view hovers between contempt and mere tolerance. Moreover, the professionalism and discipline of the Workers' Party was a pleasant surprise. This was matched by the extraordinary academic fire-power of their star candidate, international lawyer Chen Show Mao, who has more degrees than the ever-erudite George Yeo! Furthermore, their campaign slogan, "Vote Workers' Party Towards a First World Parliament", was a triumph of low-key subversion — with its suggestion of Singapore's stunted political growth. Finally, I can still remember the charming Singaporean Immigration lady officer last week stamping my passport who, when asked about the elections, said: "Well, now they have to listen to us, the people." Barisan Nasional and Umno strategists would do well to study Singapore. At this stage it's all about listening – listening to the people. |
| Posted: 06 Jun 2011 09:37 AM PDT
Is the BN government's refusal to put the police force on a leash, a case of 'you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours' The bad news includes detaining people behind bars and whacking the daylights out of them, leaving them dead literally. Then there is the insensitivity and indifference shown by the police when it comes to handling complaints concerning violence against women, be it rape or domestic violence. Jeswan Kaur, Free Malaysia Today There is a Malay proverb, "harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi" which can be taken to mean that a person who is entrusted with something often ends up betraying that trust. In today's time, this saying best defines the Malaysian police force. Reneging on their responsibility as protectors, the cops by virtue of their own misgivings will have to clean up their act to redeem public faith and trust that has slipped off. Going by the many reports of police brutality, the latest reported by FMT on May 26, 2011, there is no doubt left that the people are having a tough time counting on the cops, for the cops seem to be making news, but for the wrong reasons. The bad news includes detaining people behind bars and whacking the daylights out of them, leaving them dead literally. Then there is the insensitivity and indifference shown by the police when it comes to handling complaints concerning violence against women, be it rape or domestic violence. On the issue of domestic violence, a young woman, Pakaim Subramaniam, died in February this year, just five months into her marriage. Her father, M Subramaniam, alleged that she was the victim of domestic violence due to the severe injuries she had sustained. He said the police failed to investigate the case, which then led him seek help from Suhakam, the country's human rights commission. Meanwhile, the latest cop brutality reported by FMT involved a 20-year-old student, S Ganesan, who claimed that he was beaten up and verbally abused by the police after he knocked into a policeman's motorcycle at a roadblock in Rembau, Negri Sembilan, in the early hours of the morning. "The policeman kept beating me and called me 'keling'. They also shouted at me, saying I should just die so that they can close the case," Ganesan was quoted by FMT as recalling. The youngster was then warned not to report the matter before he was bundled into an ambulance and despatched to the Tunku Jaafar Hospital. Now, what should one make of such news when the men in uniform go back on their duties and abuse the trust the people have in them? To think that the former inspector-general of police, Rahim Noor, unfortunately set the precedent when he beat up former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, to the extent of punching the latter in the eye, earning Anwar the "blue" eye bruise that paradoxically went on to become the symbol of his party, Keadilan. Police notoriety With police notoriety fast becoming the norm than the exception, it is no longer acceptable that the government under Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak acts nonchalantly over the abuse the public suffers at the hands of the police. Clearly, the need for a body to keep an eye on the cops and admonish them where need be has to be instituted. The federal government's refusal to acknowledge the role of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) is best translated as the government's could-not-care-less attitude about how the people suffer at the hands of the police. Are the police the new "law"? Refusing to create a monitoring body to ensure the cops remain within the boundaries of their duty has only put the federal government in a bad light. Citing reasons why the IPCMC is not necessary gives the people the message that the government is not willing to undertake any measure to upset the police force. But why? Has the country's police force become a law unto itself, doing as it pleases, sending the public the message that it has immunity courtesy of the "powers that be"? When cops who beat up detainees are let free by the court, it marks a sad day for the justice system in this country. And it is even more appalling that the government that keeps brainwashing the "people first" chant to the people finds it unnecessary to intervene. In 2005, a 634-page report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Police Force, headed by a former judge, revealed that the police were brutal, inept and the most corrupt among the government departments. Between 1999 and 2003, there were 5,726 formal corruption complaints involving the police force and it was recommended that the police force be monitored by an independent watchdog. Still, the BN government is adamant that there is no use for the IPCMC. An Indian-based non-governmental organisation, Aastivaram Foundation, said between 2003 and 2007, there were 85 custodial deaths. This number excluded those who were shot dead. "The commission is long overdue. Currently, the police themselves investigate cases of police abuse and I believe they tend to cover up such cases," the foundation's vice-president R Sanjeevan told FMT recently. On June 18, 2008, a cop on duty at the Putra Heights (in Subang Jaya) police station raped a woman pillion rider after detaining her boyfriend at the police station for riding the motorbike without a licence. The 17-year-old girl gathered all her courage to take the perpetrator to court. And yes, this was not the first such case involving a policeman but something must be done soon to make sure it is never repeated. If a policeman is unable to carry out his responsibilities with respect to the uniform he wears and to the people he is duty-bound to protect, then there is no reason left for his presence in the force.
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