Showdown Perak - follow the rule of law !

Showdown Perak - follow the rule of law !

February 28, 2009 ·



By Wong Choon Mei

Civil society groups have called for transparency and rule of law to prevail in Perak, as lawmakers there gear up for what could be a key turning point in the political deadlock that has crippled the state for nearly a month now.

In particular, Transparency International has warned of the hardening and harmful perception amongst Malaysians that the Umno-Barisan Nasional was using the federal apparatus unfairly to hang onto power both in the state and in rest of the nation.

“This episode has washed up a lot of dirt and the debris that we are seeing is the result of democratic processes not being allowed to find expression at the ballot box and elsewhere,” said Ramon Navaratnam, president of Transparency International Malaysia.

“Increasingly, it has become apparent that the federal apparatus is being abused to further the position of the politicians of the day. But this is a very dangerous precedent and bears a very heavy cost - not least to the image of country at the international level but also at home.

“To the extent that the rakyat perceive that their rights to freedom of expression and democratic practices have been dented, that will be the extent to which they will find recourse in the law courts - and if even that institution fails - to the streets in the form of protests and demonstrations.”

More cheating to follow

Perak legislative Speaker V Sivakumar has called for an emergency sitting of the state assembly on Tuesday to file a motion of confidence in Pakatan Rakyat leader Nizar Jamaluddin as Menteri Besar and also to dissolve the state assembly.

The move is aimed at paving the way for fresh state-wide polls, which would return the mandate to the Perak people to vote in the government and leadership of their choice.

But given the intense rivalry from Umno-BN, the plan may be sabotaged by the far-reaching arm of Deputy Premier Najib Abdul Razak - who is also incoming Umno president.

Dogged by a string losses at recent by-elections, Najib will fight hard to escape the embarrassment of a probable large-scale defeat as he ascends to power next month. Already, the Perak legal adviser has tried to block Sivakumar from sending out notices of the Mar 3 sitting to all eligible assemblymen.

“It behoves all parties to follow the advice of Raja Nazrin Shah to follow the rule of law,” said Ramon. “The situation in Perak has reached a stage where all parties - even the Palace - must display the utmost transparency and neutrality in their actions.

“Just pronouncing precepts is not enough, there must be follow-through and one must practice what one preaches. Only then can one regain the respect and confidence of the rakyat.”Crunch time - are we a democracy or what?

Raja Nazrin, the regent of Perak, a day ago called for regard for the law and respect for lawful institutions.

“A lawless system breeds a lawless culture, which in turn suggests lawless governance and lawless government,” he said at a conference for youths.

Perak is in a state of crisis - both politically and constitutionally. The stalemate will start to seriously harm its economy if steps are not taken to resolve the situation brought about by the Sultan’s decision to transfer power from the Pakatan to an unpopular line-up backed by Najib.
The Feb 5 decision was lambasted by the Pakatan, which has taken their battle to the courts and launched a barrage of legal action against Najib’s line-up. It was also condemned by nearly all civil society groups in the country including the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), Transparency International, the Bar Council and scores of others.

But most importantly, Sultan Azlan Shah’s decision was against the wishes of his own subjects - the Perak people. And till today, they have not accepted BN Menteri Besar Zambry Kadir as their new leader.

74 percent of Perakians said in a recent Merdeka Centre survey that they wanted fresh polls rather than the Sultan’s choice - no matter how wise - forced upon them. 62 percent of them felt that their democratic rights had been trampled on by their Ruler.

“It has come to boil - and the question that must be answered now is - are we a democracy?,” said Ramon.

“If we are, then the rights and wishes of the people must be respected above all else. This is what a democracy is about - if they are not, then we are not a democracy. Full stop, it is as basic as that.” SK

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