No News Is Bad News
After about nine months in office, is Anwar looking like another all talk, no action PM for Malaysia?
Is Anwar a lame-duck PM?
KUALA LUMPUR, July 15, 2023: Media columnist and socio-political commentator Mariam Mokhtar is absolutely right in her latest commentary that there is no need for new laws, just enforce the existing ones.
Mariam opines that despite numerous warnings issued by the sultans, the prime minister and the police, there is just no political will to end it for the sake of national unity and Malaysia.
And it surely does appear that even 10th prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, like others, who claims to be a reformist leaders, too does not have that political will to do the right thing for the rakyat dan negara (people and country).
Instead of being firm and enforcing the existing laws, Anwar is beginning to look like an all-talk, no action weakling. Perhaps, also, the police and the Attorney-Genmeral’s Office, for reasons only best known to them, appear to fear the racial and religious bigots, thus the lack of serious investigations and prosecution of those who clearly continue to harp on 3R (Race, Religion and Royalty) issues for political mileage, giving no concern for national unity and the country’s socio-economic well-being.
In fact, the racial and religious bigots are getting bolder by the day as they have been emboldened by the lack of prosecution, thus the feeling of “untouchables”.
As the political exploitation of 3R issues continues unabated, confidence in Anwar’s Unity Governement’s efforts to heal Malaysia’s more than RM1.5 trillion national debt grow more and more difficult as domestic and foreign investors shy away.
Investors, when considering pumping money into a country, have two prime - political stability and the threat of religious extremism, like Afghanistan’s Taliban Government.
No news Is Bad News reproduces below Mariam’s latest column posted by Free Malaysia Today:
No need for new laws, just enforce the existing ones
There is no political will to stop our divisive politicians from harping on the 3R issue.
Mariam Mokhtar - 15 Jul 2023, 10:30am
If anyone wanted an answer for the continual exploitation of the three Rs by some politicians despite numerous warnings issued by the sultans, the prime minister and the police, here it is: There is no political will to end it.
Instead of being firm and enforcing the existing laws on hate speech and the like, we have politicians and ministers tripping over themselves, wanting to formulate new laws to control the badly behaving divisive politicians.
Why are they so afraid to act? Why are the police not allowed to do their jobs properly?
The latest episode of ministers dragging their feet was when communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil mooted the idea of setting up dedicated units within the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission as well as the police force to monitor politicians who harp on the 3Rs.
He said the “desperado politics” of the 3Rs during the election campaign period should stop.
Fahmi had earlier expressed disappointment over certain politicians exploiting 3R sentiments, saying: “I believe there is room for us to look at the current laws and to see what we can do to enhance them.”
The day before, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said revealed that a new Act, similar to Singapore’s Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act, had been presented to the Cabinet.
She claimed that it had received positive response and had proposed it to be called the State and Nation Act.
Malaysians are fed up with weak politicians who refuse to be firm with perpetrators of the 3R issue. They are also weary of the many warnings being given, which are apparently falling on deaf ears.
During the general election last November, the politicians who threw the 3Rs to the winds were not even censured. They continued causing divisions among the people because they knew no-one would take action. Perhaps a warning or two were given, but that was the extent of the action taken by the authorities.
Some ministers talk a lot and pretend to be doing work by proposing new laws. Either that or they threaten to sue, knowing full well that the courts will take a long time to resolve the matter.
The lack of political will is not just seen in the 3R issue. The same happens in other matters such as traffic violations, in particular drivers with drug convictions being able to drive public utility vehicles.
Enforcement is poor. Coupled with that is the minimal punishment meted out, which almost seems like a rap on the knuckles. Is it any wonder that some MPs continue to take advantage of our system?
If just one of the divisive MPs was thrown in prison, fined heavily, or barred from parliament for using the 3Rs to divide Malaysians, it is likely that there would almost be instant good behaviour from the rest.
Government ministers should not be too trigger-happy to create new laws. Just enforce the existing laws and stop the divisive politicians in their tracks.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
Malaysia will ‘not survive’ if it does not change: Anwar Ibrahim
After just over six months in power, Malaysian prime minister tells Al Jazeera he is committed to reform, and fighting corruption.
By Aun Qi Koh and Chan Tau Chou
Published On 9 Jun 20239 Jun 2023
Correction9 Jun 2023
An earlier version of this story incorrectly transcribed Anwar as saying 'prejudge' instead of 'prejudice' in relation to Najib's pardon.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has reaffirmed the need for reforms, saying Malaysia must change or it will not survive.
“When it comes to governance, I think it is my duty to undertake and effect change because the country is somewhat destroyed. Unless there is a clear political commitment and resolve to change, I do not believe Malaysia will survive,” he said in an in-depth interview with Al Jazeera’s 101 East programme, stressing he was committed to transitioning Malaysia from race-based to needs-based affirmative action policies.
Anwar, now 75, became prime minister after elections in November 2022, capping a turbulent rise to the top of Malaysian politics.
A firebrand youth leader, he rapidly climbed the political ladder to become second-in-command to then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in the 1990s. Sacked and accused of sodomy and corruption in the midst of the Asian Financial Crisis, Anwar was eventually jailed twice on charges widely considered to be politically motivated, fuelling a campaign for reform that has lasted more than 20 years.
Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country, but affirmative action policies that benefit the majority made up of Muslim Malays and Indigenous peoples have been in place since the 1970s. Such policies give preferential treatment to these ethnic groups in areas from jobs to education and housing and were introduced as part of a social engineering programme following racial riots between the Malays and ethnic Chinese in May 1969.
