As we sadly marked the first anniversary of the first unelected government in history, we remember then calling Perikatan Nasional’s(PN) perfidious overthrow of a constitutionally elected PH government, as a severe setback for democracy and reforms. Such prophetic words have been proven true with the decision by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to suspend Parliament following a declaration of an Emergency, ostensibly to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Malaysia is probably the only country in the world that believes that the heinous act of suspending Parliament can overcome COVID-19. Even the King dismisses such rationale in a landmark statement denying that the Emergency Proclamation sanctioned such subversion of parliamentary democracy by the PN government.
Muhyiddin had attempted to justify the emergency powers as necessary to allow the government to impose stiffer penalties against those who violate the COVID-19SOPs. Since this objective has already been achieved, following the exorbitant and harsh increase in compound fines of RM1.000 to RM 10,000 for individuals and RM50,000 for companies, why is there still a need to maintain an Emergency and suspension of Parliament?
And yet four days after the royal decree that the Emergency does not include the suspension of Parliament, there is a ominous silence from the government and unholy inertia from the Parliament Speaker Azhar Harun about convening Parliamentary meeting swiftly. Such sinister stasis is an act of treachery against democracy and arguably “lese-majeste” against the King.
Suspension of Parliament has not prevented Malaysia, in per capita terms, to be the worst performing ASEAN country with a total 298,315 COVID-19 infections and 1,121 deaths as at 27 February 2021. Ministers fail to lead by example when they openly flout the SOPS without punishment or apply double-standards with harsher penalties for the ordinary rakyat. Schools are allowed to reopen but not Parliament. Such failure of leadership and crisis management is the principal reason why Malaysia is the worst in ASEAN in battling COVID-19.
Over the last one year, Malaysia’s state of the nation measured by any political economic social or institutional metric deteriorated alarmingly. The overall GDP growth for 2020, contracted by 5.6%, far more than the government’s Budget 2021 estimate of -4.5%. Unemployment in 2020, rose to 4.5% the worst since 1993, with December figures at 4.8% despite the burst of consumption at year-end.
The national mean poverty line income for households in Malaysia was revised from RM 980 to RM2,208 per month in 2019. Using the new methodology, Malaysia’s absolute poverty rate improved from 7.61 % in 2016 to 5.6% in 2019. However, with the poor handling and mismanagement of the economic crisis, these numbers are expected to increase.
The people need help and a bold economic stimulus package of an additional RM45 billion is required, on top of the RM 15 billion announced earlier this year. At a minimum, the loan moratorium should be extended automatically and unconditionally, reduce the burden of fixed costs like rent and utilities with subsidies, extend loan credits and grants. We are still awaiting Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s promised increase of monthly welfare aid to RM1,000, which should be extended to the unemployed.
Whilst this failed unelected government has engendered a public health crisis with the mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a complete lack of focus on handling the ensuing economic crisis, unemployment crisis and an education crisis. Against this backdrop and little noticed is the widespread rise in corruption, amidst the encouraging progress made by the PH government in curbing corruption.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had made fighting corruption as one of his key commitments in government. However, reality does not support his rhetoric. In the 2020 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index(CPI) Report, Malaysia dropped 6 rungs to 57th position, compared to No. 62 in 2017, 61 in 2018 and 51 in 2019.
Clearly the lack of emphasis towards open tenders and transparency, appointment of politicians to replace professionals in Government Linked Corporation(GLC) in exchange for political support, withdrawal of criminal charges against political leaders favouring the PN government, using government positions to buy political support as well as selective investigation and prosecution of politicians were identified as a primary cause. It will not be surprising if Malaysia’s CPI rankings further declines this year.
Under the PN government, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission(MACC) has ceased to be an impartial, independent and professional organisation battling corruption at the highest levels. MACC was oblivious to the drop in Malaysian rankings in the Transparency International CPI and indifferent to concerns that it has been weaponised as a political tool to serve the PN government.
Amongst some of its glaring lapses involving abuses of power were:-
- Prime Minister Muhyiddin was recorded on audio, offering political posts and positions in GLCs in exchange for political support. Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah revealed that he rejected an offer to be Petronas Chairman because it was unconstitutional;
- Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rina Harun’s dubious ability to settle a bankruptcy suit for debts amounting to RM1.3 million, when she had declared assets of RM72,000 as at 20 November 2019 with a monthly income of RM34,000;
- Former Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal’s expose that the leader of the previous Sabah state government had awarded 700,000 acres of forest reserve land under Yayasan Sabah or Sabah Foundation to “friends and family”;
- Deputy Defence Minister Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz, writing a letter of recommendation for his own son to be appointed into the Board of Director of Pharmaniaga, a company under the oversight and authority of the Defence Ministry. Defence Minister Ismail Sabri had agreed to his Deputy’s recommendation;
- Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa writing a letter of support endorsing a contractor’s bid to be awarded a huge highway project in Kelantan via direct negotiation;
- Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal promising to leverage on his public post to issue support letters in exchange for votes in the Bersatu Youth election.
Parliament Public Accounts Committee had asked for MACC to act after exposing former Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai granting a RM149.5 million contract by direct award to a company partly owned(25%) by Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodity Wee Jeck Seng. Will MACC continue its role of serial inaction and inertia?
The dropping of corruption charges against key political personalities and their associates have also damaged PN’s commitment towards transparency and accountability. Credit Suisse Malaysia’s Managing Director and the Head of Equities Stephen Hagger had warned that Malaysia will suffer if corrupt political leaders and figures continue to walk free from corruption charges due to the prosecution unilaterally dropping charges despite iron-clad evidence.
No such warnings were issued by financial analysts when PH was in power. Lest we forget, poor governance was cited as one of the principal causes of Malaysia’s sovereign credit ratings downgrade by Fitch Ratings last year. PH did not suffer any sovereign credit ratings downgrade despite grappling with the mammoth 1MDB financial scandal.
With the prolonged economic recession, loss of jobs and business closures as well as school shutdowns brought about by the PN’s mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia is not just living dangerously, but failing dangerously.
Political instability has only worsened Malaysia’s state of crisis, following the loss of Muhyiddin’s parliamentary majority. Suspension of Parliament will not end but only perpetuate the crisis. As a political circuit-breaker, DAP would like to suggest that Parliament be restored and all political parties commit to delaying general elections until the global pandemic is over.
Whether or not that is tantamount to requiring elections to be held only until the end of the current term in 2023 or include the possibility that the current government be replaced by another government that can command majority support, running a government competently for the sake of the rakyat should be the utmost priority. Malaysia cannot afford to continue to be failing dangerously.