While the policies were supposed to be temporary, they have remained in place ever since, creating deepening resentment among the country’s minority Chinese and Indian communities and leading many to leave the country in search of better opportunities elsewhere.
Anwar speaking to Chan Tau Chou of Al Jazeera’s 101 East [Sadiq Asyraf/Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia]
And with relatively high income inequality in Malaysia, it has also attracted questions about whether the policies have reached those who need them most.
For Anwar, a needs-based approach “would help the Malays more than the race-based policies, because the race-based policies have been proven to be used by the few elites and their cronies to benefit themselves”.
An uneasy alliance
But whether he can push through such reforms is another question.
Anwar is breaking new ground as Malaysia’s first prime minister from a multiracial party, in a country that has traditionally been ruled by Malay and other race-based parties. Malays make up just over half the population and are Muslim by law.
It is also fragile ground because his Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition did not win enough seats to form a government on its own.
His rise to power was only made possible through an alliance with smaller parties, including Malaysia’s former ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (National Front), which is led by the Malay-only United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).
Barisan Nasional was the architect of Malaysia’s race-based affirmative action policies and perpetuated them during its decades-long rule, while UMNO has long cast itself as the nation’s defender of Malay rights.
Anwar, however, brushes off concerns about differing goals within his alliance.
“What is important is the coalition is based on certain core principles: good governance, a strong stance against corruption [and] abuse of power, and economic policies that could cater [to] the common man and woman,” he said.
Issues of race and religion are chronic fault lines in Malaysia.
Anwar’s main opponent is Perikatan Nasional (National Alliance), a coalition of conservative Malay-Muslim parties. It has already attacked Anwar over issues such as his government’s recent decision to withdraw its appeal against a court ruling allowing non-Muslims to use the word Allah, the Malay and Arabic word for God, with opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin criticising Anwar as “reckless”.
With six state elections scheduled to take place by August, the debate around race and religion is expected to become even more heated.
“God willing, I think we will win big in the coming election[s]. The people are still with us, and they don’t believe that this current government can manage … Maybe they are just waiting for us to take over,” Hamzah, the opposition leader, told 101 East.
Anwar is unperturbed. He says his government is “very stable”.
“What else do you expect the opposition to do? Some are very jittery because of my strong stance against corruption and abuse of power. There is always this rumour about people swinging sides, changing sides. It doesn’t bother me. I think they misread it if they think that I’m a bit rattled. No.”nds01:47
Malaysia’s ex-PM Muhyiddin Yassin charged with corruption
The prime minister claimed some of the most corrupt forces comprising the political elites in the country are “ganging up with the billions at their disposal” to unseat him.
“But now that I’m in power, I’m not sitting idle. I will fight them if they want to solicit support by buying people, by bribing people and to protect their turf,” he said.
Anti-corruption drive
Under Anwar’s administration, an anti-corruption drive has already ensnared powerful opposition figures such as former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is on trial for money laundering and abuse of power.
Muhyiddin is accused of using his position to receive $51m in bribes into his party’s bank account. He rejects the allegation, saying the money was for projects to help the public and the economy.
Muhyiddin’s coalition narrowly lost to Anwar’s in the 2022 election, and he has claimed he is seen as a threat to Anwar and has become “a victim of selective political prosecution”. The prime minister denies interfering in the corruption probe.
Anwar’s own deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, is also facing multiple corruption charges that were laid four years ago during Pakatan Harapan’s previous brief stint in power. Given Anwar’s well-known stance against corruption, his selection of Zahid as deputy prime minister was controversial.
According to analyst Tricia Yeoh, as UMNO president, Zahid’s role in the new government was seen as a “necessary political compromise” given the party’s crucial position as kingmaker in Anwar’s current alliance.
“If not for having Zahid as a deputy prime minister, the entire equation would have fallen apart anyway. The government wouldn’t have been formed. There would have been no Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister to speak of,” Yeoh said.
Najib Razak became the first Malaysian prime minister to be convicted of a crime and jailed after the country’s top court rejected his appeal last August. He is now asking for a pardon [File: Hasnoor Hussain/Reuters]
Anwar’s role in the case of another former prime minister, Najib Abdul Razak, has also been scrutinised.
Najib was sentenced in 2020 to 12 years in prison for his role in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal and is now seeking a royal pardon. As de facto federal territories minister, Anwar is a member of the Pardons Board that will review Najib’s application. This has raised questions over his neutrality given that Najib belongs to coalition partner UMNO.
“When you seek a pardon, it does not mean that you consider yourself innocent. There is the process, and I respect the process. Anyone – any prisoner, any convict – has the right to appeal to the king and seek pardon. Why deny Najib’s right? Let the process go,” Anwar said.
“There’s no conflict. I will look at the process. I have read the appeal by UMNO and my response is they have every right to appeal. I shouldn’t prejudice the case.”
The question remains whether policies that are fair for all can be achieved in a country where the “special status” of Malays and Indigenous groups is protected in the constitution. For Anwar, there is no contradiction.
“This system, you accept it as a reality. What is forbidden is, of course, to use that to discriminate and undermine the rest … This administration, we made it very clear. We protect the sanctity of our belief, our religion. But we are Malaysians,” he said.
“It is up to us in the present government to prove a case that the future for this country is based on a multiracial agenda.”
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